The Rape of Brunhild - Dismantling Female Transgression and Dominant Ideological Frameworks from the Middle Ages to Now

Abstract

This thesis focusses on the literary character Brunhild, who is a crucial figure in the German medieval Nibelungenlied as well as in related Nordic literature. Medieval society will be examined closely in terms of its politics, laws, regulations, and general social ccurrences, shedding light on her character from a historical angle. Followed by a close reading of the stanzas and sections in the Nibelungenlied, which deal with Brunhild in particular, the thesis will move onto the 19th and 20th century and the dominant European nationalistic currencies of the time. The underlying theme of this thesis are the notions myth and ideology, which remain crucial to disentangle the political and social networks that created and appropriated the medieval figure for centuries to come. This is also why the last section is concerned with the 21st century and a Brunhild that now stands in stark contrast to the previous centuries.