Gender Feminine
Usage Germanic Mythology
Meaning & History
Sinthgunt is a figure in Germanic mythology, attested solely in the Old High German 9th- or 10th-century "horse cure" Merseburg Incantation. In the incantation, Sinthgunt is referred to as the sister of the personified sun, Sunna. The etymology of her name is uncertain: theories include a derivation based on Germanic *Sin-naχt-gund "the night-walking one". As a result of the pairing with Sunna, this etymology has been interpreted as a reference to the moon. This theory has since been disproved. Newer theories suggest a derivation from a Proto-Germanic compound *Senþa-gunþjō, the first element meaning "raid, (military) campaign", the second one "fight".