Brunhild

Proper noun

Brunhild

1. (Germanic) A shieldmaiden and valkyrie in Germanic mythology, a main character in the Nibelungenlied, Vǫlsunga saga, and some poems of the Poetic Edda.
   • 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.1999, Mary A. Cicora, Wagner's Ring and German Drama: Comparative Studies in Mythology and History in Drama, page 79
   • 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.2003, Kathryn Starkey, “Brunhild's Smile”, in C. Stephen Jaeger, Ingrid Kasten, editors, Codierungen von Emotionen im Mittelalter / Emotions and Sensibilities in the Middle Ages, page 160

   Synonyms:

   Sigrdrífa

2. A female given name from German.
   1. (historical) Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia, wife of Sigebert I, who later ruled Austrasia and Burgundy as regent.
      • 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.2013, Theresa Earenfight, Queenship in Medieval Europe, page 58
      • 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.2014, Wim Blockmans, Peter Hoppenbrouwers, Introduction to Medieval Europe 300–1500, page 104
3. 123 Brunhild, a main belt asteroid, named after the mythological figure.