and greatest adventure would be his abduction and figurative rape of his own true love Bruennhilde, and betrayal of her love by giving her in forced marriage to another man! We hear #42’s end fragment (the Tarnhelm), followed by #154 (Hagen’s Potion), as Siegfried announces in triumph that Bruennhilde is his. From this point onward #50 is heard and then develops, presumably representing both Bruennhilde’s resentment and suspicion of Siegfried (just as in R.4, after Wotan forced the Ring off of Alberich’s finger, #50 expressed his anger that Wotan had co-opted his rightful power). However, #50 also represents the force of envy (Neid) which according to Erda was the seed Alberich planted in a mortal woman, giving birth to the agent of Alberich’s revenge on the gods, and therefore the instrument of Alberich’s curse on his Ring, Hagen. #50 was introduced in R.4 immediately after Loge unbound Alberich, planning to let him go his way because Wotan had secured his sole sources of power, the Ring, Tarnhelm, and Hoard, and was associated there with Alberich’s telling Wotan that he wished now, in parting, to give Wotan freedom’s first greeting, his curse on the Ring.
[T.1.3: J]
Siegfried drives Bruennhilde, completely broken, into the cave, accompanied by alternations of #50 with #164. Once Siegfried is left alone outside the cave, he calls upon his sword Nothung to separate him from the captive woman so he can honor his oath to hand Bruennhilde over, untainted, to his bloodbrother Gunther, and we are treated to a new motif, #165, representing Siegfried’s supremely ironic employment of his sword Nothung as an enforcer of chastity rather than as a metaphysical phallus, its natural purpose:
(#151b: Siegfried drives her away with a gesture of command. Trembling and with faltering steps, she returns to the chamber. #50; #164; #50; #164; #42?. Siegfried draws his sword. [[ #165 ]]; #21/#57)
Siegfried: (in his natural voice: #157:) Now, Nothung, (#155:) attest that I wooed her chastely (:#157; :#155): (#156) (#160:) keeping faith with my brother (:#160), (#57) keep me apart from his bride! [[ #165 ]] (He follows Bruennhilde. #42 end frag; #154; #149; #165; #42 end frag: The curtain falls.)
#165, sometimes called the “Honor Motif,” which is essentially comprised of two octave drops, is perhaps a distant member of the family of Gibichung Motifs which includes #151 (Hagen), #155 (Gunther’s falsely friendly welcome to Siegfried), #156 (Gutrune), and #171 (the Gibichung Horncall, heralding the double wedding). One characteristic which according to Cooke the Gibichung Family of motifs share is an interval drop which may be inspired by Erda’s octave drop when she told Wotan: “(#53) All things that are, (#Octave Drop:) end!” And Erda’s octave drop on “Endet” was heard again when Wotan, in despair during his confession to Bruennhilde in V.2.2, told her he now only desired “Das (#Octave drop) Endet!” Wotan told Bruennhilde in his
