As usual, answer two of the following:
Q1: Chapter 31 is one of the most fascinating chapters in the book, right up there with Brynhild's argument with Gudrun. Though the lovers are reunited here, it's hardly a tearful reunion: indeed, they're both at each other's throats. How does the author give Brynhild more depth in this chapter than simply a love-struck woman or even a woman-scorned? Who seems to come out the victor in this 'duel' between lovers?
Q2: The book often invokes the idea of fate, usually saying that "no one can withstand his fate" (90). Based on its use in the story, is fate a moral/ethical force like dharma or karma? Is it the will of God (or Odin)? Or is it something else, a sinister force that is indifferent to men and women? Is there any way to change or appease one's fate? Does anyone seem to outlive it?
Q3: Since this work is written from a slightly Christian perspective, and has a knowledge of the Christian/Western world, does it ultimately make out women (and wives, especially) to be copies of the Helen of Troy trope? Do women such as Brynhild, Gudrun, and Signy destroy the brave deeds of men? Is the narrator laying too much of the blame on women...or is he allowing them to write their own story?
Q4: Gundrun outdoes both Brynhild and Signy in her malevolent revenge against her husband, Atli (borrowing a trope made famous from the Greek myth of Medea). However, unlike the other two women, she is allowed to survive his murderous rampage, and the narrator even states that "Gudrun did not want to live after these deed" (105). Why do you think she survives everyone to become the last woman standing?
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