Richard Wagner; Der Ring des Nibelungen

Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung #1-4

by Richard Wagner, Rudolph Sabor

The companion volume to the Ring libretto translations by Rudolph Sabor provides a guide through the labyrinth of the Ring , clarifying its literary and musical idiom and significance. It offers essays, surveys and summaries - designed to inform, enlighten, and occassionally, provoke.

A biography of Richard Wagner's colourful life precedes an essay on the myriad mythological sources that inspired the opera cycle. How the Ring came about, and what it can be taken to mean, are considered in the essay 'The Genesis of the Ring'. Wagner's complex use of the leitmotif - his musical 'labels' of people, emotions, events - is clarified, and Sabor introduces the reader to both the characters and the story of the Ring . A history of 120 years of performances, at Bayreuth and elsewhere, is copiously illustrated. Appendices include a full bibliography, discography, videography, and a short listing of Wagner's orchestral forces. The volume concludes with a list of all the leitmotifs in the Ring .

Four other books are available in this series, which each have a translation and commentary to one of the four operas in the Ring cycle. The books can be enjoyed individually or as a series; either way they will equip the Wagner enthusiast with a fund of information to make the Ring journey more rewarding.

Genres: Classics, Music, Poetry, Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Plays

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1853

About the author

Germanic legends often based romantic operas of especially known composer Richard Wagner, who worked Tannhäuser (1845) and the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (1853-1876).

From 1872, Richard Wagner lived at Bayreuth to 1883 and designed the opera house, used chiefly for performances of his works.

Works of Jacques Martin Barzun include Darwin, Marx, Wagner (1941).

Wilhelm Richard Wagner conducted, directed theater, and authored essays, primarily for his later called "music dramas." Unlike most other greats, Wagner wrote the scenario and libretto.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...

Reviews

[Leonard Gaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hundred years before Tolkien, Richard Wagner was (and in a way still is) the undisputed “Lord of the Rings”. Long before The Hobbit, but indeed sometime after Jacob Grimm, Wagner went on to dust and shake up the medieval poems of Scandinavia and Germany: the Poetic Edda, Snorri’s Edda, the Völsunga saga, the Þiðreks saga, the Nibelungenlied… On top of this Nordic / Germanic revival, he added some Aeschylusian dramatic structure, a dash of Shakespearean oomph, and a generous drizzle of Schopenhauerian aesthetics.

The result is undoubtedly the single most massive drama in the history of Western music. It is also a ghastly take on human nature, full of sexual frenzy, ambition, deception, hypocrisy, obsession, incest, violence, murder and destruction. Love is supposed to redeem everything at the eleventh hour, but that’s more like wishful thinking than anything real: ultimately, the whole work is a tragedy of universal proportions.

The Ring is meant to be a music-poetic-dramatic synthesis. Still, the libretto alone, published in this bilingual edition, alongside John Deathridge’s English translation, is a fascinating read in and of itself. In sync with his source material, Wagner uses archaic words and turns of phrases whenever possible, giving his poem a sort of mythic patina. Although intended as expressive and wild, some parts of the text sound silly nonetheless. Notably, all the different forms of yodelling left, right, and centre: Heiajaheia (the Rheintöchter), Hehe! Hehe! (Alberich), Ohe! Ohe! (Mime), Heda! Hedo! (Donner), Hojotoho! Heiaha! (the Valkyries), Hoho! Hahei! (Siegfried), Hoihohoho! (Hagen), so on and so forth. Added to this, the plot, more than once bogged down with lengthy expositions and recaps – probably to assist (or increase) the absent-mindedness or drowsiness of the audience… Worth noting as well: the stage instructions Wagner committed to paper with freakish fastidiousness.

There would also be much to say about the characters (much more than this short note could ever encompass). Let’s just say that, while the last scene of Die Walküre, with Wotan and Brünnhilde, is one of the highest summits of the whole Ring (and of the entire musical repertoire), the transition to the beginning of Siegfried is rather steep, and not in a good way. Indeed, Siegfried himself, the hero, the chosen one, and possibly the central figure of the cycle, comes across as an insufferable baboon and stays that way until the end. In fact, by the conclusion of Götterdämmerung, there is a secret yet clear feeling of relief underneath the general expression of outrage, when evil Hagen drives his spear in-between Siegfried’s shoulder blades, and purges the stage of this Aryan nincompoop!

In any case, Wagner was not as good a poet and playwright as he was a composer. Some of his musical inventions were to some extent borrowed from his German forebears: compare, for instance, the stripped-down overture of Das Rheingold with the first few bars of Beethoven’s 9th. But as far as operas go, Wagner kicked all the structural rules of aria vs recitative vs ensembles vs choruses. Instead, he introduced his famous leitmotiv device, a series of melodic themes expanding or bending the meaning of the text – a technique now widely in use in Hollywood film scores – see, for instance, John Williams or Hans Zimmer.

Most of all, Wagner managed to elevate the orchestration to an incredible level of richness and expression, contrasting the chatoyant smoothness of the Rhine music with the sweeping storm of the Valkyries, the guttural earthiness of Hagen’s call to battle, the blazing heartbreak of Wotan’s farewell, and the shimmering velvet of Siegmund and Sieglinde’s midnight blooming passion – nearly as magnificent as the almost unbearably sublime encounter in act 2 of Tristan und Isolde. In short, the music alone hits you in the gut like an infection. And when Nietzsche asked, “Is Wagner a human being at all? Is he not rather a disease?” (The Case of Wagner), Stravinsky aptly replied that Wagner’s music was indeed a headache, “but a headache with aspirin.”

Last note: I have personally been lucky enough to attend three live performances of the Ring over the years, namely: Haenchen / Audi (Amsterdam, 1997), Mehta / La Fura dels Baus (Valencia, 2009), and Jordan / Krämer (Paris Bastille, 2013). Each had its specific flavour, and all were unforgettable. I would also highly recommend the Jahrhundertring’s DVD recording (Boulez / Chéreau, Bayreuth, 1976), possibly one of the best. More recently, though, I have seen The Valkyrie, the first instalment of yet another full Ring, currently in production by the English National Opera in New York and London. This performance is based on John Deathridge’s translation into English (available in this bilingual Penguin edition). The old Richard is now probably rolling in his grave, but Deathridge’s translation fits the prosody of the original poem almost to a T and works wonderfully with Wagner’s orchestration. In short, Brünnhilde lives on every which way. Hojotoho, indeed!

In case you are interested, I also wrote a separate note on Die Walküre.

