It Ain't over until the Fat Lady Sings
Brynhildr (sometimes spelled Brunhild, Brünnhilde, Brynhild) is a shieldmaiden and a valkyrie in Norse mythology , where she appears as a main character in the Völsunga saga and some Eddic poems treating the same events. Under the name Brünnhilde she appears in the Nibelungenlied and therefore also in Richard Wagner 's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen . She may be inspired by the Visigothic princess Brunhilda of Austrasia . The history of Brynhildr includes fratricide , a long battle between brothers, and dealings with the Huns . Wagner's "Ring" Cycle Though the cycle of four operas is titled Der Ring des Nibelungen , Richard Wagner in fact took Brünnhilde's role from the Norse sagas rather than from the Nibelungenlied . Brünnhilde appears in the latter three operas ( Die Walküre , Siegfried , and Götterdämmerung ), playing a central role in the overall story of Wotan 's downfall. In Wagner's tale, Brünnhilde is one of the valkyries, who ...