Brunhild

Brunhild, known variously as Brunhilda or Brynhild (Brynhildr in Old Norse, Brünhilt in Middle High German, and Brünhild or Brünhilde in Modern German), stands as a towering figure in Germanic heroic legend. Scholars suggest she may have been inspired by the historical Brunhilda of Austrasia, a Visigothic princess and queen.

The character appears in two distinct but related traditions. In Norse mythology, she is portrayed as a valkyrie or shieldmaiden, featuring prominently in the Völsunga saga and related Eddic poems. The continental Germanic tradition, particularly the Nibelungenlied, depicts her as a formidable queen with Amazon-like qualities. Both versions cast her as a crucial figure in the death of the hero Sigurd (or Siegfried), orchestrating his murder after he deceives her into marrying King Gunther (or Gunnar) of Burgundy. Her murderous vengeance is sparked by a heated quarrel with Sigurd's wife, known as Gudrun in Norse sources and Kriemhild in German ones. The Norse tradition uniquely ends with Brunhild's suicide following Sigurd's death.

Richard Wagner's operatic cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen reimagined Brunhild as Brünnhilde, a characterization that has profoundly influenced modern interpretations of this figure. Her enduring significance in Germanic legend has led scholars to describe her as the tradition's most important character.