Edit: I recently watched the latest Ring cycle performance (available on ARTE, early 2023) at the Staatsoper Berlin. The orchestra, conducted by Christian Thielemann (replacing Daniel Barenboim), is lively and muscular, as it should be, and the singers are stunning for the most part—Rolando Villazón, as Loge, plays convincingly, but his voice is a bit wheezy; Mika Kares as Fasolt/Hunding/Hagen is terrific and terrifying. But the most surprising aspect of this Ring is probably Dmitri Tcherniakov's unconventional, anti-poetic, stage design and direction: everything is set as a contemporary family saga with a sort of corporate mafia vibe that is both unexpected, refreshing, and often quite dramatic.

[emma]

consuming an opera just as it was meant to be: by reading it

[Lee Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this particular hardcover bilingual edition from Penguin Classics. It's so solid and plump and yet its 729 pages flew by in part because all pages on the left are in German and those on the right are in a masterful translation of Wagner's libretto or whatever it's called, quick flowing dialogue among gods, heroes, dwarfs, even a dragon. In my previous total ignorance I always thought of Wagner as a naughty anti-Semite Nazi precursor, a composer who anticipated the 1930s in the 19th century and provided the soundtrack for future atrocity, not to mention that unforgettable helicopter scene in Apocalypse Now, where I first heard any of this. The Ring Cycle, being that it's four operas in German, has always been a little much for me to handle. Only recently have I been familiarizing myself with the music, exploring the offerings on Spotify, the complete deal and the orchestral excerpts (ie, the bits without German dialogue and singing), as well as for example a cool piano rendition of the Ring's hits. Generally my expectation for this book was that it would be kinda dull and inaccessible. I definitely bought it thinking there was a good chance I wouldn't complete it. But once I started I was surprised how easy it is to read, how charming, how amusing, how weird and bawdy and cool, incestuous bits early on notwithstanding. As someone who read the Tolkien books in seventh grade and really really loved them, the first books I spent weekend afternoons with instead of playing or watching sports etc, it's incredible to see Tolkien's sources appear, a powerful ring, a helmet that lets you be invisible, riddles, a dragon, even toward the end the phrase "lord of the ring" appears. Also the structure: this is a trilogy and a preliminary evening, same as the LOTR trilogy with its prequel The Hobbit. Tolkien said something like "both rings are round and there the resemblance ends" but it's clear this was some serious source material. Beyond LOTR, the first three parts really satisfy, with sections of the Valkyries seeming to me as good as reading gets. The final section, The Twilight of the Gods, seems kinda off the rails compared to the first three sections but it was apparently written first -- it's comparatively muddled and doesn't seem to make the same sort of mythopoeic sense as the first three sections. But the crazy, power-grabbing, fiery end doesn't detract from the sense of it being like this 19th century version of Marvel superhero movies, reconstruction of the old myths to obliquely comment on contemporary times and presage perhaps the future. I read this an act or two every night and did so as an entertainment. I read it pretty superficially although you see all those Joseph Campbellian themes emerge and I look forward to reading some commentaries on this and searching for Wagner's sources among the sagas of yore.

[Edith Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sublime opera de Wagner, gran exponen y compositor alemán. Esta obra está compuesta por una tetralogia cuyas partes son: El oro del Rhin, La walkyria, Sigfrido y El crepúsculo de los dioses. Las cuatro obras comprenden un total de 15 horas de música. Lo fantástico e ideal sería escuchar la música mientras se lee. Quisiera decir que escuché toda la composición musical, pero solo fueron unas horas.

Wagner ha basado su obra en la mitología Noruega y Alemana, creando así su propio universo mitológico imaginario. Durante el trayecto de la historia, pude percatarme de que existen similitudes con El señor de los anillos, por lo que Tolkien se ha inspirado en esta obra.

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

REVIEW OF JOHN DEATHRIDGE'S 2019 TRANSLATION

Well, (but of course primarily in my own personal opinion), even individuals, even opera buffs who have very much justified issues with Richard Wagner's arrogantly toxic narcissism, with his virulent anti Semitism and that the latter of course made both Wagner and his operas immensely and freakishly popular with Adolf Hitler and company should be both able and also more than willing to admit that Richard Wagner's massive four opera Ring Cycle is a fascinating and beautiful work of musical and equally so of verbal artistry and one that has not only awed but of course at the same time much enchanted audiences for generations (on a global scale), and that for the Ring Cycle, Wagner thus not only created magical and wondrously glorious music but also managed to successfully cobble together multiple literary sources of Germanic legend and myth to create a magnificent, inspiring and at times also rather frightening and even horrifying verbal magnum opus with his librettos.

But the above having been said, yes, I do still want to point out that for me in his translation (or rather I guess I should say in his adaptation) of Richard Wagner's German language librettos for Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Die Götterdämmerung (The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried and The Twilight of the Gods), John Deathridge should definitely also in his otherwise supremely interesting and enlightening introduction to his 2019 dual language German/English The Ring of the Nibelung be providing a short Richard Wagner biography (with warts and all so to speak) as well as showing how and why Wagner became so popular with the Nazis, and that this is rather not the case in The Ring of the Nibelung does frustrate and annoy me. Because and quite frankly, even though I am very much a fan of the Ring Cycle and Wagner's operatic output in general, well, any decent book about Richard Wagner or any translations/adaptations of his operas in book form do for me and absolutely need to deal with and also acknowledge the less than stellar parts of Wagner's biography and how these (and in particularly his xenophobia, his Germany first attitude and anti Semitism) certainly made Richard Wagner and his oeuvre so very much appealing to National Socialism and its "Aryan" and "master race" ideology.

Now I really do appreciate that John Deathridge's translation in The Ring of the Nibelung is presented as dual language German/English, with Wagner's librettos on the left and facing Deathridge's translation on the right (and that there are also English language plot synopses being provided), for one, because I have always wanted to own the German language librettos of the four Ring Cycle operas anyhow and that for two, having a dual language format definitely makes comparing John Deathridge's rendition into English with Richard Wagner's original German words much much easier.

And as such (and while I have only specifically compared Das Rheingold and Die Walküre to Deathridge's translation to date, since I was getting a bit overwhelmed and also somewhat frustrated with over eight hundred pages), I do have to admit that I both prefer the original German language librettos for the Ring Cycle (naturally so in my opinion) and that I also do find it a wee bit annoying that Deathridge’s rendition is not what one would call a “singing” translation. Yes, there are moments in John Deathridge's text in The Ring of the Nibelung that gel very nicely with the music and also with Richard Wagner's librettos but actually not all that often. And while I do think that Deathridge's translation is in fact not actually supposed to be faithful to the theatrical and musical context which constitutes the Ring Cycle as a dramatic whole, personally speaking, this makes what Deathridge has written in his translation alright regarding the contents and the thematics of Wagner's Ring Cycle but not really alright (at least for me) regarding the Ring Cycle as operas, and which is also why my star rating for The Ring of the Nibelung just cannot and will not be higher than three stars (five stars for Richard Wagner's librettos of course, but I do have more than a few issues with what is missing regarding Wagner's life and Weltanschauung in John Deathridge's introduction for The Ring of the Nibelung and that his translation only quite rarely successfully meshes with Richard Wagner's theatrics and the musicality of the four Ring Cycle operas in their original 19th century German language incarnations).

