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Title Page
Dedication Page
General Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations for key references
Guide to abbreviations used in text
Allen Dunning's numbered Guide to the Ring's Musical Motifs
Detailed Table of Contents

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.

The Vassals: (ceremoniously clashing their weapons: #172/#152 Vari Fragment) Hail to you, happy Gibichung!

(#77; #164: #156?: Gunther leads Bruennhilde, who never once raises her eyes, to the hall, from which Siegfried and Gutrune emerge, attended by womenfolk)

Gunther: (Pausing outside the hall: #171 [of #156?]) Be welcome, dear hero! Be welcome, fair sister! (#155) I see you happy beside him who won you as his wife. Two blissful couples I see here resplendent: (He draws Bruennhilde closer towards them: #171 [or #156?]) Bruennhilde – and Gunther, (#156?) Gutrune – and (#109) Siegfried.

(#164: #87?; #42?: Bruennhilde raises her eyes in alarm and sees Siegfried; her gaze remains fixed on him in amazement. Gunther has released her violently trembling hand and, like the others, shows genuine perplexity at her behavior.)”

 

[[#173]] Siegfried and Bruennhilde swear oaths against each other’s testimony, the forgetful Siegfried denying, and Bruennhilde affirming, that they have been lovers

Bruennhilde, formerly Siegfried’s muse of unconscious artistic inspiration, now wreaks vengeance on him for betraying the secret processes of his inspiration, and exposing Wotan’s unspoken secret (his hoard of knowledge) which she had kept in silence, to the light of day.

(#173’s motival links, if any, not yet ascertained)

[Having seen Siegfried with Gutrune, ostensibly planning to marry her and acting as if he doesn’t even remember Bruennhilde, Bruennhilde has evidently concluded that Siegfried deliberately mislead her, leading her on, from the beginning, and that he conspired with Gunther to abduct her and hand her over to Gunther. For this reason Bruennhilde accuses Siegfried of having raped her, allowing the public to believe that this occurred during Siegfried’s most recent visit, when in fact Siegfried only made love to her before he met Gunther and became the victim of Hagen’s potion. There is thus a public outcry for Siegfried to swear an oath that he did not commit this terrible offence:]

“Bruennhilde: [to Gunther] (#164 Vari) Keep away, betrayer! Self-betrayed! (#82?; #19?) Know then, all of you: (#101 Unison) not to him [Gunther] (? [What motif is in play???]) but to that man there [Siegfried] am I wed.

 

Women: (#164) Siegfried? Gutrune’s husband?