King of the Burgundians and Gudrun's brother, who rode through a wall of fire to win Brynhildr, then died in Atli's snake pit without revealing where the gold was hidden.
Gunnarr Gjúkason was king of the Burgundians and Guðrún's elder brother. He rode to Hindarfjall to court the valkyrie Brynhildr, but could not pass the flames surrounding her hall. Sigurðr assumed Gunnarr's shape through Grímr's sorcery and rode through the fire in his stead. It was this deception that eventually led to Sigurðr's death.
When Atli lured Gunnarr and Högni to his hall under false promises of peace, he imprisoned them and demanded to know where the treasure lay. Gunnarr refused to speak as long as Högni lived. When Atli had Högni's heart cut out, Gunnarr declared that he alone now knew the secret and allowed himself to be thrown into the snake pit. There he played the harp with his feet until all the serpents but one fell asleep; the final serpent's bite killed him.
Sources in the Eddas
Interpretive traditions
A What we know
Gunnarr's silence in the snake pit and his harp-playing constitute one of the most dramatic and well-attested motifs in all Eddic poetry.
B What we think we know
Gunnarr is generally identified with the historical Burgundian king Gundaharius, who fell against the Huns in 437.