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Swanhild

OriginSaxon
Meaning"battle swan"

About Swanhild

An ancient name belonging to "the most beautiful of all women" in Germanic mythology, whose tragic story features in many northern European legends. The daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun, her jealous husband had her murdered after she was accused of infidelity, and was then himself killed by Swanhild's brothers.

On a less heavy note, the name also features repeatedly in German, Austrian and Scandinavian royal lines. And it appears in several works of art and literature as well, including the ballet Coppélia, Henrik Ibsen's play Love's Comedy, and the opera Hulda.

Swanhild feels rather unwieldy for a modern girl, but potential short form Swan feels right on trend.

Pronounced SWAN-hild.

Editor's take: The name Swanhild is a girl's name of Saxon origin meaning "battle swan".

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Swanhild on lists

Famous Swanhilds

  • Swanahild of Bavaria (8th century AD)

    second wife of the Frankish ruler Charles Martel

Swanhild in pop culture

  • Svanhildr

    the beautiful daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun in northern European legend

  • Swanhild

    character in Henrik Ibsen's "Love's Comedy" (1862)

  • Swanhild

    sorceress in H. Rider Haggard's "Eric Brighteyes" (1890)

  • Swanhild Eriksson

    character in S. M. Stirling's Emberverse series

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