English

The Awakening of Brunhild by Howard Pyle, illustration from 1882, James Baldwin, The Story of Siegfried

Alternative forms

• Brunhilda
• Brunhilde
• Brünhilde
• Brunhildr
• Brunnhilde
• Brünnhilde
• Brünnehilde
• Brynhildr

Proper noun

Brunhild

1. (Norse mythology) A shieldmaiden and valkyrie in Germanic mythology, a main character in the Völsunga saga and some poems of the Poetic Edda.
   • 1999, Mary A. Cicora, Wagner's Ring and German Drama: Comparative Studies in Mythology and History in Drama, page 79,

     Brunhild is a complex figure, indeed. In Hebbel's trilogy, Brunhild is one of the figures who spans both levels, those of history and myth.

   • 2003, Kathryn Starkey, Brunhild's Smile, C. Stephen Jaeger, Ingrid Kasten, (editors), Codierungen von Emotionen im Mittelalter / Emotions and Sensibilities in the Middle Ages, page 160,

     In manuscripts A and B,^{[of the Nibelungenlied]} the smiles of Gunther, Siegfried, and Brunhild are recognized as expressions of power and are greeted with the appropriate responses of retaliation, subjugation, or subjugation followed by retaliation.

   • 2010, H. A. Guerber, Hammer of Thor: Norse Mythology and Legends, Special Edition, page 248,

     Brunhild resembles Minerva in her martial tastes, physical appearance, and wisdom; but her anger and resentment when Sigurd forgets her for Gudrun is like the wrath of Œnone, whom Paris deserts to woo Helen.

2. A female given name
   1. (historical) Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia, wife of Sigebert I, who later ruled Austrasia and Burgundy as regent.
      • 2013, Theresa Earenfight, Queenship in Medieval Europe, page 58,

        Unlike some contemporary queens who converted their husbands to orthodox belief, Brunhild was an Arian Christian who was converted to orthodoxy when she married Sigebert.

      • 2014, Wim Blockmans, Peter Hoppenbrouwers, Introduction to Medieval Europe 300–1500, page 104,

        One of the rare women who came to great power in the early medieval world was Brunhild, daughter of the Visigothic king Athanagild and reputedly a girl of mesmerising beauty.

      • 2015, E. T Dailey, Queens, Consorts, Concubines, page 119,

        In the Histories, Brunhild and Fredegund appear as political adversaries and moral opposites. Gregory encouraged his audience to compare the two queens by emphasising their differences. He said nothing bad of Brunhild, yet he accused Fredegund of a great many crimes, including murder, sacrilege, witchcraft and treason.

3. (astronomy) 123 Brunhild, a main belt asteroid, named after the mythological figure.

Synonyms

• Sigrdrífa

Translations

German

Proper noun

Brunhild

1. A female given name, variant of Brunhilde.