[Robert Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A TALE OF TWO RINGS: EPIC AND ARCHETYPE IN TOLKIEN'S "LORD OF THE RINGS“ & WAGNER'S "THE RING OF THE NIBELUNGEN"---PLUS "THE NORSE PROSE EDDA," "THE VOLSUNGA SAGA" AND THE "NIBELUNGENLIED"-----FROM THE WORLD LITERATURE FORUM RECOMMENDED CLASSICS AND MASTERPIECES SERIES VIA GOODREADS—-ROBERT SHEPPARD, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF



THE TALE OF THE TWO RINGS: TOLKIEN'S "LORD OF THE RINGS" AND WAGNER'S "RING OF THE NIBELUNGEN"


J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" is one of the most beloved fantasy epics of modern World Literature, celebrated in the film adaptaion of Peter Jackson, read and re-read by devotees from childhood to old age, bringing to life through its magic not only the creation of the epic imagined world of "Middle Earth" inhabited by such immortal characters as Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo, Sauron and Aragorn, but also a complete alternative history and spiritual cosmology of the universe. I enjoyed reading all of Tolkien's works immensely as well as re-experiencing them in film, and have always felt in the presence of greatness with his works. But that grand creation was not made from the whole cloth of Tolkien's pure imagination alone but rather built upon a great tradition derived from World Literature, most notably drawing upon the "Ring of the Nibelungen" (Der Ring des Nibelungen)or Ring Cycle operas of Richard Wagner, as well as the many forerunners Tolkien himself studied and taught ss a Professor of Anglo-Saxon literature at Oxford, such as the Norse and early Germanic "Prose Edda," the "Volsunga Saga" and the "Nibelungenlied."

Noticing the many similarities and shared motifs between Wagner's Ring Cycle operas and Tolkien's epic, some harping critics even went so far as to claim that Tolkien had plagiarized much of his creation from Wagner. This unfair accusation ignores the reality that all great writers build upon a "Great Tradition" as referred to by T.S. Eliot which is bequeathed with generosity to them to freely utilize and adapt as the common heritage of mankind freely invested in its own future development. Horace in his "Ars Poetica" (Art of Poetry) boasted that he often "stole" working materials from the classics, qualified by his mitigating insistence on exercising the good taste to "steal only from the best."

Indeed, great writers not only have great license to take from the Great Tradition in order to extend and strengthen it, but also find common roots in the myths and archetypes of the "Collective Unconscious" identified by the celebrated psychologist C.G. Jung also as the common spiritual capital of humanity. Thus Vergil's "Aeneid" drew heavily upon Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the great plays and tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides drew freely upon such sagas and mythic lore as Oedipus and the Greek Gods, and the Chinese epic "Journey to the West" of the Monkey-King drew on the similar figure of Hanuman from the Indian classic "The Ramayana" of Valmiki. Indeed the Bible itself, a most plundered source of borrowings, counsels us to judge value by the fruits of the borrowing rather than by mere roots and fertilizing: "By their fruits you will know them." Matthew 7:16.

Tolkien himself, questioned on the similarity, said "The two Rings have in common that they are both round, and beyond that they are completely different." In this he was being a bit rhetorically disingenuous, as the common elements in both great works are more fundamental than superficial. First, the central quest and plot device of a struggle over a Ring of Power, capable of conferring on its bearer mastery of the world, but also bearing a curse of corruption and self-destruction necessitating its removal from the world gives to both works a common central dynamic. Tolkien, who once undertook a common project with C.S. Lewis, author of the Narnia Saga, to translate Wagner's Ring Cycle together, was intimately aware of Wagner's narrative, along with the sources from which Wagner himself borrowed, such as the Nibelungenlied and the Norse Volsunga Saga.

Secondly, from Wagner Tolkien also took as models or sources of inspiration several other key elements of the Hobbit cycle, including outlines of some of of the key characters. In Wagner's Nibelungen Ring perhaps the most central character is a dwarf who initially possesses the Ring of Power, Alberich. Alberich initially creates the Ring of Power in the first opera, "The Rhinegold" (Das Rheingold) from enchanted gold stolen from the river-spirit Rhinemaidens, which he is able to do only after renouncing all love, which he does after the beautiful Rhinemaidens spurn his love, berating his ugliness and smallness. Next, the king of the Gods, Wotan/Odin forces Alberich to give the Ring to him, later losing it when he is forced to give it as payment to the giants Fafner and Fasolt for their work in building Valhalla, the palace of the gods. Fafner kills his brother Fasolt over the Ring, and then transforms himself into a dragon to keep watch over it. Thereafter, both the dwarf Alberich and Wotan struggle and plot over decades to recover the lost precious Ring, Alberich exhibiting many of the characteristics of Gollum in Tolkien's saga in his obsession with it. In Wagner as in Tokien the fate of the Ring is also tied to a looming Apocalypse as its destruction will also usher in a New Age on earth and the departure of the gods or other celestial agents such as the elves or Valkyrie. Both works are populated by an analogous heirarchy of beings or races: the Gods, men, dwarves and Valkyrie Riders in Wagner, and elves, men, dwarves, ents, orcs and malign personages such as Sauron and the Nazgul Riders in Tolkien. In Wagner as in Tokien diverse parties plot to get possession of the Ring, such as Alberich's brother the dwarf Mime, who raises Sigfried, the product of the incestuous union of Siegmund and Sieglinde in the second opera "The Valkyie," Wotan's grandchild, who will have the power to recover the Ring. Siegfried, like Aragorn, must search for his ancestry and repair the broken sword of his forefathers, Nothing, to complete his quest. In both sagas an immortal female being is transformed into a mortal who will die alongside her lover, namely Arwen who choses mortal life and marriage to Aragorn, and Brunhilde, the lover of Siegfried. Both sagas end with the destruction of the Ring, which in turn ushers a New Age and the departure of the gods or spirits of the old order.



