The “Hagen’s Watch Motif” #161, whose genealogy extends back to the very beginning of the Ring, is now associated with Wotan’s ravens, as Waltraute tells Bruennhilde that Wotan sent his ravens to fly away from Valhalla, hoping that, if they ever came back with good tidings, Wotan could smile one last time forever. During the latter part of this passage the Rhinedaughters’ Motif #13 (“Heiajaheia! Heiajaheia!”) gradually transforms into the Valkyrie Motif #77. This transformation of a Rhinedaughter motif into the main Valkyrie motif is perhaps a motival premonition that the Rhinedaughters will eventually persuade Bruennhilde to restore Alberich’s Ring to them, but it is also a reminder that Bruennhilde became, for a time, Siegfried’s substitute for the Rhinedaughters and Rhine River, since it is through Bruennhilde’s protection that Siegfried was temporarily redeemed from the Ring curse. The good tidings Wotan awaits are, of course, the message that Bruennhilde has restored Alberich’s Ring to the Rhinedaughters, who will wash away its curse in the Rhine. However, the events of act three will make it clear that this happy end is only possible after both Siegfried and Bruennhilde have died, giving up the claim of love on the Ring which, ironically, has kept its curse in play.
Waltraute now speaks – accompanied by #81 - of the Valkyries’ desperation, dismay and infinite dread, which inspired them to clasp Wotan’s knees, hoping to obtain some guidance from him. At this point #81 evolves into its ultimate variant #164. Waltraute pressed herself on Wotan’s chest, weeping, and his glance at once grew less harsh. Now, in one of the most tender, moving, and poignant motival reminiscences in the Ring, we hear the nostalgic #99 again for the first time in a long while, reminding us of Wotan’s overwhelming anguish, and desperate hope, as he bid farewell to Bruennhilde in V.3.3, the last time he saw his daughter Bruennhilde or will ever see her. Waltraute notes at this point that he was thinking of Bruennhilde. Wotan closed his eye and, as if in a dream (#15), whispered the words: “(#19) If she gave back the (#37) Ring to the deep Rhine’s daughters, (#51) from the weight of the curse (#15 seems to merge with #20c), both god and world would be (#15) freed. (#15 merges with #20c).” This is a musico-dramatic foreshadowing of that key moment during Bruennhilde’s final judgment of the gods in the finale of Twilight of the Gods, when she tells Wotan that he can now rest, and #20c merges with #15, after the final sounding of the “Gods’ Need Motif,” #83, which formerly gave expression to the insupportable burden of Wotan’s endless wanderings in futile quest of redemption, wanderings which now have ended.
Curiously, according to Waltraute, Wotan has not said that Alberich’s curse on the Ring will actually be at an end. He merely says that if it is restored to the Rhinedaughters, from the weight of its curse god and world would be freed. In other words, if the Ring of consciousness returns to preconsciousness, by being dissolved in the waters of the Rhine, there will be nothing living which is conscious of Alberich’s curse, his curse being the curse of consciousness itself. However, that does not preclude the possibility that the curse might potentially be manifested again under specific conditions in the future similar to those which brought it forth during the present Ring cycle, i.e., that reflectively conscious life may evolve again.
What evidence do we find in Wagner’s writings or recorded remarks that Wotan had realized his hope of being redeemed through the love which Siegfried and Bruennhilde share - a metaphor for the redemption of religious feeling by secular art - was destined to failure, and therefore Wotan decided the only hope of redemption was to, after all, return the Ring to the Rhinedaughters and let
