Not long after this, Vilhjamr, the eldest brother, went to the rock.  But before he left he said to his brother, that if three drops of blood should fall on his knife at table while he was away, Sigurdr should at once come to the rock, for then it would be sure that he fared like the others.  So Vilhjamr went away, following the old man’s directions, and nothing further is told of him for a while.  But after three days, or about the time when his brother should have reached the stone, three drops of blood fell upon Sigurdr’s knife, once, while at table.  He was startled at this and told his sister that he must needs leave her, in order to help his brother.  He made the same agreement with his sister as Vilhjamr had before made with him.  Then he went away, and, to make the story short, all came to the same issue with him as with his brother, and the blood-drops fell on his sister’s knife, at the time when Sigurdr should have reached the stone.

Then the damsel went herself, to see what luck she might have.  She succeeded in finding the rock, and when she came there she was greatly struck with the number of stones that surrounded it, in every shape and position.  Some had the form of chests, others of various animals, while some again were in other forms.  She paid no heed to all this, but going straight forward to the great rock began climbing it.  Then she heard, all of a sudden, behind her a loud murmur of human voices, all talking, one louder than another, and amongst the number she heard those of her brothers.  But she paid no heed to this, and took good care never to look back, in spite of all she heard going on behind her.  Then she got at last to the top of the rock, and the bird greatly praised her steadiness and constancy and promised both to tell her anything she chose to ask him and to assist her in every way he could.  First, she would have the surrounding stones recalled to their natural shapes and life.  This the bird granted her, pointing to one of the stones and saying, “Methinks you would free that one from his spell, if you knew who he was.”  So the king’s daughter sprinkled water over all the stones and they returned to life again, and thanked her for their release with many fair words.  Next she asked the bird who were the parents of herself and her brothers, and to whom they might trace their descent.  The bird said that they were the children of the king of that country, and told her how the queen’s sisters had acted by them at their birth, and last of all told her how her mother was in the lion’s den, and how she was nearer dead than alive from sorrow and want of good food and comfort.