Gudrun by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Yes. Gudrun is a well-known figure in Old Norse literature, found in the Völsunga saga and the Poetic Edda. In these texts, she is the wife of the hero Sigurd and later marries Atli (Attila the Hun). Her narrative revolves around themes of loss and revenge. Longfellow took creative liberties with her story, incorporating her into a tale with King Olaf instead of sticking strictly to the saga.

He wakes up. That's the entire turning point of the poem. She holds the weapon, she has the motive, and she has crept to his bedside — and then his eyes open and lock onto hers. This moment of connection shatters the spell. Longfellow doesn’t reveal her feelings at that moment, which makes it more impactful: we can't tell if she hesitates because of fear, pity, or something else entirely.

A bodkin is a long, pointed pin that women used to fasten hair or thread ribbon through fabric. It was a staple in a woman's kit during medieval and early modern periods. Gudrun's assertion that she's holding a bodkin that fell and woke her seems like a believable lie — in dim moonlight, bodkins could appear long and thin enough to look like a small blade.

Almost certainly yes. His proverb — "Forests have ears, and fields have eyes; / Often treachery lurking lies / Underneath the fairest hair" — is a clear, if subtle, accusation. He’s letting her know he sees through the lie. The choice to ride away at dawn instead of having her arrested or punished indicates that he prefers to end the marriage quietly rather than confront her directly.

A cairn is a pile of stones that marks a grave, often found in Norse and Celtic traditions. In the poem, Gudrun gazes at the cairn where her father, murdered, rests. This moment fuels her determination to kill Olaf; she's driven by a sense of duty to avenge her father's death.

The cold imagery — icicles, drifting snow, and the chill of death — serves two purposes. First, it aligns perfectly with the Norse setting, where winter and ice are woven into the cultural fabric. Second, it enhances the theme: this wedding night is devoid of warmth. Instead of love, marriage, and intimacy, we see cold metal and a cold purpose. This imagery transforms the betrayal into something that feels inevitable, like a force of nature.

The IX refers to a section number. In Tales of a Wayside Inn, the extended saga of King Olaf is split into numbered sections, with "Gudrun" being one episode in that larger series. The number indicates its position within the overall narrative.

Longfellow doesn't portray her as a villain. She's seeking to avenge her father's murder, which, in Norse morality, is seen as a duty rather than wrongdoing. The poem provides her with the cairn, moonlight, and the voice of her deceased father—elements that highlight her actions driven by grief and obligation, not malice. Even Olaf doesn't punish her, indicating he recognizes her motivations.