Alruna

Alruna (Old Norse Ölrún, Old High German Ailrun, Modern German Alruna, Alraune) is a Germanic female personal name, from Proto Germanic *aliruna (or possibly *agilruna), which is formed from runa "secret, rune" and a debated prefix that may be ali-, agil-, or alu-.

In German, Alruna was also used as a short form of Adelruna, a different name with a first element *athal- "noble".

In Germanic mythology, Ailrun is the wife of Agilaz, the legendary archer. In the poem Völundarkviða, Ölrun (possibly Old Norse "ale rune"^[1]) is identified as a valkyrie, and as a daughter of Kiár of Valland.

Alruna of Cham was an 11th-century Bavarian recluse, the Roman Catholic patroness of pregnancy. It is also the name for the Mandragora or mandrake plant in a number of Germanic languages, the name of the plant being alruna in Swedish, alrune in Danish and Norwegian and Alraune in German.

Notes

↑ Simek (2007:251).

References

Simek, Rudolf (2007) translated by Angela Hall. Dictionary of Northern Mythology. D.S. Brewer. ISBN 0-85991-513-1

Valkyries

Individual valkyries	Alruna Brynhildr Eir Geiravör Göndul Gunnr Herfjötur Herja Hlaðguðr svanhvít Hildr Hervör alvitr Hlökk Kára Mist Reginleif Róta Sigrdrífa Sigrún Skögul and Geirskögul Skuld Svipul Þrúðr

Poems about valkyries	Völuspá Grímnismál Darraðarljóð Nafnaþulur

See also	Dís Matres and Matrones Norns Odin Shieldmaiden Swan maiden Valhalla Völva

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