3-24“The Lay of Atli” Stanza 1–18

A Ring That Warned of Danger

What warning did the wolf's hair on the ring carry?

In *The Lay of Atli*, Atli sends a messenger to invite Gunnar to his hall. The messenger promises gifts, including gold-adorned helmets and horses.

Hogni notices a ring sent by Gudrun. A wolf's hair has been tied to it. He takes this as a warning that the journey is dangerous. Even so, the brothers ride away.

In *The Greenlandic Lay of Atli*, Gudrun carves runes and sends a message. But the messenger alters the writing. Hogni's wife tries to read it. She tells her husband that it seems to say the brothers will be killed if they go.

The wives also have ominous dreams. Hogni's wife tells of dreaming that the bedding was burning. Gunnar's wife dreams that dead women have come to summon her husband. Gunnar answers that the journey has already been decided. The brothers set off despite their wives' pleas.

Illustration of A Ring That Warned of Danger