The subject of the painting is the love story of Hellelil, who fell in love with her bodyguard Hildebrand. When her father hears of it, he sends her seven brothers to kill Hildebrand. The painting depicts the moment before Hildebrand goes out to meet the brothers, kissing Hellelil one last time, and parting with the injuction to "say never my name". Hildebrand subdues each brother until he comes to the youngest; than Hellelil, forgetting his request, calls to him to plead for mercy; as Hildebrand complies, the youngest brother kills him. Said brother takes Hellelil back to their house by dragging her from his horse, tortures her, and locks her up in a tower for many days, eventually selling her for a church bell. Hellelil tells this story to a Danish Queen in whose service she is, before falling down dead herself. The story was taken from a medieval Danish ballad translated as Hellalyle and Hildebrand by the painter's friend Whitley Stokes^[2][3] and published in Fraser's Magazine, 1855, Vol. 51, p. 89. The poet's sister Margaret Stokes later presented it to the museum.She sat in her bower, with eyes of flame,
(My sorrow is known to God alone.)
Bending over the broidery frame,
(And oh there liveth none to whom my sorrow may be told.).