Signar's Saga

Gunnar

King of the Volsungs. After being captured in battle, he tricked his captors into killing Hogni, the only man Gunnar cared about and the only person his captors could use to force Gunnar to tell them where he hid the treasure of the Volsungs.

Upon learning that Gunnar would not tell them where the treasure was, his captors cut Gunnar's hands off and threw him into a pit of vipers with a harp. Gunnar used his toes to play the harp and lull all the snakes to sleep, save one. This last snake sank his teeth into Gunnar's heart. Gunnar died, ensuring the treasure of the Volsungs would never be found.

The Saga of the Volsungs. Translated by Jesse L. Byock. London: Penguin Books, 1990.