Brunhild the Shieldmaiden

Brunhild is a character from Norse legend, usually identified as a shieldmaiden or a Valkyrie. It is also possible that her origin came from the Visigothic Princess, Brunhilda of Austrasia (c. 543-613), Queen of Austrasia, which was a part of Francia at the time.
 
The version of Brunhild discussed here is the Norse legend, appearing in the Eddic poems as a Valkyrie and in Germanic tradition as a warrior, similar to the Amazons of Greek myth. Whichever story you hear, they effectively tell the same tale.
 
The “hero” of the story, Sigurd, came across Brunhild as she was sleeping inside her house on a mountain, which was surrounded by a wall of flame. Sigurd, ever the "gentleman," let himself in and cut off her armour to look at her, rousing her from her sleep. He quickly rode away, after learning her name.
Sigurd later went to Brunhild’s brother with Gunnar, the Burgundian King, and asked for Brunhild’s hand in marriage. He was told she would only marry a man who rides through the flames.
 
Gunnar was unable to complete this task so Sigurd transformed his body into Gunnar’s, completing the task for him. Sigurd married Brunhild, still posing as King Gunnar, and the next day Brunhild went with the real Gunnar to her new home.
 
Later in her life, Brunhild quarrelled with Sigurd’s wife, Gudrun, over whose husband was braver. It was during this squabble that Gudrun revealed to Brunhild that she had been deceived into marrying the King of Burgundy by Sigurd. Due to this revelation, Brunhild caused the death of Sigurd, having Gunnar kill him for her.
In the Scandinavian version of the tale, Brunhild kills herself after the death of Sigurd and her body is burned on the same pyre as the man who deceived her, though this is believed to be a later addition to the tale.
 
Brunhild’s story was immortalised not only in the poems and tales of the Norse Edda, but also in the opera, Ring des Nibelungen, by Wagner.