THE TWO RING SAGAS AS "EPICS"


Both the "Lord of the Rings" and the "Ring of the Nibelungen" constitute "epics" in their scope and impact. An "epic" as a genre may be defined as a narrative in verse, prose or other form which includes extensive history such as to define the character or destiny of a nation, people even humanity as a whole. Tolkien's classic famously extends for several thousand years, from the "First Age" to the "Fourth Age" which commences at its conclusion, covers at least three generatiions of its protagonists and defines the formation or reconstituion of a nation, the united Kingdom under Aragorn, and its relationship with "the divine" or supernatural powers--elves, Valar, and evil forces such as Sauron and Morgoth, and with the natural environment. Wagner's saga also spans three generations from Wotan to Siegmund and Sieglinde and the grandchild Siegfried and embraces a backstory of cosmic proportions, including the famous "Gotterdammerung" (Ragnarok) or fall of the Norse gods led by Odin/Wotan and the burning of Valhalla and Iggdrasil, the Tree of Life and the World. Their sagas concern not only their protagonists or even their peoples, but the entire condition of the world and the conditions of its physical and spiritual continuation, regeneration and renewal. (Parenthetically, I also include my own work, the contemporary and futurist epic "Spiritus Mundi" in the epic genre as it spans in its backstory the history of the Sartorius family from the 1600's to the present and, through time travel, the history of the human race into the 23rd Century in the wake of the founding of the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly in our own time, and defines the character of the emerging "people of the world" newly and necessarily united in our globalized age, including their relationship with the cosmos and the divine.)




ARCHETYPES AND JUNGIAN MOTIFS IN THE RING SAGAS




Archetypes, according to C.G. Jung and others are universal archaic patterns and images that derive from the collective unconscious and are the psychic counterpart of instinct. They are autonomous and hidden forms which are transformed once they enter consciousness and are given particular expression by individuals and their cultures but exist independently of them as part of our genetic and instinctual heritage. Common examples in literature are the archetypal figures of the Mother, Trickster, Magician, Warrior, King and Devil, or situational archetypes such as the Quest, the Flood, the Fall, Re-birth and Transformation or Apocalypse. Importantly, an archetype is not just a symbol or image in the abstract, but rather a concrete living force within the mind, sometimes referred to as a "complex," which acts as a source of energy or intensity around the archetypal nucleus and which may drain or augment energy from or to the Ego, and which may exist in either the personal unconscious of an individual, the collective unconscious of the whole human race, or both. The operation and experience of the archetypes, both in their narrative or symbolic form and within the psyche of the protagonist or the reader serve to catalyze psychic growth leading to greater awareness and greater psychic wholleness, maturity and health, and a resultant enhanced capacity for life in the world.



THE HERO'S QUEST ARCHETYPE



One of the central archetypes in C.G. Jung and other archetypal critics such as Joseph Campbell in his "Hero With a Thousand Faces" is that of the hero's quest. In this archetype, the hero is required to undertake a perilous journey into an unknnown and dangerous realm to accomplish some task of vital importance during which he will be tested and if successful will bring back some vital boon to the world of his origin. The stages of the hero's journey typically include:

1)Separation and Departure---expulsion from a safe haven, home or childhood

2) Initiation

3) Struggle Against Adverse Forces

4) Descent into the Underworld---confronting not only external dangers but his own deepest inner self

5) Return and Re-Integration---a return from the mythic dimension to rejoin the mundane world of his origin


In Tolkien's Lord of the Rings the central hero Frodo undertakes the Quest of the "Ring Bearer" to destroy the Ring of Power in the fires of Mount Doom, which unites him with his brother questers of the "Fellowship of the Ring" who accompany him. In the first stage of Departure the Black Horsemen forcibly expel him from the safe haven of the Shire, a world of innocence, protected child-like existence, harmony and oneness with nature. At Rivendell he is initiated into a larger community of his fellow Questors, who must struggle against a Nemesis, the predatory Sauron and his evil allies and underlings. His journey to both the Mines of Moria and to the evil realm of Mordor challenges not only his physical and external survival and strength but also his inner resolve and willingness to rise to the duty of the quest. In the final chapters after the Ring's destruction, especially the chapter "The Scouring of the Shire," Frodo and his companions must return to the world of his origins bearing the strengths obtained by means of the Quest. Thus Frodo on his return, along with Merry, Pippin and Sam are no longer the passive child-like beings of their innocent youth and their world is no longer an Edenic paradise, but they must confront its evils with adult and active powers derived from their growth during the Quest. They undertake to reform their fallen homeland, driving out the petty fascism of the exploitative capitalist and predatory classes backed by the fallen Saruman/Sharkey and restore their community to freedom, justice and harmony with nature.

In Wagner's Ring Cycle there is little growth of self and insight in the Jungian sense on the part of the hero Siegfried. His quest is defined as "to discover what fear is" in a supposedly fearless heroic self. However Siegfried fails to discover this fear or any measure of inner insight and is led to destruction. It is more the character of Wotan who attains some measure of insight in his unsuccessful quest for the Ring, leading ultimately to his acceptance of his fate of death and downfall of the gods.



THE ARCHETYPE OF THE SHADOW OR DOPPELGANGER



In the Lord of the Rings trilogy Frodo's steps are incessently dogged by a creature who uncannily manages to follow his every movement, almost as if he were his own shadow: Gollum. In Jung's concept of the archetype of "The Shadow" such a figure often represents the negative unconscious dimensions of the Self which have been repressed and remain unintegrated within the psyche. Frodo to our eyes and his own appears to be an exemplary character full of idealism, selflessness, courage and love for others. But this benign view ignores what we suspect lies in all human hearts, the capacity for selfishness, love of power, possession and self-importance which are suspiciously absent from his apparant conscious self. Thus until Frodo confronts his own capacity for selfishness and potential evil and tames and overcomes it his steps will be dogged by a demonized being who represents these negative capacities: Gollum. Gollum is craven, selfish, violent and obsessed with his own possession of the Ring and its power. He follows Frodo as closely as Frodo's own shadow, and indeeds comes to represent an alter ego, or a Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde "Doppelganger" repressed other self.

Notably, in terms of Frodo himself alone, he finally fails in his Quest as at the critical moment within Mr. Doom he refuses to throw the Ring into the feiry abyss. In a sense he never really recognized that selfish capacity within himself until too late. It is only by the "accident" of Gollum biting off his finger with the Ring on it and slipping into the fire that the Quest is accomplishd, along with the loyal aid of Frodo's more quotidian alter ego, Sam. Thus Frodo as a discrete conscious self balks and fails in the quest, but his extended "composite self" symbolically evolved through growth, experience and and amalgamating his alter egos Gollum and Sam jointly accomplish the Quest almost in spite of Frodo's conscious self, and it is only the fully integrated "greater self" that is capable of fulfilling its mission and promise. The quest is thus ironically accomplished "by accident," but this uncanny accident proves to be no mere accident at all, but the fulfillment of deeper psychic laws and destinies.



