His Last Stay

"The Sorrow of Odin the Goth," 366-372.

A significant narrative detail can be so understated in a text that we read right past it as if it had not been there, e.g.:

"'You have worn yourself out for us,' Hathawulf said to [the Wanderer] at the end of his last stay in the hall." (p. 442)

The phrase that I am focusing on here is "...his last stay..."

Every single thing that we do, however trivial, we will some day do for the last time whether or not we know as we do it that this is the last time. In this case, neither Hathawulf nor the Wanderer knows that this is indeed the latter's last stay in Hathawulf's hall and the reader has to be alert to notice it. After this, Hathawulf will see his revered ancestor only twice more, both times very briefly. 

In 372, the Wanderer will arrive only to forbid Alawin to join the attack on Ermanaric and will immediately depart. We have already read this exchange in the opening narrative section headed 372. That scene will be briefly recapitulated at the end of the current 366-372 section. Then, in a later 372 section, the Wanderer will appear as if from nowhere to intervene in the attack on Ermanaric and, after that, Hathawulf will be no more. With the benefit of all this hindsight, we can now properly appreciate that phrase, "...his last stay..."