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Title Page
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Abbreviations for key references
Guide to abbreviations used in text
Allen Dunning's numbered Guide to the Ring's Musical Motifs
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The Ring

Introduction


References
Appendix I
Appendix I I

Key Colour Coding

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I would be grateful for donations of any size, small or large, to help defray the cost (1) of maintaining this website, (2) and to finance my past and present research which produced my book posted here, Volume One of "The Wound That Will Never Heal," and my forthcoming revision of Volume One (to be submitted for publication), and completion of Volume Two on Wagner's six other canonic operas and music-dramas. I sacrificed at least seven years of paid employment and incurred debts to complete this project, and am currently unemployed, so I thank you in advance for any financial help you can provide. Your friend, Paul Heise.

[[#33ab]] “Loge” (man’s gift of artistic self-deception)

Loge, representing the artistic cunning in man’s (Wotan’s) imagination, the source of man’s gift for self-deception in religious belief, collaborated with the Giants (man’s egoistic impulses) to create the supernatural realm of the gods, Valhalla. The gods must disavow their debt to Loge because religious belief must never acknowledge that it is based on self-deception

(#33a’s motival links, if any, have not been ascertained, but musically it forms a perfect pair with #33b; #33b is possibly related to #30b and #97)

“Wotan: [To Donner] [[ #21 ]] Stop, you firebrand! Nothing by force! My spearshaft safeguards contracts: spare your hammer’s haft!

 

Freia: Sorrow! Sorrow! Wotan forsakes me!

 

Fricka: Have I heard you aright, merciless man?

 

Wotan: [[ #33a ]] Turning away and seeing Loge coming) Loge at last! [[ #35 ]] Have you come in such haste to resolve the bad bargain you struck?
 

[Loge had convinced the Giants to agree to build the gods' abode Valhalla in exchange for Freia, but promised Wotan he'd redeem Freia by persuading the Giants to exchange her for some other payment]

 

[[ #33b ]] Loge has climbed up through the valley at the back) [[ #34 ]] What? Which bargain is that that I'm said to have struck. The one you discussed with the Giants in council? (#20a?; #33b?) To hollow and height my hankering drives me; house and hearth delight me not: Donner and Froh think only of house and home … .”

[[#34]] “Loge's Flickering Flames”

(#34 has no specific motival links, but is clearly in the family of Nature in Motion Motifs such as #11, #38, etc.)

[See #33 for #34’s dramatic context]