THE ANIMA FIGURE IN THE LORD OF THE RINGS



Jung conceived "The Anima" as the feminine complementary self present in the male psyche that often inspires love and becomes the face of love leading to a man's growth towards wholeness. The anima may also bear a negative shape where this complementary relationship is perverted or obstructed. In the female psyche of a woman, the male complementary "other half" of the conscious self most often takes some masculine shape and face, termed by Jung her "Animus," the masculine counterpart to the feminine Anima. In the Lord of the Rings a powerful "Anima" figure is that of the beautiful elfen queen Galadriel. Notably, Galadriel posseses a magic mirror into which each person looks and sees some aspect of themselves and their destiny. Thus confrontation of the Anima forces the self to a deeper consideration of the male self, revealing hidden or repressed mysteries. For example, the presence of Galadriel leads Gimli the dwarf to realize that possession of wealth and riches, his prior obsession, was less valuable than love and beauty. Another powerful anima figure is that of Arwen, the elven princess and daughter of Elron who is the eternal guide of the heart for Aragorn on his quest. Notably she represents the immortality of the spirit which through love chooses to live and die alongside her beloved mortal man and mate, an idealized feminine virtue.



THE ARCHETYPES OF MASCULINE MATURITY IN THE RING SAGA: THE WARRIOR, THE MAGICIAN AND THE KING



Our connection with the narrative of The Lord of the Rings is through the experience of the Hobbits, diminutive human beings who are admirable and lovable, but seemingly immature, partially child-like, passive and little capable of survival in the more dangerous greater world outside the Edenic Shire. Their tale is one of growth to a greater maturity through encounters with such archetypal male figures of Aragorn, first a Warrior and then a King, Gandalf the Wizard-Magician and the array of supporting warriors and allies who lead them to greater powers and maturity in the face of a hostile world. The Warrior archetype is a destroyer of enemies and bears strength and power. Thus the Hobbits grow from child-like impotence to masculine maturity and power as they are initiated into the fellowship of warriors. Gandalf, as a representative of the Magician Archetype further enhances the power of the warrior with the ability to channel the supernatural and hidden magical powers of nature and the universe for human ends. He is a teacher who empowers others as well as wielding superhuman powers derived from the deepest understanding of the world's secrets. In Aragorn is manifest the figure of the King, a more mature reincarnation of the warrior's power, to which is added responsibility, love of people and a "healing power" capable of harmonizing the human community with the cosmic order and nature.



THE RING CYCLES AND SPIRITUS MUNDI



My own work, the contemporary and futurist epic novel Spiritus Mundi also shares the Jungian archetypal heritage of the two Ring Cycles. Its primary moving force and plot device is the Quest of social idealists in our time to establish a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly for global democracy. In the course of this quest they encounter inimical forces that threaten World War III and nuclear Armageddon and are forced into a mythical journey to an Underworld of Middle-Earth, a Jules Verne-like journey to the center of the Earth, plus a celestial ascencion to the Council of the Immortals, analagous to the angelic-elven beings of the Ring saga, and a quest to recover the Silmaril Crystal to save the world. Its material draws heavily on the Great Tradition including the Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid, Dante and the work of such modern immortal greats as Verne, Wells, Tolkien and Wagner.


World Literature Forum invites you to check out the great fantasy epics of Tolkien and Wagner, and also the contemporary epic novel Spiritus Mundi, by Robert Sheppard. For a fuller discussion of the concept of World Literature you are invited to look into the extended discussion in the new book Spiritus Mundi, by Robert Sheppard, one of the principal themes of which is the emergence and evolution of World Literature:


For Discussions on World Literature and n Literary Criticism in Spiritus Mundi: http://worldliteratureandliterarycrit...


Robert Sheppard


Editor-in-Chief
World Literature Forum
Author, Spiritus Mundi Novel
Author’s Blog: http://robertalexandersheppard.wordpr...
Spiritus Mundi on Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...
Spiritus Mundi on Amazon, Book I: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CIGJFGO
Spiritus Mundi, Book II: The Romance http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CGM8BZG


Copyright Robert Sheppard 2013 All Rights Reserved

[Hagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

STAGGERING!!

[Marcos Augusto · Rating 5 out of 5]

The greatest artistic achievement of the 19th century.

Der Ring des Nibelungen, four music dramas by German composer Richard Wagner, all with German librettos by the composer himself. The operas are Das Rheingold (“The Rhine Gold”), Die Walküre (“The Valkyrie”), Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung (“The Twilight of the Gods”), first performed in sequence at the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany, on August 13, 14, 16, and 17, 1876. Collectively they are often referred to as the Ring cycle.

In Das Rheingold, the magical Rhinemaidens possess a horde of gold, which is stolen from them by the dwarflike Nibelung Alberich; having been unlucky in love, he renounces it altogether and determines that he will make do with wealth. The Rhinemaidens lament the loss of their horde.

Meanwhile, the gods await completion of their new palace, Valhalla, which is being built for them by the giants Fafner and Fasolt. As payment for the palace, Wotan had promised to hand over to the giants Freia, goddess of youth and beauty. Upon the urging of his wife, Fricka, and the other gods, however, Wotan decides instead to offer the giants a different payment: a magic ring of power that Alberich has fashioned from the Rhinemaidens’ gold. Wotan is joined by the fire god Loge, and they set off to seize the ring.

Alberich has enslaved the other Nibelungs, forcing them to dig for more gold. One of the objects that has been fashioned from this gold is the Tarnhelm, a helmet that makes its wearer invisible. Wotan and Loge arrive. They trick Alberich into demonstrating his magical ability to turn himself into any creature; when, at their request, he transforms into a small toad, they seize and imprison him. The price of his freedom is his gold. Alberich orders his slaves to bring up all the gold. Wotan takes the gold and seizes the Ring. Alberich places a curse upon the Ring. Loge, meanwhile, steals the Tarnhelm.

In Die Walküre, Wotan had fathered twin children with a mortal woman, a male (called Siegmund) and a female (called Sieglinde). Separated early, the twins are now young adults. Siegmund, who has helped a woman being forced into marriage, is fleeing enemies and traveling under the assumed name Wehwalt (meaning “woeful”). In the course of his flight, he loses his weapons. Sieglinde is living with her husband, Hunding, in a forest cabin.

In Siegfried, some years have passed since the scenes that close Die Walküre. Sieglinde had died after giving birth to a son she named Siegfried, who was raised by the Nibelung Mime. Siegfried has grown to be a strong and bold young man who is disdainful of his foster father.

In Götterdämmerung prologue, the three Norns (Fates) relate tales of Wotan’s past adventures and of the pending consumption of Valhalla and the gods by fire. Siegfried and Brünnhilde appear, pledging their love. He departs to pursue heroic deeds along the Rhine, borrowing Brünnhilde’s horse, Grane, and leaving Brünnhilde the Ring for protection.

