Why doesn't Gudrun just kill Olaf? What stops her?

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.

Does Olaf know she was trying to kill him?

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.

What does "the cairn" mean?

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.

Why does Longfellow use so many cold and icy images?

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.

What is the IX at the end of the poem?

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.

Is Gudrun a villain in this poem?

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.

The Annotated Edition

GUDRUN by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

Read aloud in ~2 min

On his wedding night, King Olaf wakes up to find his new bride, Gudrun, looming over him with a concealed dagger, determined to avenge her father's murder.

Poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Themes: betrayal, death, sorrow

The PoemFull text

GUDRUN

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

On King Olaf's bridal night Shines the moon with tender light, And across the chamber streams Its tide of dreams. At the fatal midnight hour, When all evil things have power, In the glimmer of the moon Stands Gudrun. Close against her heaving breast Something in her hand is pressed Like an icicle, its sheen Is cold and keen. On the cairn are fixed her eyes Where her murdered father lies, And a voice remote and drear She seems to hear. What a bridal night is this! Cold will be the dagger's kiss; Laden with the chill of death Is its breath. Like the drifting snow she sweeps To the couch where Olaf sleeps; Suddenly he wakes and stirs, His eyes meet hers. "What is that," King Olaf said, "Gleams so bright above thy head? Wherefore standest thou so white In pale moonlight?" "'T is the bodkin that I wear When at night I bind my hair; It woke me falling on the floor; 'T is nothing more." "Forests have ears, and fields have eyes; Often treachery lurking lies Underneath the fairest hair! Gudrun beware!" Ere the earliest peep of morn Blew King Olaf's bugle-horn; And forever sundered ride Bridegroom and bride! IX

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

On his wedding night, King Olaf wakes up to find his new bride, Gudrun, looming over him with a concealed dagger, determined to avenge her father's murder. She tries to deceive him about her weapon, but Olaf sees through her ruse and warns her. At dawn, he rides away, cutting their marriage short before it even starts. It's a gripping, chilling tale of revenge, betrayal, and a murder plot that nearly succeeds but falters at the last moment.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

On King Olaf's bridal night / Shines the moon with tender light,
Editor's note
Longfellow begins with a false sense of tranquility. The moonlight feels romantic—it's a wedding night, after all—but the word "tender" will soon take on an ironic twist. In this context, the moon acts as a witness rather than a blessing.
At the fatal midnight hour, / When all evil things have power,
Editor's note
Midnight was considered the traditional witching hour in Norse and medieval European belief. Longfellow indicates that what comes next is rooted in dark folklore rather than courtly romance. The word "fatal" carries significant weight—it implies both deadly and fated.
Close against her heaving breast / Something in her hand is pressed
Editor's note
We notice the weapon before we understand what it is. The simile "like an icicle" reveals it all: it's cold, sharp, and lethal. The detail of her heaving breast indicates her agitation as she prepares herself for the action ahead.
On the cairn are fixed her eyes / Where her murdered father lies,
Editor's note
A cairn is a pile of stones that marks a grave. Gudrun gazes at her father's burial mound, finding her motivation in it. This is the driving force of the entire poem: she isn’t a villain; she’s a daughter fulfilling a blood debt.
What a bridal night is this! / Cold will be the dagger's kiss;
Editor's note
Longfellow allows his narrator to speak directly, using grim irony. A kiss is supposed to be the warmest promise of a wedding night; here, it belongs to a blade. The word "breath" in the next line deepens the metaphor — the dagger is almost personified as a cold, death-breathing entity.
Like the drifting snow she sweeps / To the couch where Olaf sleeps;
Editor's note
The snow simile gives Gudrun a ghostly and inevitable quality, resembling a natural force instead of a person making a decision. Then the moment shifts: Olaf wakes. The drama changes completely in just two brief lines.
"What is that," King Olaf said, / "Gleams so bright above thy head?"
Editor's note
Olaf's question is steady yet sharp. He catches the shine of the weapon in the moonlight. By asking what glimmers above her head, he almost presents her as a dark angel, weapon held high.
"'T is the bodkin that I wear / When at night I bind my hair;
Editor's note
A bodkin is just a long hairpin, which makes for a good cover story. Gudrun's lie comes out smoothly and without hesitation. She says it dropped and woke her up — a tidy reason for why she's standing over him. It nearly convinces.
"Forests have ears, and fields have eyes; / Often treachery lurking lies
Editor's note
Olaf's response is a proverb—he's not easily deceived. Rather than making direct accusations, he offers a caution through folk wisdom, signaling that he understands the situation perfectly. The phrase "Underneath the fairest hair" connects the warning directly to her bodkin excuse.
Ere the earliest peep of morn / Blew King Olaf's bugle-horn;
Editor's note
The bugle-horn signals it's time to ride out. Olaf doesn't punish Gudrun; he just walks away. The marriage dissolves before dawn. The last couplet, "forever sundered ride / Bridegroom and bride," hits hard, like a door slamming shut.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone feels cold and tightly wound, much like the dagger itself. Longfellow uses sparse language and quick pacing, with short four-line stanzas that evoke a sense of held breath. A dark irony weaves throughout the poem, contrasting wedding-night warmth with chilling death imagery. By the end, the tone turns almost matter-of-fact: the marriage has ended without any drama or punishment, just a horn blown at dawn and two people riding away from each other forever.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The dagger / bodkin: The weapon is the focal point of the poem. As a dagger, it symbolizes Gudrun's obligation to seek revenge for her father's murder. As a "bodkin" — her deceit — it illustrates how violence can lurk beneath the surface of the mundane. The simile of the icicle connects it to cold, death, and the harsh Norse winter landscape that the poem explores.
The moon: The moon begins the poem with a deceptive softness, only to reveal its betrayal — its light makes the dagger shine and exposes Gudrun. It observes the botched assassination as it does everything else: quietly and without compassion.
The cairn: The stone grave-mound of Gudrun's murdered father serves as the poem's moral center. It's what she fixes her gaze on as she gathers her courage. This mound represents the blood-debt culture of the Norse world, where a daughter's obligation to her deceased father can take precedence over everything else, even her wedding night.
The bugle-horn: Olaf's horn at dawn marks both the departure and the end. In Norse and medieval tradition, the horn summoned warriors to action. Here, it signifies the conclusion of a marriage rather than the beginning of a conflict — yet the impact remains the same: a clear, unchangeable separation.
Drifting snow: The simile comparing Gudrun to weather as she approaches Olaf's bed makes her seem elemental and unavoidable, almost like a force of nature rather than a person. It also highlights the poem's overall coldness — everything here feels wintry, even love and revenge.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow included this poem in his 1863 collection *Tales of a Wayside Inn*, which uses a frame-narrative structure inspired by Chaucer's *Canterbury Tales* and Boccaccio's *Decameron*. "Gudrun" is part of the Musician's sequence of Norse tales, alongside the well-known "Saga of King Olaf." Longfellow had a strong passion for Scandinavian literature; he translated Tegner's *Frithiof's Saga* and referred to the *Prose Edda* and other sagas throughout his work. The tale of Gudrun originates from Old Norse tradition, where avenging women representing murdered family members frequently appear. Written during the American Civil War, the poem reflects Longfellow's personal grief following the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861, which likely contributes to the darker and more condensed nature of his Norse poems from this time.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

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.

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GUDRUN by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

GUDRUN

What this poem is about

Recurring themes

Stanza by stanza, with notes

How this poem feels

Symbols & metaphors

Historical context

Questions readers ask

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