Brünnhilde, the Viking cat

Brunnhilde the viking cat (cropped)

Today is Leif Erikson Day!

To celebrate, here is a photograph of “Brünnhilde” — a cat dressed up like a Viking, complete with a tiny Viking helmet:

Brunnhilde the viking cat (full)

The photo was taken in 1936 and is now part of the Library of Congress photo archive.

Her Viking name — a version of the valkyrie name Brunhild — is derived from a pair of Germanic elements meaning “coat of mail, armor, protection” and “battle, fight.”

Something tells me that Brünnhilde wasn’t this kitty’s real name, though. What do you think this cat was called on a day-to-day basis?

Sources: Behind the Name, Nordic Names, Brünnhilde – LOC

[Similar posts: What would you name the catfish-riding boy? and What would you name these two Frenchmen?]

3 thoughts on “Brünnhilde, the Viking cat

  1. Since she is dressed as a Viking, Freyja would be a good option since the Norse Goddess Freyja supposedly rode around in a chariot pulled by cats.

    However, given that they were able to get Brunnhilde to tolerate being dressed up and photographed, they definitely should have called her Patience. As a child I frequently tried to dress up my cat. She tolerated a dress and coat but she drew the line at the matching bonnet. I can’t imagine her being cooperative enough for a photo session.

  2. I love that idea — “Patience” is very fitting for a cat like this.

    None of the cats I had as a kid would have allowed me to dress them up. I don’t think I even attempted it.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.