Wagner had long been interested in early Norse and German heroic poetry, including the medieval German epic Nibelungenlied (“Song of the Nibelung”), when he sketched out a prose version of the Nibelung myth in 1848. His first libretto to use that version was called Siegfrieds Tod (“The Death of Siegfried”), which became the basis of Götterdämmerung. He began composing the music in 1850, but he soon realized that he could not tell of Siegfried’s death without first telling of his life. In 1851 he wrote the libretto for Der junge Siegfried (“The Young Siegfried”; later shortened to Siegfried). Continuing back toward the beginning of the story, he finished the librettos for Die Walküre and Das Rheingold, respectively, in 1852. After completing the massive text, he composed the operas in the order of the story. The first two were composed by 1856, and then Wagner took a long break to complete Tristan und Isolde and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg before completing Siegfried in 1871 and Götterdämmerung in 1874—26 years after he started work on the project.

[David Withun · Rating 4 out of 5]

-

[Vicky Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following Wagner's Libretto in German and English Copy

The grand elegance of The Ring of the Nibelung speaks for itself. It is a fascinating work of artistry that, combined with the music has awed audiences for generations. But this new translation by John Deathridge brings Wagner's libretto into a sturdy hardbound edition that will help the English reader understand performances of the German opera on stage.

The text of the libretto is German and English on facing pages throughout, with English summaries of each act at the beginning of each part. I've only seen live recordings from the Dutch National Opera in Holland, with English subtitles. Having this copy is certainly a more unified approach to the story than piecemeal translation.

Whether following the playful opening scene in the Rhine, or the majestic ride of the Walküre/ Valkyrie; it is sure to be an experience to appreciate more fully with the printed Libretto. Now that I've read it in English, I want to see the New York Met performance of the whole Cycle. I really enjoyed the Dutch stage work. I can't imagine a more beautiful performance.

[Blanche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gehört in einer wunderbaren Hörspiel Bearbeitung in der ARD Audiothek.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent translation, incredible work. Not meant to be read along...read it while watching it!

[Matias Cerizola · Rating 5 out of 5]

El Anillo Del Nibelungo.- Richard Wagner⁣
⁣
⁣
"Mí dormir es soñar,⁣
⁣
 mí soñar meditar,⁣
⁣
 y mi pensar domina el saber.⁣
⁣
 Mientras duermo velan las parcas.⁣
⁣
 Ellas tejen la cuerda⁣
⁣
 e hilan cuidadosamente cuánto sé."⁣
⁣
⁣
El enano nibelungo Alberich roba el oro custodiado por las hijas del Rin, luego de ser despreciado y puesto en ridículo por las ondinas. A sabiendas de la maldición y el poder que confiere el oro del Rin, el nibelungo forja el anillo de poder. Anillo que va a ser codiciado por distintas generaciones de héroes, criaturas y hasta por los dioses mismos.⁣
⁣
⁣
El ciclo El Anillo Del Nibelungo está formado por una tetralogía de óperas con letra y música de Richard Wagner (1813-1883): El Oro Del Rin, La Valquiria, Sigfrido y El Ocaso De Los Dioses; el ciclo en total tiene una duración de entre 14 a 15 horas, distribuidas en 4 jornadas. La magnitud del ciclo es tal, que Wagner promovió la construcción de un teatro especial para su representación, el  Bayreuther Festspielhaus, en la ciudad de Bayreuth. ⁣
⁣
⁣
En esta hermosa edición de la editorial Biblok vamos a encontrar el libreto íntegro de las cuatro óperas en su traducción al español (no incluye el alemán original) y hermosas ilustraciones del artista clásico Arthur Rackham.⁣
⁣
⁣
Muy recomendable no solo para los amantes de la ópera, al estar basada en leyendas europeas es una historia que pueden disfrutar los entusiastas de la fantasía también (hasta dragones hay en la historia). ⁣
⁣
⁣
🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[Eric Hinkle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed some of it and would like to see the opera performed, but come on. Some of these scenes have the subtlety and grace of Power Rangers, not to mention the cheesiness. So many of the lines consists of variations of "Ugh" or "Aeeeeiiiiiiya!" that I can't help but wonder if the Germans' supposedly sacred view of this work is a joke. It apparently represented the German character and German worth, and was written for and praised by the Kaiser. I find it rather more of an embarrassment.

Still though, some of it is quite readable, even nice. It could've easily been half as long, though, instead of sprawling over three days of performances.

[Nikolaos Papadakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice adaptation of the norse myth from Wagner. It is a pity that the nazis spoilt the composer's fame being their favourite artist.

[Alex O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic, kinetic translation of a very good story. Had a blast with this one.

[Barack Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

493-The Ring of the Nibelung-Richard Wagner- Opera-1874

Barack
2023/11/30

"The Ring of the Nibelung", created from 1848 to 1874. It is a cycle of four German-language epic musicals. These works are loosely based on characters from Germanic heroic legends, namely the Norse Saga and the Nibelungenlied. The composer called this cycle "Bü hnenfestspiel " (Stage Festival Play) and organized a Vorabend ("Preview Party") in three days. It is often called the Ring Cycle, the Wagner Ring, or simply the Ring.

The individual works in the sequence are usually performed separately, and in fact, the operas contain dialogue that refers to events in the previous opera so that the audience can watch any one work without having seen the previous parts and still understand the plot. However, Wagner intended them to be performed consecutively. The first cycle performance kicked off the first Bayreuth Music Festival in 1876, starting with "Das Rheingold" on August 13 and ending with "Twilight of the Gods" on August 17.

Richard Wagner, born in Leipzig in 1813, died in 1883. He was a German composer, theater director, polemicist, and conductor, primarily known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works came to be called, "musicals"). Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote the libretto and music for each of his stage productions. Wagner, who initially established his reputation with the Romantic-style works of Carl Maria von Weber and Giacomo Meyerbeer, revolutionized opera through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk ("total work of art"), through which Concept, he attempted to synthesize the poetic, visual, and musical and dramatic arts, with music attached to drama. He described this vision in a series of articles published between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realized these ideas most fully in the first half of the four operas Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungen).

His compositions, especially his later works, are known for their complex structures, rich harmonies and arrangements, and careful use of themes - musical phrases related to individual characters, places, ideas, or plot elements. His advances in musical language, such as extreme chromatic scales and rapidly changing tonal centers, greatly influenced the development of classical music. His Tristan and Isolde is sometimes described as marking the beginning of modern music. Wagner built his own opera house, the Bayreuth Tonhalle, which incorporated many novel design features. "The Ring" and "Parsifal" premiered here, and his most important stage works continue to be performed at the annual Bayreuth Festival, thanks to his wife Cosima Wagner, and the family's descendants. human effort. His views on the relative contributions of music and drama in opera changed again, and he reintroduced some traditional forms in his last few stage works, including Meistersinger of Nuremberg.

