Froh’s characteristic emotion of gratitude, in distinction from Donner’s dependence on threats to instill fear as the gods’ enforcer, calls to mind what Feuerbach described as the two aspects of man’s feeling of dependence on Mother Nature (Erda) which give birth to religious belief in gods:
[P. 29] “ … the true reason why fear does not offer a complete explanation of religion is that, once the danger is past, fear gives way to an opposite emotion … . This is the feeling of release from danger, from fear and anxiety, a feeling of delight, joy, love, and gratitude. (…) [P. 30] The feeling of affliction is practical, teleological; the feeling of gratitude is poetic, aesthetic. The feeling of affliction is transient, but the feeling of gratitude enduring; it forms a bond of love and friendship. The feeling of affliction is base, that of gratitude noble, the former worships only in adversity, the latter also in happiness.” [198F-LER: p. 29-30]
In fact, we might say that Fasolt is distinguished from Fafner in the same way that Froh is distinguished from Donner.
[R.4: G]
Curiously, now that the Giants have returned with Freia, and Wotan seems prepared to honor the agreed-upon change in his original contract with the Giants, that they will let him substitute the Nibelung’s Hoard for Freia as payment for building Valhalla, Fasolt expresses qualms which in the end will result in Wotan redeeming Freia not merely with the agreed-upon Hoard per se, but also with those portions of the Hoard of the greatest value, Alberich’s Tarnhelm and even his Ring. For Fasolt is so attached to Freia (at least to the idea of possessing her) that he cannot relinquish her unless her entire body is hidden from sight by the Nibelung Hoard. In other words, the Nibelung Hoard must entirely replace Freia in Fasolt’s heart for him to relinquish her:
Fricka: (…) Loveliest sister, sweetest delight [“Lust”]! Are you won back again for me now?
Fasolt: (restraining her; #26a:) Stop! Don’t touch her! She is still ours (:#26a)! (…) (#26a) … with true-hearted zeal we tended the pledge of our pact: (#26a) (#21?:) much as I rue it, I’ll yet bring her back (:#21?) (#28:) if you pay us brothers the ransom.
Wotan: The ransom is lying ready: let the gold’s measure (:#28) be measured out fairly.
Fasolt: To lose the woman, you know, grieves me deeply: (#24) if she’s to fade from my thoughts, then heap up the hoard of trinkets so that it hides (#37:) the radiant child from my sight (:#37)!
Wotan: Then set the measure to Freia’s form [“Gestalt”].
