
Norse mythology
Brynhildr
The Warrior Who Chose Death Over Dishonor
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Brynhildr is a valkyrie punished by Odin with an enchanted sleep, ringed by fire, for granting victory to the wrong king. The hero Sigurd rides through the flames and wakes her, and they pledge themselves to each other. But Sigurd, given a potion of forgetting at the Gjukung court, marries Gudrun and then, disguised as Gunnar, crosses the fire again to win Brynhildr for his brother-in-law. When the deception surfaces in a quarrel between the two women, Brynhildr, betrayed and shamed, demands Sigurd's death. After he is slain she stabs herself to die at his side, burned with him on one pyre.
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Frequently asked questions
- Who is Brynhildr?
- Brynhildr is a valkyrie punished by Odin with an enchanted sleep, ringed by fire, for granting victory to the wrong king. The hero Sigurd rides through the flames and wakes her, and they pledge themselves to each other.
- Which mythology does Brynhildr belong to?
- Brynhildr belongs to Norse mythology.
- Which stories does Brynhildr appear in?
- Brynhildr appears in The Valkyries and Valhöll, Tyrfing and the Hervarar Saga, Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, told as chaptered audio dramas in MythologyNow.
Cite this page
APA
MythologyNow. (2026). Brynhildr. https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/brynhildrMLA
"Brynhildr." MythologyNow, 2026, https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/brynhildr.Chicago
MythologyNow. "Brynhildr." Accessed 2026. https://www.mythologynow.app/en/gods/brynhildr.