Table of Contents
1. The Rhinegold
(Preliminary Evening)
2. The Valkyrie
(First Day)
3. Siegfried
(Second Day)
4. Twilight of the Gods
(Third Day)

The first time I came across the word "Nibelung" was when I read the novel "Dragons". At first, I thought this term was very awkward to pronounce, but then I learned that "Nibelung" actually comes from Norse mythology. It originated from the epic "Nibelungenlied" created around 1200 AD. More than a hundred years ago, the famous composer Wagner adapted it into the opera "The Ring of the Nibelungs", thus injecting new life into this legend. In the field of literature, there is a saying: "There are a lot of articles in the world." Although this statement is a bit extreme, it reveals an objective fact: later generations of literary creation will inevitably be influenced by their predecessors. There is nothing wrong with this in itself, the key lies in how to clarify the boundary between paying homage to predecessors and plagiarism. Every year, various controversies about plagiarism occur in the literary world. To ordinary readers, this may be just a buzz, but for the author himself, how to deal with this issue is particularly important. Human imagination is a gift that brings us joy beyond our daily lives. The advent of writing allowed us to use our imaginations by writing stories. As the text develops, drama emerges. In drama, we can see three core elements: character, action or expression, and dialogue. The addition of music gave birth to opera. With the development of modern multimedia technology, the way stories are told has also changed, such as the emergence of movies and TV series. The advancement of computer technology has given rise to electronic games, some of which focus on operations and core gameplay, such as board games, shooting games, and fighting games, while others focus on narrative.

At the bottom of the Rhine lives the Rhine Maidens, probably similar to river nymphs, who guard the Rhine gold. Legend has it that if this gold is cast into a ring, it will give the wearer the power to rule the world. However, only those who have given up on love can create such a ring. The Ring Forger in the story is a dwarf driven by lust. He was dominated by anger and frustration because he failed to pursue the Rhine Maiden, and finally seized the gold and forged the ring. The tendency of male creatures to make foolish decisions driven by lust seems timeless. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" also has a ring that can rule the world. Was Tolkien influenced by the stories of the Nibelungs? In "The Ring of the Nibelungs", the prerequisite for obtaining this power is to give up love. Is such a sacrifice worth it? It is relatively easy to satisfy lust, but true love is not easy to obtain. Even if the dwarves created powerful artifacts, they were ultimately lost because they could not protect them. The common man is not guilty, but he is guilty of carrying the jade.

While injured, Siegmund mistakenly entered the home of Sieglinde and her husband Hunding. Hunding generously allowed the stranger to stay overnight. However, during the conversation, they discovered that they had a deep hatred for each other. Despite this, Hunding did not take the opportunity to attack Sigmund. Instead, he abided by the courtesy to his guests and allowed the other party to have a good rest at night. After arming himself tomorrow, the two would have a fair duel. In the process, Sigmund and Sieglinde discover that they are actually long-lost brothers and sisters. Despite this, they fell in love and eloped during the night. From the perspective of modern moral concepts, love between brothers and sisters is obviously not accepted in reality, but it is not uncommon in mythological stories. From Hunding's perspective, he has fulfilled his responsibilities as a master. However, his wife Sieglinde abandoned him because of love at first sight and chose to elope with a stranger who stayed overnight. These plots sometimes feel incredible and even a bit counterintuitive. These stories in mythology are often highly dramatic and illogical, such as Sigmund and Sieglinde, who were both children of Wotan, the king of the gods, but in the end, Wotan killed Sigmund himself. Wow, this plot is hard to understand.

The flow of heroic stories is often similar. The boy first pursues the artifact, then kills the enemy, and the final goal is to reach the so-called beautiful other side. But we can't help but ask, will the boy who killed the dragon one day become the dragon he defeated? Life is often like a day's process. In the morning, we are high-spirited, full of passion, and have many dreams and careers to pursue. We are usually most active before lunch, but after lunch and into the afternoon, our willpower begins to slacken. After dinner, there may be more desire for pleasure in my heart. Those evil dragons who were defeated by young heroes, were they once young men with great ambitions? Certain stages of life seem best begun, or even completed, at a young age. As time passes, our experience increases, but the possibilities seem to decrease. The once clear thinking gradually becomes delayed and complicated, and the enterprising spirit of the past may slowly turn into conservatism, hedonism, and intoxication. This cycle never seems to end.

In Norse mythology, the gods are not omniscient and omnipotent, and they may even face the fate of destruction. So, what force controls the destruction of the gods? Could it be a higher being than the gods? If the hero's story ends when he accomplishes a great feat and gets a beauty, then it is a happy fairy tale. However, if the story continues, we find that the hero often meets an unfortunate end. Siegfried was framed and even betrayed or hurt by his lover due to some misunderstandings. This is strikingly similar to the fate of heroes such as Heracles in ancient Greek mythology. In mythology, heroes may achieve great things, but they often die poorly. Like the course of the day, although the day is full of energy and achievements when night falls, whether you can sleep peacefully without regrets is another question.

[Dan Graser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though Wagner's Ring cycle is a personal favorite piece of music, the idea of reading the libretto in its entirety was one I was not looking forward to, as frequently when listening and watching the drama unfold this very text has seemed uneven and at times quite clumsy. It is true that Wagner was not the most elegant of dramatic or prose stylists, however the amalgamation of folk and mythic elements that are woven together in this tale have always interested me almost as much as the music itself. I have delved into the original German several times and mostly found it quite satisfying but there have not been English versions available that ever provided a remotely similar effect, especially to the most dramatic and narratively significant moments, that is, until now.

Thankfully, far better than any quick translation in program notes or on opera broadcasts, John Deathridge's translation lends itself to extended reading and very enjoyable comprehension of this sprawling narrative. The language is precise and at the same time encompasses the grandeur of the work, it brings out the pathos and the largesse in equal portions and more-so than any previous attempt, allows the interested reader to experience the wonder of Wagner's tale from a purely literary/dramatic point of view. Yes, being an instrumentalist myself, Wagner's orchestral writing and orchestration throughout the cycle are the key elements for me, however I'm happy to say that this beautiful Penguin clothbound edition of this exciting translation has granted new appreciation for the literary and dramatic elements of the work. If you're going to have a copy of the libretto, make it this one.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cultural impact of this story on the Eurocentric world is so great that people know something about it even if they've never heard of it. If you've seen Bugs Bunny ride a big, fat, yellow horse sidesaddle in drag to seduce Elmer Fudd, then you know something about this story. If you're familiar with the phrase, "It's not over until the fat lady sings," then you've touched one of the tentacles of this story. If you've read Tolkien or watched any of the adaptations of him, then you've tasted the cultural impact of this story.

