Donner: A sultry haze hangs in the air; its lowering weight lies heavy upon me. The leaden clouds (#11:) I’ll gather into a raging storm; it will sweep the heavens clear.
(Donner climbs on to a rocky promontory overlooking the valley and swings his hammer; during the following, mists gather around him.)
Donner: [[ #55: ]] To me, you haze! You mists, to me! Donner your lord, musters his hordes. (He swings his hammer.) At the swing of my hammer sweep to me here! [etc. … . ] (#55:) Heda! Heda! Hedo! (:#55)!
(#55: Donner disappears completely in a thundercloud which grows increasingly dense and black. The blow of his hammer is heard striking the rock. A brilliant flash of lightning issues from the cloud, followed by a violent clap of thunder. Froh has vanished with him in the cloud.)
Donner: (invisible): Brother, this way! Mark out the way for the bridge!
(The cloud suddenly lifts, revealing Donner and Froh. [[ #56: ]] From their feet a rainbow bridge of blinding radiance stretches out across the valley to the castle, which now glints in the glow of the evening sun.)
Froh: (to the gods, indicating with outstretched hand the path which the bridge has taken over the valley.) The bridge leads to the stronghold, light yet firm to the foot. Tread undaunted its terrorless path!
(Wotan and the other gods are lost in speechless astonishment at the glorious sight.)
Donner’s new motif #55, sung to his “Heda! Heda! Hedo!”, is in the Nature Motif Family stemming from #1, the Primal Nature Arpeggio. #55 is in turn the basis for #61, representing lightning during the storm (obviously produced by Wotan) which drives Wotan’s mortal son Siegmund in desperation to seek shelter in Hunding’s hut in the opening scene of The Valkyrie. Dunning suggests #61 may influence #84 and #84, motifs which will be associated with Wotan’s anger against his mortal family the Waelsungs, and anger at his daughter Bruennhilde for defying the gods’ law to support the Waelsungs. But #84 in Embryo will be specifically associated, during
