Brunhilde
Warrior queen, mythic
Brunhilde is a female given name from Germanic legend, where she appears as a powerful warrior queen or Valkyrie.
The name suggests formidable strength and fierce determination.
In Wagner's Ring cycle operas, she is a central figure—a Valkyrie who defies the gods.
The name is sometimes used allusively for an imposing or domineering woman: She stood guard at the door like a Brunhilde.
Odin's death-selecting maiden
- shieldmaidenFemale Norse combatant
- OdinChief Norse deity
- SigurdLegendary Norse dragon-killer
- AsgardNorse divine realm
Ragnarok · Freya · Heimdall · skald · Norns · Valhalla · Gjallarhorn · Brynhildr
German Romantic opera composer
- sopranoHighest female voice range
- SiegfriedGermanic epic hero
- leitmotifRecurring thematic phrase
- librettoOpera's written words
aria · Brünnhilde · immolation · score · orchestral · prelude
Female Norse combatant
- armorProtective combat covering
- spearPole with sharp point
- ValkyrieOdin's death-selecting maiden
- battleArmed military engagement
sword · shield · helmet · combat · valor · courage · horsewoman · defiance
Extended heroic narrative
- epicImpressively grand in scope
- tragic heroineFemale protagonist who suffers
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- cursed ringEnchanted jewelry bringing misfortune
enchanted sleep · sworn oath · vengeance · Germanic · medieval · Burgundian · Icelandic · doomed love
Valkyrie
Odin's death-selecting maiden
- shieldmaidenFemale Norse combatant
- OdinChief Norse deity
- SigurdLegendary Norse dragon-killer
Asgard · Ragnarok · Freya · Heimdall · skald · Norns · Valhalla · Gjallarhorn · Brynhildr · Gunther
Wagner
German Romantic opera composer
libretto · aria · Brünnhilde · immolation · score · orchestral · prelude
shieldmaiden
Female Norse combatant
battle · sword · shield · helmet · combat · valor · courage · horsewoman · defiance · enchanted sleep
saga
Extended heroic narrative
- epicImpressively grand in scope
- tragic heroineFemale protagonist who suffers
- betrayalBreaking of trust
cursed ring · enchanted sleep · sworn oath · vengeance · Germanic · medieval · Burgundian · Icelandic · doomed love · fate
- Norse MythsOdin, Thor, Loki, Freya, Valhalla
- warrior womenBoudicca, Hippolyta, Hua Mulan, Joan of Arc, Mulan
- Norse mythologyThor, Odin, Loki, Valhalla, Ragnarok
- German legendsSiegfried, Gunther, Lorelei, Faust, Barbarossa
- Germanic FolkloreBrothers Grimm, folktales, Valkyrie, Valhalla, sagas
- Literary HeroinesJuliet, Ophelia, Cordelia, Desdemona, Lady Macbeth
BrunhildeGriselda
Literary model of forbearance
Sleeping Beauty · Penelope · damsel in distress · Ophelia · Cinderella
Brunhildemortal
Subject to death
human · peasant girl · Gretchen · earthling · Marguerite
BrunhildeGuinevere
Helen of Troy · shrinking violet · wallflower · doormat · handmaiden