The House of the Wolfings · Chapter
XXVI: Thiodolf Talketh with the Wood-Sun explained
Thiodolf and the Hall-Sun leave the camp and go to a wood-lawn where the Wood-Sun sits.
What happens
Thiodolf and the Hall-Sun leave the camp and go to a wood-lawn where the Wood-Sun sits. The Hall-Sun speaks of two griefs and her power to vanquish one, then departs. Alone, Thiodolf and the Wood-Sun discuss their love, his fate, and the Dwarf-wrought Hauberk. Thiodolf resolves to bear the hauberk no more, choosing to die as a man of the kindreds, and the Wood-Sun confesses she lied about the hauberk's curse to save his life.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Prophecy
The Hall-Sun speaks of fate's limits and her power to vanquish one grief; the Wood-Sun acknowledges Weird as master; Thiodolf accepts his death as part of the kindred's destiny.
Sacrifice and Loss
Thiodolf chooses to die for the kindred, casting off the hauberk; the Wood-Sun laments the waning of all things and the pain of farewell.
Tribal Identity and Kinship
Thiodolf affirms his bond with the Wolfings and all kindreds, declaring 'they are mine and I am theirs' and choosing to die as a man of the folk.
Characters to notice
- Thiodolf
Thiodolf is led by the Hall-Sun to the wood-lawn, speaks with the Wood-Sun about love and fate, and resolves to cast off the Dwarf-wrought Hauberk, embracing his mortality and kinship with the people.
- Hall-Sun
The Hall-Sun leads Thiodolf to the Wood-Sun, speaks of two griefs and her power to vanquish one, then departs after a tender farewell with her mother.
- Wood-Sun
The Wood-Sun sits on the stone seat, speaks with Thiodolf and the Hall-Sun, confesses her lie about the hauberk's curse, and bids farewell to Thiodolf.
Key passages
“I have said that the minutes of this night are dear, and they are passing swiftly; and it may be that thou wilt have much to say and to do before the host is astir with the dawning.”
The Hall-Sun urges Thiodolf to act quickly because the night is short and dawn will bring battle.
The Hall-Sun emphasizes the urgency of the moment before the host awakens.
“Two griefs I see before me in mighty hearts grown great; And to change both these into gladness outgoes the power of fate. Yet I, a lonely maiden, have might to vanquish one Till it melt as the mist of the morning before the summer sun.”
The Hall-Sun declares she can overcome one of the two great sorrows she sees, but the other is beyond fate's power to change.
The Hall-Sun speaks of her limited power to alter the griefs of Thiodolf and the Wood-Sun.
“I shall bid my mighty father make choice of death in life, Or life in death victorious and the crownèd end of strife.”
The Hall-Sun will force Thiodolf to choose between a living death or a glorious death in battle.
The Hall-Sun threatens to compel Thiodolf to decide his fate.
“Therefore I will bear the Hauberk no more in battle; and belike my body but once more: so shall I have lived and death shall not have undone me.”
Thiodolf decides to fight without the enchanted hauberk, accepting that he may die but will have lived fully.
Thiodolf rejects the hauberk and embraces his mortality.
“I lied to thee concerning the Hauberk when I said that no evil weird went with it: and this I did for the saving of thy life.”
The Wood-Sun confesses she deceived Thiodolf about the hauberk's curse in an attempt to save him.
The Wood-Sun admits her lie about the hauberk's safety.