Name Thusnelda
Gender Feminine
Pronounced Pron. tooz-NEL-dah
Other Forms FormsThurshilda, Thursinhild, Thursinhilda, Thusnella, Thusnilda, Thusshilda, Thussnelda, Tursinhilda, Tusnelda, Tusnilda, Tussnelda
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Meaning & History
From the name Tussinhilda, originally an Old Norse name of which the second element is derived from Old Norse hildr "battle". The etymology of the first element has two possibilities. The first is that it is derived from Old Norse Þurs "giant" (as in, a giant, not an adjective illustrating something big), which would mean that the entire name's meaning is roughly "battle with a giant". The second possibility is that it is derived from Old Norse Þúsund (compare Gothic thûsundi) meaning "thousand", giving the entire name the meaning of "a thousand battles".Thusnelda (c.10 BCE-17 CE) was a Cheruscan princess who eloped with Arminius, the leader of the Germanic tribes who eventually defeated the Romans at the Teutenberg forest. In the year 9 BCE, Thusnelda became the prisoner of Germanicus and was paraded in front of the Romans as a victory prize. In later years she became a symbol for German nationalism.