Kostbera

Family: Giukings · Role: Hogni's wife · First appears: Chapter XXXIV · Atli bids the Giukings to him

Life events

• Kostbera discovers that the runes are guileful and warns Hogni that they bear his bane.(Chapter XXXV · The Dreams of the Wives of the Giukings)
  • “Thou art minded to wend away from home--ill-counselled is that; abide till another time! Scarce a keen reader of runes art thou, if thou deemest thou hast beheld in them the bidding of thy sister to this journey: lo, I read the runes, and had marvel of so wise a woman as Gudrun is, that she should have miscut them; but that which lieth underneath beareth your bane with it,--yea, either she lacked a letter, or others have dealt guilefully with the runes.”
• Kostbera dreams that a mighty river breaks up the hall's timbers.(Chapter XXXV · The Dreams of the Wives of the Giukings)
  • “And now hearken to my dream; for therein methought there fell in upon us here a river exceeding strong, and brake up the timbers of the hall.”
• Kostbera dreams that a second river tears up the dais and breaks the brothers' legs.(Chapter XXXV · The Dreams of the Wives of the Giukings)
  • “Well, the thing must ye yourselves prove, but no friendship follows this bidding:--but yet again I dreamed that another river fell in here with a great and grimly rush, and tore up the dais of the hall, and brake the legs of both you brethren; surely that betokeneth somewhat.”
• Kostbera dreams that Hogni's cloak catches fire and its flames rise above the hall.(Chapter XXXV · The Dreams of the Wives of the Giukings)
  • “Again I dreamed,” she says, “that thy cloak was afire, and that the flame blazed up above the hall.”
• Kostbera dreams that an eagle drenches everyone with blood and forebodes ill.(Chapter XXXV · The Dreams of the Wives of the Giukings)
  • “An erne methought came in,” she says, “and swept adown the hall, and drenched me and all of us with blood, and ill shall that betoken, for methought it was the double of King Atli.”

Chapter XXXIV · Atli bids the Giukings to him

• married with Hogni “and Kostbera, the wife of Hogni, the fairest of women, came to them, and looked on the runes.”

Chapter XXXV · The Dreams of the Wives of the Giukings

• married with Hogni “So then she goes to bed by her husband; but when they awoke, she spake unto Hogni--”

Chapter XXXVI · Of the Journey of the Giukings to King Atli

• siblings with Orkning “and a certain great champion, named Orkning, who was the brother of Kostbera.”

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Extracted from the original text of The Story of the Volsungs. Made with Rho MD.