Ermelinde was a 6th-century Christian hermit from the Brabant region. Born to wealthy parents related to the Pippinids, she rejected an arranged marriage by cutting her hair to signal her religious devotion. After receiving land from her family, she lived a life of charity toward the poor. Following a narrow escape from local lords who attempted to abduct her during night prayers, she relocated to Meldert to establish a hermitage where she focused on prayer until her death.