Scandinavian versions, she becomes Wayland's wife and the mother of the hero Viðga of the Þiðrekssaga and medieval Scandinavian ballads.

The name can be etymologically reconstructed as Proto-Germanic *Badwohildiz, with both elements - *badwo and *hildiz - meaning 'battle, fight'. Böðvildr therefore means something like 'battle-maiden', 'warrior woman', or 'she who engages in battle'. It is suspected that the name is also cognate to that of the Germanic-Celtic goddess