Thusnelda

Thusnelda was a secondary protagonist of the 2020 Netflix television series Barbarians, and was based upon the Germanic . She was portrayed by the German actress . 
A Chersusci noblewoman, Thusnelda was the daughter of the Roman collabator Segestes. As a child she and Folkwin Wolfspeer saved the life of Segimer's son Arminius from a wolf by killing the wolf. The three of them took the fangs of the dead wolf and swore a pact to Woden. Shortly afterwards, the Romans took Arminius and his young brother Flavus to Rome as hostages to ensure their father's cooperation. She and Folkwin remained in the village and eventually became lovers. When she grew up her father tried to marry her off to another reik (King) named Hadgan in exchange for five horses. Thusnelda was not at all pleased about the idea, given her relationship with Folkwin. 
Sometime around 9 AD Publius Quinctilius Varus was named Governor of Germainia by the Roman Emperor . He had Arminius assigned to assist him in Germania, which resulted in Arminius returning to his homeland for the first time in many years. 
After Centurion Metellus seriously injured her brother Ansgar, Thusnelda and others in the village plotted to steal an legionary eagle in retaliation. Realizing who had stolen the eagle, Arminius returned to his village and was reunited both with his father and his friends. Over time witnessing the oppression of his fellow Germainians by the Romans led Ariminius to turn against Rome and Varus.
Following his father Segimer's death, Ariminius became the next Reik of his tribe, and married Thusnelda. This was purely a political marriage, with Arminius planning to divorce Thusnelda so that she and Folkwin to be together. After the wedding Folkwin was captured by the Romans seeking to enslave wayward Germans. Another slave tried to escape and was killed, with his body being dumped on Folkwin's campfire. The badly burned corpse was found a short time later, and was believed to be the body of Folkwin. 
After being ordered by Varus to take the sons of all the Germanic chieftains and delivered to him, both Arminius and Thusnelda went out to take the children, with Thusnelda telling the parents to come to the next moon festival. During this time the pair fell in love. But instead of turning the children over to Varus, they sent them to the Cherusci village. Arminius allowed the children to be reunited with their families, cementing his support among the Germanic tribes.
Seeing the support of the tribes faltering, Thusnelda sacrificed her right eye, granting her the gift of foresight that turned her into a seer. She gave a rousing speech to the tribes, convincing those that remained to follow through with their plans to attack the Roman legions. 
In the that followed Ariminius and his supporters managed to ambush and destroy the Roman legions. Seeing that the man he raised as a son betrayed him and his legions were destroyed, Varus decided to commit suicide. While regretful over the death of Varus, Ariminius assumed his role as the new Reik to rule over the Cherusci. Thusnelda consoled her husband that Varus had been using him to fulfill his own ambitions.
By then she was pregnant, but with Folkwin's child, not that of Arminius. 
==Trivia==
* The real Battle of the Teutoburg Forest became a turning point in world history as it was the worst military defeat Rome had suffered at the time. The Romans would not make any major incurisions into Germania for over a century, and the names of the legions that had been destroyed were retired. 
* The real Arminius and Thusnelda did not marry until after the Battle.
Category:Fighters
Category:Leaders
Category:Fictionalized
Category:Rescuers
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Female
Category:Military
Category:Warriors
Category:Wrathful
Category:War Heroes
Category:Protectors
Category:Determinators
Category:Siblings
Category:Successful
Category:In Love
Category:Charismatic
Category:Wise
Category:Supporters
Category:Spouses
Category:Extremists
Category:Obsessed
Category:Deal Makers
Category:Historical Heroes
Category:Freedom Fighters
Category:Rebellion Heroes
Category:Amazons