„Wer – bin ich, wär’ ich dein Wille nicht?“ – Eine psychodynamische Analyse transgenerationaler Abhängigkeitsverhältnisse in Wagners Ring des Nibelungen

Abstract

Richard Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung tells a story of intergenerational trauma, particularly in relation to Wotan, the seemingly ever-present father figure of the Ring, and his daughters, Sieglinde, Brünnhilde and the Valkyries. Although Wotan makes no active appearance at all in Twilight of the Gods, his daughters Waltraute (one of the Valkyries) and Brünnhilde (Wotan’s favourite daughter and female protagonist of the story) constantly refer to and make sacrifices in order to appeal to him. This article delves into Waltraute’s and Brünnhilde’s relationship with their father in greater detail, while also exploring if there might be the possibility of female emancipation in each of the womens’ cases. Although Waltraute is portrayed as being very dependent on her father, Brünnhilde’s circumstances are harder to pin down, leaving room to hope that she might be more independent than most of Wagner’s heroines.