Gunnhild of Denmark’s Names in 11th-Century German Sources

Gunnhild of Denmark (c. 1020-July 18, 1038) was the daughter of Cnut of Denmark and Emma of Normandy. In June 1036 she married Heinrich, son of Emperor Konrad II. In 1037 the imperial family went to Italy, where Gunnhild gave birth to her only child, daughter Beatrix. On their way back to Germany in the early summer of 1038, the imperial family and Konrad’s army were hit by a pestilence that killed, among others, Gunnhild and the emperor’s stepson, Hermann of Swabia. Gunnhild’s life is well documented. In particular, German writers, poets, historiographers, chroniclers show us that her name was variously interpreted/changed during her two-year tenure as King Heinrich’s wife. Indeed, she was renamed Kunigunt at the moment of her marriage and consecration, being officially given the German name borne by Empress Kunigunt of Luxembourg (c. 980-1033). However, she was also known by her Danish name, especially by writers and chroniclers who relied on Danish sources (Adam of Bremen, Annales Hildesheimenses), whereas most German writers interpreted the name Gunnhild as C(h)unihilt, Conihilt, Cuonhilt, which shows an interesting integration process into the German linguistic system. Wipo of Burgundy calls her Chunilindis, which might represent a poetic nomen parlans. The Chronicon Suevicum universale, the Annales Mellicenses and the Annales Admontenses document two further names (El(i)ifdrud, Edildrudis), thus informing us that Gunnhild also probably had an English name. By examining the manuscript tradition of the different names, their linguistic form (using the research methods of historical linguistics and onomastics, etymology, language contact) and their social, political and cultural significance, as evidenced by historical and prosopographical sources, the contribution aims to examine how Gunnhild’s name(s) were successfully adapted to the political, social, family and linguistic- cultural contexts to which the Danish princess was exposed during her life.