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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.

[[#119]] Siegfried reclaims his father Siegmund’s sword Nothung

By re-forging his father Siegmund’s sword Nothung, Siegfried reestablishes his broken link with the great heritage of culture-heroes, who have sustained mytho-poetic civilization by perpetuating man’s illusion that he has transcendent value. Siegfried thus inherits Wotan’s futile longing to restore lost innocence, to redeem the world from Alberich’s curse of consciousness. In this way Siegfried unwittingly falls heir to Wotan’s sin against Erda’s (nature’s) knowledge of all that was, is, and will be, the sin which Alberich’s curse punishes.

(#119 based on #57a, the octave drop on “Ende” in Erda’s vocal line as she sings that all things that are, “Ende,” except that in this case the octave jumps upward)

[Since Mime was incapable of re-forging Siegfried’s father’s sword Nothung’s two halves into one, Siegfried has pushed him out of the way in order to re-forge it himself through aesthetic intuition rather than learning:]

“(While Siegfried continues filing down the fragments of the sword with impetuous enthusiasm, Mime goes and sits somewhat further away.)

 

Mime: (#103 Fragment >>) he’ll succeed with the sword, I can see that clearly: (#117?; #33b?) fearless, he’ll furbish it whole, (#117/#33b) the Wanderer knew he would! – (#5/#34) How can I save my timid head? (#92) It will fall to the valiant lad if Fafner doesn’t teach him fear! (#103 Fragments: Leaping up with mounting disquiet and then stooping down) (#48>>) But alas, poor me! For how could he slay the dragon if he’d first learnt fear from the beast? How could I win the Ring for myself? (#17 >>) [is this #117?] Accursed quandary? I’d be firmly stuck if I couldn’t find some clever means by which to defeat the fearless lad.

 

(Siegfried has filed down the fragments and collected them in a crucible, which he now places on the forge fire.)

 

Siegfried: Hey, Mime! Quick! What’s the name of the sword that I’ve spun out into splinters? (#57)

 

Mime: (Starting in surprise and turning to Siegfried: #119 fragment) Nothung’s the name of the fearsome sword: your mother told me the tale.

 

Siegfried: (#103 frag>>: While singing the following, Siegfried fans the flames with the bellows) [[ #119 ]] Nothung! Nothung! Fearsome sword! Why did you have to shatter? [[ #120>> ]] I’ve turned your sharp-edged pride to chaff, in the melting pot I smelt the splinters. (#119 Harmonic Vari/#103 Fragments) Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Hohei! Hoho! [[ #121 ]] Blow you bellows, fan the flames! [[ #120>> ]] Wild in the woodland grew a tree: I felled it in the forest: the fallow ash I burned to charcoal. It