intolerable consciousness that he must himself aid in his own destruction at Alberich’s hands. Here, we see Wotan seemingly aiding Alberich’s intent to make his lovelessness acknowledged universally, by exposing his daughter Bruennhilde on a mountaintop to be coerced into a loveless marriage by any man who wins her. Of course, as I stated previously, Wotan’s seeming punishment is merely a cover for Wotan’s latest ruse to defeat Alberich. But what the presence here of #82 really tells us is that, by leaving the repository of his unspoken secret, Bruennhilde (who, as the recipient of Wotan’s confession, has now become guardian of the religious mysteries) vulnerable to be won by any man who finds her, Wotan leaves his unspoken secret, his hoard of forbidden knowledge, vulnerable to exposure to the light of day. It is for this reason that only an artist hero inspired subliminally by Wotan’s fear of the truth, and longing for redemption from it, can be allowed access to Bruennhilde. Bruennhilde knows this and will employ this knowledge to persuade Wotan to protect her vulnerable sleep from all but a free and worthy artist-hero.
