Brunhild

Brunhild (Brynhild) was the warrior-queen of Iceland. Brunhild dwelt in the fortress called Isenstein.

Brunhild was a queen of superhuman strength. Her strength came from her maidenhood. If she were to lose her virginity, then she would lose her superhuman strength. Her prodigious strength even surprised Siegfried. She was able to lift and throw a large boulder that twelve men would have difficulty in lifting.

Unlike the Volsunga Saga, Siegfried was not in love with Brunhild, nor did he promise to marry the Amazonian queen. Siegfried was only in love with Kriemhild, Gunther's sister.

Her beauty had won her many suitors, but she didn't want a husband, so she challenged each suitor to a contest of strength. Any man who lost the contest would lose his life. Such was the situation when Gunther pressed his claim.

However, when Siegfried and his companion arrived in her kingdom, she thought her suitor would be Siegfried. She seemed interested in being Siegfried's wife, and was disappointed when he did not come as her suitor.

Siegfried and Gunther deceived her several times, in the story. She was told that Siegfried was Gunther's vassal. It was Siegfried who overcame her for Gunther in a contest. Siegfried had a cloak of invisibility to defeat Brunhild. Brunhild had no choice but to marry Gunther. Brunhild had to give up her kingdom, and moved to Worms, Gunther's capital in Burgundy.

Brunhild would not allow Gunther to take her virginity, so he bound her husband with her girdle, and hung Gunther on a peg on the wall. Brunhild only released him at dawn. So Gunther asked for his brother-in-law's aid. Gunther switched places with Siegfried in the dark bedroom. Siegfried again overcame her with his own strength, to allow Gunther to take her virginity. Brunhild lost her superhuman strength from her being deflowered by Gunther. When Siegfried had overcome her, Siegfried foolishly stole her ring and her girdle, and gave them to Kriemhild.

(Note that in the Thiðrekssaga, after three humiliating nights of hanging on the wall, Gunnar (Gunther) asked for Sigurd's help (Siegfried's). Sigurd overpowered Brynhild. It was actually Sigurd who deflowered Brynild (Brunhild) for Gunnar (Gunther), so that she would lose her superhuman strength.)

After Siegfried returned home to the Netherlands with Kriemhild, Brunhild was curious to know why her husband allowed his sister to marry Siegfried. Unaware of the deception, Brunhild thought that Kriemhild was marrying beneath her station, and that her sister-in-law was married to a vassal instead of a king. Brunhild was becoming suspicious of Kriemhild's marriage.

Ten years after their marriage, she persuaded her husband to invite Siegfried and Kriemhild to a festival, because she was still curious about Siegfried's true status.

Conflicts arose from the two queens. Brunhild was surprised that Kriemhild treated her as an equal, instead of beneath her station. Soon, they were embroiled in an argument over who had precedence over the other.

Soon Kriemhild revealed the truth to Brunhild about the deceptions. That Kriemhild was not only Brunhild's equal, but also her husband (Siegfried) was equal or higher in status than her brother Gunther. To further humiliate Brunhild, Kriemhild told the other queen that it was Siegfried who conquered her in the contest and later, when Brunhild's lost her virginity. Kriemhild proved her words by revealing the ring and girdle that Siegfried had taken from Brunhild. Kriemhild thought that her husband must have also taken Brunhild's maidenhood (which was not true).

(In the Volsunga Saga, Brynhild plotted for Sigurd's death, because it was not Gunnar who rode through the Ring of Fire but Sigurd, the man she loved, who rode through the flame disguised as Gunnar. It was Gudrun who revealed to Brynhild the deception of Sigurd and Gunnar. Gudrun proved this to Brynhild by revealing the cursed ring (Andvaranaut) that Brynhild had once worn. This had nothing to do with Brunhild's virginity in the Nibelungenlied.)

Brunhild was angered by the public humiliation from Kriemhild and the deception that her husband and Siegfried had played on her. She would not be satisfied until she had punished Kriemhild and Siegfried.

Brunhild won Hagen to her side, who promised to murder Siegfried. Hagen and Gunther plotted Siegfried's death, with Hagen dealing the deathblow to Siegfried in the forest.

With the death and funeral of Siegfried, Brunhild no longer played any significant role in the Nibelungenlied. She was still alive and married to Gunther, but the story now centred on Kriemhild and Hagen. Brunhild did not commit suicide like Brynhild at the funeral of Sigurd, in the Volsunga Saga.