Brunhild

Brunhild, Brünnehilde, or Brynhild, heroine of German and Scandinavian mythology dating back to A.D. 400. In the oldest Scandinavian version, Sigurd rescues her from a deep sleep imposed by Odin. In the medieval epic, she loves and is deserted by Sigurd, whose death she contrives, destroying herself on his funeral pyre. As Brünnhilde, the Valkyrie, she is the subject of German composer Richard Wagner's opera Ring of the Nibelungs.

See also: Nibelungenlied.