Brynhild's Multifaceted Identity Across Different Legendary Texts

Abstract

This project examines the multifaceted identity of Brynhild in The Poetic Edda, The Saga of the Volsungs and the Chinese version of Edda, focusing on how different mythological texts construct her as an exceptional valkyrie and how such representations reveal the paradoxical nature of her power. It asks how Brynhild’s identity as both a semi-divine warrior and a royal woman is shaped across different narratives, and how these depictions illuminate the tragic tension between her self-determination and patriarchal constraints. Close reading and comparative literary analysis are employed to examine Brynhild’s complex identity and power. Sheldon Pollock’s three-dimensional philological framework and Linda Hutcheon’s theory of adaptation further facilitate the interpretation of texts from multiple cultural and temporal perspectives. Translation practice helps understand how The Poetic Edda is rendered across different linguistic contexts. The project shows that Brynhild’s tragic fate is shaped by her dual identity as both a courageous, semi-divine valkyrie and a beautiful woman of noble status. Different texts construct these aspects in distinct ways, thereby enriching her characterization. Her destructive actions are not merely acts of revenge but manifestations of her warlike power, driven by rage at deception, the violation of binding oaths, and the failure of self-determination within a coerced marriage. While the patriarchal order functions as a decisive force in shaping her tragedy, Brynhild nevertheless resists within these structural constraints.