The topic of this essay is the poem Hamðismál. This poem is about the aftermath of killing a woman, Svanhildr, and the actions her family takes to avenge her death. An introduction to the poem will be given in terms of what it is about and the events leading up to his killing, as well as the events that took place after his death. The first two stanzas can be seen as an introduction to the story the reader is experiencing. I'm about to read. It tells of a serious act that took place. A woman named Svanhildur was killed by Jörmunrekk, who was king. An explanation of the scene will be provided to help further explain the actions taking place in the poem. Svanhildr's mother was Guðrún, the daughter of Gjúki. She had been married to King Ath Buðlason. He invited Guðrún's two brothers, Högni and Gunnar, to live with them in the hall, but when they arrived in the hall the king had ordered them to be seized and killed. After this, Guðrún killed his two sons whom he had had by King Ath, and from their skulls he made barrels covered with gold and silver, from which the king would drink the mead which had been mixed with the blood of his sons and roasted their hearts, which Ath would do. eat. After this funeral feast everyone went to bed, but Guðrún took the son of Högni from his brothers and they killed Ath and burned the hall. After doing so, she tried to take her own life by drowning at sea, but instead drifted across the fjord and was found by a man who would become her next husband, King Jónak. With him she would have three sons, Hamðir, Sörli and Erp. Living with the king was a young girl named Svanhild, she was Guðrún's daughter whom she had previously had with a man named Sigurð. King Jörmunrekkr once heard that a young man... middle of paper... did not give in to male domination. In this essay we discuss the poem Hamðismál and the actions that take place in it. There are several murders that occur in this 31 stanza poem. It begins with a woman describing an event that happened some time ago in which her daughter was killed by a king named Jörmunrekkr. This woman, Guðrún, sends her two sons Hamðir and Sărli to avenge the death of their half-sister, Svanhildr. An account of the repercussions of this decision for Guðrún and the fate of his family is given. Works Cited Faulkes, Anthony. “Hamðismál.” A new introduction to Old Norse. 5th ed. London: Viking Society for Northern Research:, 2011. 355-358. Print.Young, Jean I.. "SELECTIONS FROM POETIC DICTION." SELECTIONS FROM POETIC DICTION. Np, nd Web. November 27. 2013. .