BACKGROUND
The one revered as the greatest of the battle maidens (Valkyries), Brynhild. Coming into this world as one of the daughters of the Swedish king Budli, Brynhild was a child of seldom seen talent. Accomplished in both literary and military arts. Gifted with both intelligence and beauty. Naturally, she began to attract the eyes of many suitors as she grew up.
But the one who claimed her first was not man, but rather god.
Born with an outstanding spirituality and aptitude for the mystic arts, she eventually caught the attention of those in heavens and was brought in to become a Valkyrie. In the divine realm of Asgard, she was instructed in the greatest secrets thaumaturgy and became a master of runes. Due her outstanding accomplishment in all fields of her training, she gained the favor of the Chief God Odin and was elected as his most trusted emissary.
Standing at the top of the Valkyries, Brynhild carried out her role dutifully for many years. However, one incident changed everything. Brynhild was ordered by Odin to intervene in the war between King Hjalmgunnar and King Agnar and bring victory to the former. For a Valkyrie, a command from Odin was absolute and they wouldn’t even think of disobeying him. Nevertheless, Brynhild went against his will and favored King Agnar, believing that he was more deserving.
She incurred divine wrath because of this. As punishment for her disobedience, Odin had Brynhild stripped from her status and placed a strong curse upon her. Said curse would make her fall into a deep slumber that she could not awake by herself and then force her to marry whomever came to wake her. But because Brynhild did not wish to be wed with an unworthy man, as a last form of resistance, she raised a strong bounded-field of flames around the castle where she would be imprisoned. And thus, in the high peak of Mt. Hindarfjall, the proud Valkyrie lied waiting for the only man she knew to be capable of meeting the challenge and come for her.
A Love that Defied Fate
This story begins much earlier, during the halcyon days of her youth. At that time, a certain meeting took place…
Thinking back, that was the most improbable of coincidences. Considering the paths that had been set for them, it was too unlikely for them to ever come face to face in that manner. Yet, the girl and the boy managed to cross ways as if by chance nevertheless.
Back then, she was not yet a full-fledged Valkyrie.
Back then, he was not yet a famous hero.
The girl Brynhild and the boy Sigurd met as two regular adolescents and fell in love as two regular adolescents.
In her wisdom, Brynhild alerted Sigurd against pursuing those feelings. They both had their respective fates to fulfill and could not be together without going against them. But Sigurd paid no mind to her warnings. After exchanging vows of eternal love, he entrusted her with the ring Andvarinaut and left, promising to come back for her once he had the means to make them happy together.
Brynhild believed in those words from the bottom of her heart. From then on, she kept that love safe in her chest and continued down her path, always waiting for the day when they would meet again. When the hopeless sentence of falling into a cursed sleep was imposed onto her, Brynhild turned that promise as her last hope and lied down believing that Sigurd would be the one to come for her.
And indeed he did.
However, that was not the same Sigurd she had once knew. During a visit to the court of King Gjuki, the hero was served with a potion of amnesia by Queen Grimhild, who wanted to marry him with her daughter Gudrun. By the effect of the potion, Sigurd lost his memories about Brynhild and ended up accepting the offer of marrying Gudrun. Then, he took up a request of his brother-in-law Gunnar to win over Brynhild for him. Thanks once again to the magic of Queen Grimhild, Sigurd assumed Gunnar’s appearance and, after overcaming the bounded-field of fire surrounding Mt. Hindarfjall, woke up the sleeping Valkyrie so that she would accept Gunnar as her husband. At that point, Brynhild was also served with the potion of amnesia so that she would forget everything about Sigurd.
But as if to scorn him, the curse of the ring Andvarinaut that he had unknowingly taken from Brynhild made Sigurd recover his lost memories right after he delivered her to the real Gunnar. His old love for the Valkyrie returned instantly. However, by then she was already out of his reach, while he himself was bound to his duties as Gudrun’s husband.
In one fatidic day years later, Brynhild and Gudrun argued about who had the best husband. When Brynhild bragged about the things "Gunnar" did to win her, Gudrun revealed what she knew about the plot and that it was Sigurd who actually won her over. As proof, Gudrun gave Brynhild the Andvarinaut, which Sigurd kept it to himself.
Feeling insulted, Brynhild went to Gunnar and falsely accused Sigurd of taking liberties with her. Gunnar, who by then had set his eyes on the dragon’s treasure possessed by Sigurd, gladly accepted the excuse to get rid of his brother-in-law. That being said, he knew that there was no chance of victory against Sigurd in a fair fight. So he joined forces with his older brother Giselher for a double betrayal.
The two cursed Gunthorm, King Gjuki’s oldest son and heir, so that he would go into frenzy and attack Sigurd. Armed with the cursed sword Dainsleif, the mad warrior-turned (berserker) Gunthorm was a match to Sigurd. Then, as the two betrayers hoped, Gunthorm inflicted a mortal wound on Sigurd by striking on the weak point in his back and Sigurd took Gunthorm’s life in retaliation. With their death, Giselher became the heir in Gunthorm’s place and Gunnar took possession of Sigurd’s treasure.
The legend tells that during Sigurd’s funeral, Brynhild remembered about her love for him because of the curse of the Andvarinaut. Overwhelmed by grief and guilt due having caused the demise of her beloved, she threw herself in the pyre where his body was being cremated so that they could be together in death.
Originally Posted by Emiya Kurou
