Character Name
Siegfried
Siegfried Siegfried is the archetypal Germanic hero-name — its bearer is expected to be physically supreme, almost superhumanly courageous, and fatally trusting. Characters named Siegfried carry the weight of this tragic archetype: the greatest warrior brought down not by any enemy but by treachery and his own innocence. The name suits epic fantasy heroes, mythic protagonists, and figures whose greatness is inseparable from their vulnerability.
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Famous characters named Siegfried
Siegfried
Das Nibelungenlied — Anonymous (Middle High German)
The greatest hero of Germanic legend — dragon-slayer, possessor of the Nibelung treasure, and tragic victim of Hagen's treachery, whose death sets the catastrophic events of the second half of the epic in motion.
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Related names
More Old High German names
Walther
“A Germanic masculine name composed of "wald" meaning "rule" or "power" and "heri" meaning "army" or "warrior" — thus "ruler of the army" or "powerful warrior". The name was widespread across the medieval German-speaking world and was borne by Walther von der Vogelweide (c.1170–c.1230), the greatest of the Middle High German minnesingers, whose lyric poetry defined the courtly love tradition in the German language.”
Villiam
“Villiam is the Danish and Norwegian form of William, itself from the Old High German name "Willahelm", composed of "wil" meaning "will, desire" and "helm" meaning "helmet, protection". It thus means "resolute protector" or "strong-willed guardian". The name was introduced to England by William the Conqueror and became one of the most widespread masculine names in the Germanic and English-speaking world.”
Reinhard
“A Germanic masculine name composed of "ragin" meaning "counsel", "judgment", or "power" and "hard" meaning "brave", "hardy", or "strong" — thus "strong in counsel" or "brave advisor". The name was borne by several medieval German ecclesiastics and nobles. Reinhard Heydrich (1904–1942), the architect of the Holocaust, gave the name a deeply sinister modern resonance; in fiction the name spans medieval heroism and 20th-century villainy.”
Hedwig
“A Germanic feminine name composed of "hadu" meaning "battle" or "combat" and "wig" meaning "war" or "battle" — thus "battle-battle" or "fighter in battle", a double-martial name suggesting a fierce warrior nature. Saint Hedwig of Silesia (1174–1243) was a Bavarian noblewoman who became the patron saint of Poland and Silesia; her name was later popularized in English-speaking culture through the owl Hedwig in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.”
Irmgard
“A Germanic feminine name composed of "irm" or "ermen" (the full form of the first element) meaning "whole", "great", or "universal" and "gard" meaning "enclosure", "protection", or "stronghold" — thus "universal protector" or "great stronghold". The "irm-/ermen-" element is related to Irminsul, the sacred world-pillar of the Saxons, suggesting a cosmic or all-encompassing quality.”
Otfried
“A Germanic masculine name composed of "od" or "aud" meaning "wealth", "fortune", or "prosperity" and "frid" meaning "peace" — thus "peaceful wealth" or "prosperous peace". The name is historically significant as the name of Otfrid of Weissenburg (c.800–c.875), the Frankish monk who composed the Evangelienbuch, the earliest surviving major literary work in the Old High German language — making the name associated with the very origins of German literature.”
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