The Ride of the Valkyries is part of a famous German opera by Richard Wagner. It is specifically the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre. It was written in 1851 and commonly used as a pop-culture reference, due to its stereotypical opera like feel. This part of the opera describes brutal warriors being comforted by the thought of being taken by the "Warfather" to an ancient land where they will be honored. "For none but the brave, be he king or a slave with a pounding heart in his chest will be worthy to rise and with the Valkyries fly" (lines 5-7). This describes Veidt's mentality towards war and honor. It foreshadows Veidt's idea that he will be honored for eternity once he stops the predicted third world war by sacrificing millions of innocent people. In this passage at the end of chapter one, the speaker remarks that this opera is the saddest thing he can think of, meaning that he disagrees with the opera's message and views Veidt's actions as tragic.
SIDE NOTE: The Ride of the Valkyries is used in the film Watchmen while Dr. Manhattan walks through Japan stricken with battle.
~"Linkseite." Valkyries MC Germany. 25 Mar. 2009
~"Ride of the Valkyries: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article." AbsoluteAstronomy.com. 25 Mar. 2009
