V.[°] Hjarrandi is the name of Hethin's father in all the Norse forms of the story; but originally this would seem to have been the name of Hethin's minstrel—the Hôrant of Kudrun, and the Heorrenda of Deor.
Serkland, i.e. Africa, 'Saracen Land.' It is only in this story that Hethin is said to come from here. Saxo Grammaticus calls him a Norwegian. Cf. also Widsiþ, l. 21, which gives the name of an unknown people.
Göndul, the name of one of the Valkyries. See Völuspá, str. 31; Hákonarmál, passim; Skáldskaparmál, chs. 2 and 47.
VI.[°] Heithrek Ulfham. For Heithrek Ulfham see the Saga of Hervör and Heithrek, ch. 16.
VII.[°] She asked him. I have followed Rafn's text. The Reykjavík ed. apparently has a misprint here—hann for hón.
He thrust the Queen down in front of the prow, etc. The murder of the Queen is peculiar to this saga.
VIII.[°] This harrowing torment continued, etc. A good deal has been written on the subject of the Unending Battle, which many writers believe to have been of mythological origin. Very often, however, it appears in local traditions. See Frazer's Pausanias, vol. ii, p. 443 (the reference to the Battle of Marathon), where a considerable number of parallels are given. See also Panzer, Hilde-Gudrun, p. 328. Cf. p. 43, note i above.