The Valkyries

The Valkyries are Wotan’s warrior daughters, charged with gathering fallen warriors and carrying them to Valhalla. There, the dead become a part of the army that Wotan is assembling to defend the gods from their end.

Brünnhilde begins as one of them until she falls out of her father’s goodwill. 

The Valkyries in Die Walküre

“Hojotoho! Hojotoho! Heiaha! Heiaha!”
—Die Walküre, Act III, Scene 1

The Valkyries are among the most well known figures in The Ring Cycle, but beneath the armor, they are defined by obedience. They exist to carry out Wotan’s will, and do not question the world they have been created to defend.

• Biographical Information

  
  Species: God

  Residence: Valhalla

  Name Meaning: Chooser of the Slain

  Members: Brünnhilde, Gerhilde, Ortlinde, Waltraute, Schwertleite, Helmwige, Siegrune, Grimgerde, and Rossweisse

• Family Relationships

  
  Father: Wotan
  

  Sisters: The nine Valkyries regard one another as sisters. Brünnhilde is explicitly identified as the daughter of Wotan and Erda; Wagner does not mention the mothers of the other eight.

• Abilities & Animal Companions

  
  Abilities: Physical strength, immortality

  Animal Companion: Flying horses

• Appearances in The Ring

  
  Die Walküre: Brünnhilde first appears alone as a Valkyrie in Act II. The other eight Valkyries appear together in Act III.
  

  Götterdämmerung: Waltraute returns alone to plead with Brünnhilde to return the ring to the Rhinemaidens.

• Themes & Leitmotifs

  
  The Valkyries represent duty, loyalty, and obedience to authority. With the exception of Brünnhilde, they serve Wotan without questioning his larger ambitions.

  Their signature musical theme is heard in the famous “Ride of the Valkyries,” which opens Act III of Die Walküre. It is one of the most recognizable passages in all of opera.

• Trivia

  
  The Valkyries have a modern-day counterpart right here in the Bay Area! The Golden State Valkyries, San Francisco's WNBA team, take their name from the same warrior women of Norse mythology who inspired Wagner. Go Valks!

• San Francisco Opera History

  
  In 1935, assistant conductor Hermann Weigert led the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and chorus in an intensive “Ring Boot Camp.” Over two months, he trained chorus members to become the Valkyries in Die Walküre, whose commanding performances helped make the Company’s first Ring Cycle a triumph.