Alberich’s variant of it, the vocal line of his despairing remark (having just been rejected for romance, or sex, by all three Rhinedaughters, in R.1) “Has the third one, so true, betrayed me as well?” This is a motif which represents Alberich’s intent to force himself upon the gods’ women without love, and recalling also his despair in coming to the conclusion that there is no transcendently real love in the world, which left him no choice but to renounce love for the sake of the only alternative left to him, power. Finally, we hear #83a, invoking Wotan’s need for a free hero who can redeem the gods from Alberich’s curse, suggesting to us that Waltraute has sought out Bruennhilde in response to Wotan’s fear of the end.
The constant repetitions of the portion of #143 (the “Hoard of the World Motif”) which I believe is identified with Bruennhilde’s warning to Siegfried to respect the special kind of love she offers (i.e., unconscious artistic inspiration), “Leave, oh leave me be,” and not betray her secret hoard of knowledge to the light of day, calls attention to the fact that Siegfried has now become the unwitting guardian of Wotan’s unspoken secret, which he confessed to Bruennhilde, and Bruennhilde’s warning serves notice to Siegfried that if he tries to take more from Bruennhilde than she ought to give, he is at risk of exposing Wotan’s unspoken secret to the World. #143 of course reminds us that Siegfried is the “Hoard of the World,” i.e., the heir to Wotan’s hoard of unconscious knowledge, his runes, which Bruennhilde, Siegfried’s unconscious mind, holds for him, and from whose fearful horrors she protects him. There is therefore powerful irony in the fact that these motival warnings precede just by moments Siegfried’s figurative rape of Bruennhilde and forceful retrieval of Alberich’s Ring from her, the very Ring Siegfried gave her as symbol of their wedding bond.
[T.1.3: B]
Bruennhilde now expresses her delighted surprise that her sister Waltraute - who in V.3.1-2 emulated her other Valkyrie sisters in shunning Bruennhilde because of Bruennhilde’s defiance of Wotan - should have braved Wotan’s anger to come see her sister Bruennhilde:
Bruennhilde: Are you coming to me? Are you so bold? Can you offer your greeting to Bruennhilde without feeling dread? (#95 vari)
Waltraute: (#96?:) For you alone I hurried here. (#140 or #39 vari?)
Bruennhilde: [[ #163: ]] [a rolling figure, perhaps from the accompaniment to Wotan’s meditation on Bruennhilde, from whom he is about to part forever as he deprives her of her godhead and puts her to sleep, in V.3.3, which included #99, &/or wotan’s ordering Loge to burn round Bruennhilde’s rock?]; #81 voc?:) So, for Bruennhilde’s sake, you’ve dared to break war-father’s ban (:#163; :#81 voc?)? Or what else? O say! Might Wotan’s heart have relented towards me?
