Spring And Gunnhild

Poul Anderson, Mother Of Kings (New York, 2003), Book Two, Chapter X.

This account of a seasonal change begins not with the sun or the wind but with human activities and a short list-description:

"Every year, late in spring there was a mighty offering at Gaula in Sygnafylki, for a good summer and harvest. Men flocked to it from widely about and stayed on for days, talking, drinking, sporting, dickering. Gunnhild thought something more might be done." (p. 122)

Gunnhild, having tried and failed to murder Egil, now incites her brothers to kill both Egil and his brother, Thorolf, even though Thorolf had rescued her from the Finns and had then become a friend. Gunnhild has sunk as low as she can get. Although she is the title character, it is fortunate that she is not always the viewpoint character. Indeed, much of the narration is impersonal. Too much narration from Gunnhild's vengeful point of view would make for very unpleasant reading.

One of her brothers manages to kill one of Thorolf's men and must be exiled by Eirik.

"She had egged him on to this, Gunnhild knew. But how could she know he would be such an utter fool about it?" (p. 128)

How could she know that her brother would commit murder foolishly? She has egged him on to murder. That is her responsibility.