Shield-maiden with family ties, but at first does not usually act directly. She is more inclined to incite her male relatives to action than take up arms herself. Guðrún is no shield-maiden, and Brynhildr mocks her for this, saying, "Only ask what is best for you to know. That is suitable for noble women. And it is easy to be satisfied while everything happens according to your desires." In her later marriages, however, she is willing to kill her children, burn down a hall, and send her other sons to avenge the murder of her daughter, Svanhildr. In the world of
Norse mythology include Gylfi, the first King of Sweden, in the Gylfaginning, King Geirröth in the [Grímnismál], and two peasant children Þjálfi and Röskva, who are tricked into bond service to Thor by Loki and appear in Skáldskaparmál and the Gylfaginning. The Prose Edda also describes the afterlife for humans, with honorable warriors feasting and battling endlessly in Valhalla, while those who died dishonorably or out of battle were sent to Niffelheim. With the widespread publication of Norse myths and legends at this time, references to the Norse gods and heroes spread into European literary culture, especially in Scandinavia, Germany, and Britain.