Hey Wagner, thanks for Xena and She-Ra

When our daughter Carrie was little she was obsessed with "She-Ra: Princess of Power," a cartoon series from the early 1980's developed by Mattel. So in addition to watching the show EVERY DAY, we had to have the action figures, Happy Meals, and the Halloween costume including a silver plastic "Sword of Power." Carrie even recognized the name "She-Ra" when we drove by a well-know hotel chain (I'll let you figure that one out...)

It seems that She-Ra was the twin sister of He-Man. Because of a prophecy about their importance in the future, She-Ra was kidnapped and raised by the Horde, while He-Man grew up to lead the rebellion against the Horde and their evil lord, Skeletor. It turns out they both had a Sword of Power, and eventually they reunited to defeat the forces of evil. Sounds like the plot of "Star Wars," right?

Well, it also reminds this opera fan of Siegmund and Sieglinde, Wagner's twins in "Die Walküre" who had been separated at birth. (You knew there had to be something about opera in here, right?) They also had a special destiny: to produce a hero who would bring about a new age. Siegmund and Sieglinde were reunited when a ferocious storm drove Siegmund to take shelter at the home of Sieglinde, whose interior decorator thought that an ash tree with a sword stuck in it would look really cool. The sword of power belonged to daddy Wotan, king of the gods.

Shortly after figuring out that they were twins, Siegmund produced his own sword of power *ahem* and Siegfried was conceived. To make two long operas short, Brünnhilde, Wotan's favorite valkyrie daughter, got involved when she tried to shield the incestuous twins from the death sentence decreed by Wotan's wife. Wotan put Brünnhilde to sleep as punishment for her defiance, and eventually it was the teenage Siegfried who braved the mystic fire surrounding her rock and awakened his auntie with a kiss. This lead to more complications including the death of the gods and a mighty fine flying horse, but hey, it was good while it lasted.

Damn! I guess I just "pulled a Wagner" by telling you the whole history of the universe before moving on to the meat of the story.

According to a story in the “Chicago Tribune,” we have Wagner to thank for the parade of superheroes in comic books, movies, and cartoons. Not that Wagner invented the characters--he took them from Norse sagas--but the astounding notoriety of his operas meant that even people who had never seen an opera got the jokes in "What's Opera, Doc" starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

"The Mighty Thor" (Marvel Comics)

Mom never allowed us to have comic books, but my cousins had them by the dozens. A particular favorite was "The Mighty Thor." Thor appears in "Das Rheingold," along with a pretty extensive cast of Norse gods.

It turns out that P. Craig Russell, a well-known graphic novelist, sees the Ring characters and storylines as the source of most modern comic book superhero imagery. He even travels around the country to talk to groups of "Ring Nuts." He and Roy Thomas, the author of "The Mighty Thor," have both written graphic novels based on the plots of the Ring.

Painted by Swedish artist Peter Nicolai Arbo in 1865, five years before Wagner's "The Valkyrie" premiered

Brünnhilde herself is the original warrior maiden. In Norse lore, the valkyries were the daughters of Wotan and Erda, the earth goddess. "I'd give my right eye for a one night in the sack," was the line he used on her. (That's why he wears an eye patch in the operas.) It was the valkyries' job to fly down from Valhalla. They would swoop over the battlefield and collect the bodies of the most valiant warriors and take them back to Valhalla, where they would live in celebrated eternity.

In early lore, the valkyries flew down as swans. This is why the "swan maidens" wear swans' wings on their helmets--not horns!! They never wear horns! Don't get me started on how this stereotype got going...

In later Norse legend, valkyries were depicted riding flying horses, so that's why in the operas Brünnhilde has a magnificent steed named Grane. When she kills herself on Siegfried's funeral pyre, Grane carries her into the flames.

As Wagner directed, our blonde goddess wears armor and carries a shield and spear. This gender bending leads to one of the funniest lines in all of opera. Siegfried, who has never seen a woman before, having been raised by a dwarf in the woods (you gotta love this story!), finds Brünnhilde sleeping on her fire-rimmed rock. He lifts up her breastplate, sees the evidence, and gasps, "Das ist kein man!" (That's not a man!) Hilarious.

Hence She-Ra, Wonder Woman, and Xena: Warrior Princess. If you're a fan of "Xena," you'll know that in the final season, she was revealed to be--you guessed it--a reformed evil valkyrie. We rest our case.

Read the article--it's fun!