Gudrun

Gudrun (goo'droon) [key]or Kudrun (koo'–) [key], in Germanic literature. 1. Heroine of the Icelandic epic, the Volsungasaga. 2. Heroine and title person of an anonymous Middle High German epic written shortly after and strongly influenced by the Nibelungenlied (see under Nibelungen). The epic tells the story of Hilde, Hagen's sister, and of the abduction of her daughter Gudrun. 3. Principal character of the Icelandic Laxdaelasaga, introduced to English readers by William Morris through his “Lovers of Gudrun” in The Earthly Paradise. Wagner's Gutrune (in the Götterdämmerung) is not Gudrun but corresponds to Kriemhild of the Nibelungenlied.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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