invoking Siegfried’s metaphysical mother Erda in this sense, the source of Mime’s “mother-wit.” But this is an open question and not one apt to be resolved from the evidence at hand.
[S.1.3: C]
Mime now describes for Siegfried what it is like to experience fear subjectively, in a manner which recalls his recent spell of hysteria, accompanied by a motival evocation of the sleeping Bruennhilde encircled by Loge’s protective ring of fire, which is even more explicit since it now includes #98, the motif which accompanied Bruennhilde as she begged Wotan to protect her defenseless sleep with something fearful which will keep all but fearless heroes (i.e., unconsciously inspired artist heroes, worthy to woo the muse of art) at bay. These motifs are again heard in conjunction with the Serpent Motif #48:
Siegfried: (forcefully: #104/#34:) If it’s an art [“Kunst”], then why don’t I know it? – Out with it? What is this fear? (:#104/#34)? (#34?)
Mime: (#34/#48 frag:) Have you never felt in the gloomy forest as darkness spreads to some twilit spot and, from afar, a rustling, humming, roaring sound draws near, a furious booming crashes closer (#34?), (#100:; #33b?:) a whirling flicker (#98:) flits around you (#100, #98>>:) and, swelling and whirring, floats towards you (:#100; :#33b?; :#98), - (trembling) (#34>>:; #33b?:) have you not felt the terror then, that, creepingly, seizes hold of your limbs (:#34; #33b?)? (quivering: #98/#34>>>:) Searing shuddering shakes your frame, (with quavering voice) quaking and quivering in your breast, your hammering heart is bursting (:#98/#34)? – (#98>>:) If you’ve never felt all this, then fear remains unknown to you (:#98). (#98?)
Siegfried: (thoughtfully: #98: [plus a beautiful rolling figure conveying a Nature-mood]) passing strange all this must be (:#98 [plus rolling figure])! (#92:) I feel that my heart beats firmly and strongly (:#92). (#35: [in a sort of transfigured variant of the “magic fire music”?], #98>>:) the shuddering and shivering, (#35:, #98>>:) searing and trembling, burning and fainting, hammering and quaking (:#35; :#98), (#97?:) how dearly I long to feel this dread (:#97?) (#98:) and yearningly crave (tenderly) such delights (:#98).
Siegfried is not at all intimidated by Mime’s description of fear, accompanied as it is by evocations of the sleeping Bruennhilde from whom - as Siegfried himself anticipates as he tells Mime he longs to experience this phenomenon - Siegfried eventually will learn the meaning of fear. That Siegfried
