Brunhild: The Valkyrie of Fire, Oath, and Awakening
In the golden shimmer of the high halls and the shadowed edges of fate, there rides Brunhild, one of the most well-known Valkyries in Norse and Germanic lore. A shield-maiden of immense will and tragic beauty, Brunhild is a symbol of divine will, broken vows, and the fire of transformation. Her story spans sagas and songs, from the Poetic Edda and Völsunga Saga to the Nibelungenlied, each revealing different layers of this complex, powerful figure.
In the Völsunga Saga, Brunhild (Old Norse: Brynhildr) is introduced as a Valkyrie who disobeys Odin. She slays a warrior whom the Allfather wished to see victorious. For this defiance, Brunhild is cast down from her divine post. Odin places her into an enchanted sleep, encircled by a ring of fire, decreeing she shall only awaken to a man who knows no fear.
This punishment, and the fire that surrounds her, reflect both the power of her spirit and the deep cost of her disobedience. Brunhild becomes a divine being caught between worlds. No longer fully of the gods, not yet mortal, sleeping in the liminal space where destiny waits.
It is Sigurd, the dragon-slayer, who crosses the fire and awakens her. In that moment, a sacred bond forms. Brunhild shares her wisdom with him, and they pledge themselves to one another. But fate is a twisted thread, and treachery waits.
Through trickery and a potion of forgetfulness, Sigurd is bound to another, and Brunhild is given in marriage to a man she does not love. When the truth is revealed, that Sigurd had betrayed her, however unwillingly, her fury is terrible. The story unravels in blood and sorrow. In some versions, she brings about Sigurd’s death and then rides into the flames of his funeral pyre to join him in the afterlife.
Brunhild embodies many core principles of Norse cosmology and Völva wisdom:
Oath and Honor, she stands as a keeper of vows. Her tragedy begins when oaths are broken, and her vengeance is rooted in the sacredness of word and deed.
The fire that encircles her is both protection and transformation. To pass through fire to reach her is to undergo an initiatory trial, symbolic of purification and awakening. Similar to what I see or folk going through now as we evolve. Her story reveals the tension between personal choice and woven fate. She chooses defiance, yet even her defiance becomes part of the larger tapestry of Wyrd.
To the seeker on the path of Seidr and Vril, Brunhild offers potent lessons:
She is the guardian of sacred power, teaching that not all who serve the divine are meek. She wields both sword and spell.
She is the seeress betrayed, calling us to explore where we have been silenced, bound, or cast down, and how we might awaken again. She is the flame of initiation, inviting us to face our fear and walk through fire to reclaim our deepest self. She rides at the threshold of truth and pain. She does not shrink from love, nor from wrath. Her story is not meant to be resolved, but remembered.
She calls to those who have suffered betrayal and yet burn with purpose. She stands beside every woman who has held the sword of her own truth and been punished for it. She rides with those who will rise again, stronger, fiercer, and more clear-eyed than before.
Brunhild is the flame of our folk memory. She is Valkyrie and Queen, Warrior and Seeress. She waits in fire, as each of us must pass through our own.
Call her when you need courage to stand in your truth. Honor her when your oaths are tested and your path threatened. Speak with her (with caution*) when you have walked through betrayal and need to rise anew. Offer her flame, song, and sword.
Sources in Lore
Völsunga Saga (Icelandic saga)
Poetic Edda (Helreið Brynhildar)
Nibelungenlied (Middle High German epic)
Thidrekssaga (Old Norse saga of Dietrich of Bern)
*There should always be an understanding of what or whom you invoke. Seeing with clear eyes and using caution with these powerful energies anytime engaging with Runes, Gods and Goddesses.
By Harvala Heathor