He hath heard of thy sword victorious and thine abundant home;
He hath heard of thy sons in the battle, the fillers of Odin's Hall;"
The quote above reveals an important thing about death and how it was seen by the ancient Vikings. The man does not lament the death of the King's sons but rather thinks about the pride the father must feel upon thinking of his dead children. While death was a painful experience, for the Vikings, dying in battle was a great honor. They saw those who lost their lives while fighting as being above everyone else and this type of death was sought after by men and women alike.
"I will wed the Goth king, and yet shall I rue my lot in his hall."
Just like other women in the past, the daughters of affluent Vikings were often used to tie alliances between rival clans and to forge stronger relationships. Young women knew what was expected of them and often they did not even try to fight against what they saw as being the natural course in life. Still, as Signy points out, most women knew there was no happiness in store for them. Even so, they listen to their fathers and did what was expected of them.
"The folk of the war-wand's forgers wrought never better steel
Since first the burg of heaven uprose for man-folk's weal."
The King gives Signy's father as a form of wedding gift many weapons, including newly forged steel swords. Signy's father saw these gifts as being more than acceptable and even praised the King for his gift. This quote is used here once more to show just how important war was for the ancient Vikings and how nothing mattered more in their lives.
