Brünnhilde is not only the heroine of Scandinavian mythology and German folk epic, but also a very real character. It is believed that the wife of the King of Austrasia, Sigibert (Siegbert) I, is the prototype of the rest of the "armored warriors" - this is what the name Brunhilda means (Brunhilde, Brynhilda, Brynhilda).
Wife of Siegbert the First
Brünnhilde is the Queen of the Franks, the wife of King Siegbert (Sigibert) I, who ruled Austrasia for ten years in the middle of the sixth century. These are the territories of modern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. The real Brunnhilde was born in Spain around 543 AD. She was the daughter of King Atanagild and his wife Gosvinda.
The girl was very brave, ambitious and smart, but often showed these qualities along with cruelty. Brunnhilde persuaded her husband to start a war against his brother Chilperic, King of Neustria. The reason was the murder of Brunnhilde's sister, Chilperic's first wife, the fault for which lay with his second wife.
In thisIn the war, Siegbert (Sigibert) I was killed, and Brunnhilde was captured by Chilperic. He released the girl. She returned to Austrasia, where she ruled on behalf of her infant son. True, Chilperic was soon killed while hunting. No one knows whether this was done on Brunnhilde's orders. Very soon, the second wife of Chilperic went to the next world.
The nobles of Austrasia expelled their ruler from the state. Then she found shelter with her youngest grandson. At that time, he ruled Burgundy, which he inherited during the division of the property of Siegbert (Sigibert) I. Here, the effective Brunhilde also did not live in peace. She forced her grandson to go to war against her own brother, also her grandson.
At eighty years old (an unusually deep old age for a medieval person), Brunnhilde came up with the idea to take away the reign from her cousin great-grandson. The Austrasian nobles seized the former ruler and put her on trial, which sentenced her to death. Brunnhilde endured terrible torments and trials, and then she was tied in the tail of a horse that dragged the body.
Heroine of Scandinavian myths
Brünnhilde is not only a queen who did not want to stop internecine wars, but also the heroine of the myths that the Scandinavians composed.
Poetry collections of Old Norse songs "Elder Edda" and "Younger Edda" contain several legends relating to different times. In one of them there is a story similar to the common tale of the sleeping beauty. According to this story, Brunnhilde was immersed indream of the god Odin. The beauty was awakened by Sigurd wooing her. He later cheated on her under the influence of a love potion and wooed the girl to his sworn brother.
The tales of the Scandinavian epic changed over time, and later even underwent Christian processing. As a result, the German folk epic "The Song of the Nibelungs" arose (page photo - below). In this work, Brunnhilde is the wife of King Gunther, who planned to kill her husband's sister's husband and successfully carried out her plan.
Siegfried and Brunnhilde are the characters of the Nibelungenlied, whose images often appeared in Scandinavian mythology and ancient legends.
Brünnhilde the Valkyrie
In Scandinavian mythology, Burnhilda is also a Valkyrie, the most warlike and beautiful. The Valkyries were the daughters of glorious kings who flew on a winged horse over the battlefield and picked up the bodies of fallen soldiers. According to another version, the warrior maidens were the daughters of Odin himself. Sometimes they could decide the outcome of the battle, and in other cases they only carried out the will of the supreme god.
Brunnhilde of the twentieth century
"Brunhilde of the twentieth century" or "Valkyrie of the sexual revolution" is often called Alexandra Kollontai - the first Soviet feminist and the first woman in the history of the USSR to enter the government. With her views and actions, she has always aroused increased interest.