I'm a big Ludwig II fan (he's the king this was dedicated to), and I've listened to the tales of the Norse gods as told by Neil Gaiman, so I had a little more window into this world than some people. But even so, I was not prepared for the absolute soap-opera selfishness of the characters, and the relentlessly grandiose settings. There's a reason they call this GRAND opera.

Although the language is repetitive (as is usual in grand opera), the story is a lot of fun. The best part for me was seeing how this drama referenced previous Norse & medieval legends, and how it has influenced later fantasy, especially Tolkien. I learned in the preface to this book that Wagner was very inspired by a mythology collection put together by one of the Grimm brothers. Here are some of the parallels:
* The Rhinedaughters have aspects of malevolent, seductive water spirits from previous fairy tales and legends- sirens, mermaids, nixies, and most likely especially the Lorelei of German stories. They guard holy gold like the Hesperides of Greek myth. They also act like the Three Witches of Macbeth at one point, warning a hero of his impending doom.
* I didn't know until I read up a bit on him that Alberich's name is the German version of Oberon, but Alberich is nothing like that noble king of the fairies, other than in ruling over a band of supernatural beings. He is a composite character of another ring-bearing dwarf, Andvari, from Norse myth, & of another Alberich from the medieval Nibelungenlied, who also has a relationship with Siegfried. These may have been the same sources for Tolkien's world-controlling ring, but Alberich's, and his son Hagen's, continual hunting of their precious after Alberich loses it in Wagner seems to be a direct inspiration for Gollum.
* Wotan, Fricka, Freia, Loge (Loki), Erda, and the other gods are all taken directly from Norse mythology, although Fricka as depicted here seems more like the Greco-Roman Hera/Juno in her constantly checking up on and punishing her wayward husband. Wotan was, of course, one of the inspirations for Gandalf, although from the original sources and not from here. The game of riddles that Wotan plays with the dwarf Mime here could have been an inspiration for Riddles in the Dark with Bilbo & Gollum. Erda's role here as seeress links her with the Sphinx and the oracle of Delphi.
* The giant Fasolt may have come down from a medieval storm demon who could be prayed up by witches.
* Fasolt's brother, Fafner, came directly from Nordic mythology, from whence he also became Smaug of The Hobbit. He also seems to have influenced Maleficent in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, who is willing to turn into a dragon to guard something precious to her, and who is killed by being stabbed in her one soft spot, under the direction of a supernatural element (a talking bird in Tolkien, a fairy in Disney).
* Mime, the dwarf who raises Siegfried in the wilderness, has parallels to many supernatural beings who raise or guide protegés. The witch of Rapunzel comes to mind in her same clinging desire for her ward. On a more positive note, Obi-Wan and Yoda similarly arm and train Luke Skywalker in wilderness regions in Star Wars, possibly all inspired by the centaur Chiron in Greek mythology. Mime's magic helmet that can turn people invisible seems to parallel the helm worn by Hades, the Greek god of the underworld.
* Siegmund & Sieglinde are taken from the Old Norse Volsünga saga. His pulling the sword from the tree in Hunding's Hut is of course paralleled by King Arthur, who also has an incestuous relationship with his sister and produces a great warrior who will bring about downfall. I also couldn't help but think of Luke & Leia in Star Wars, although 20th-century sensibilities wouldn't let that "incest" go beyond a playful kiss, and Leia found a different sperm donor to produce the son that would bring down the court.
* Brünnhilde also comes from the Nordic Volsünga saga, although her status as a war goddess & daughter of the sky god also parallels her with Athena/Minerva. Her being awakened with a kiss after a warrior braves challenges is clearly an inspiration for The Sleeping Beauty. Her protection of the arrogant central hero with magic charms parallels her with Thetis. And her being fetched by her lover to be married to another man parallels with Iseult in the medieval legend of Tristan. In 19th-century Germany Brünnhilde became emblematic of a pagan past that had to be deceived, betrayed, and ultimately immolated to make way for Christianity. It is Wagner's version of Brünnhilde & of valkyries in general which are represented in modern media.
* Siegfried is the prototyptical über-hero, untouchable & afraid of nothing. This, his absolute arrogance, & his unprotected spot where he can be murdered correspond with Achilles from the Iliad. When he attempts to make a flute to mimic the bird who sings to him, he verges on paralleling Tamino from The Magic Flute, although in the end Siegfried is far too macho to stick with the flute idea. In listening to the bird's words and finding the way to the treasure, Siegfried is like Bilbo from The Hobbit.
--------I can't help but think that Siegfried in Wagner's Ring, which premiered in 1875, had an influence on Tchaikovsky naming the hero of Swan Lake Siegfried as well. Swan Lake premiered in 1877, and both Siegfrieds get separated from a hunting party to come into contact with ethereal, supernatural maidens on a body of water. As a matter of fact, Wagner's chief patron, Ludwig II of Bavaria, demanded previews of part of the Ring cycle in 1870, the same year that Tchaikovsky first visited Munich, en route to Vienna from the lake region of Interlaken, Switzerland. I think I'm going to write a story some day in which, during this visit, Tchaikovsky & Ludwig have a brief love affair & come up with their joint visions of Siegfried as the ideal, arrogant, macho lover. Tchaikovsky's Siegfried is fleeing loveless marriage to a woman. Wagner's Siegfried first falls in love with Brünnhilde imagining she's a man, and both Siegfrieds are eventually denied earthly happiness with women. Wagner's Siegfried is even "outed" in lying about his love affair with Brünnhilde, and then dies taking it in the back from a man- yeah, that works.
* Gunther & Gutrune (Gudrun) get rather short shrift in Wagner, but Grimhilde, mother of both Gunther & Hagen, was the name later given to the Wicked Queen in Disney's Snow White. Her role as the mother of the villain who brings down a princely court echoes that of Morgause in Arthurian legend.
* Hagen, as the advisor who secretly hopes to destroy his monarch, parallels Iago & Gríma Wormtongue. His calling up a barbaric feast while the patriarch is away could parallel him with Aaron from the bible.

Infused throughout these legends and myths are the Biedermeier/Romantic/Victorian sensibilities of late 19th-century Europe: the idea that heterosexual romance is the end-all that either triumphs over everything or destroys everything. If you're interested enough in legend and myth to have made it this far, then you should enjoy this book.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Deathridge's new English translation of Wagner's Ring cycle is a curious beast and a difficult one to review. The Ring of the Nïbelung is an opera and primarily exists to be watched and listened to onstage. Reading it as a book dilutes a lot of what Wagner was attempting with the epic composition, so I will focus only on the plot. Spanning four main acts, the opera covers 'The Rhinegold', 'The Valkyrie', 'Siegfried', and 'Twilight of the Gods.' A priceless treasure of the Rhine is snatched by the dwarf Alberich after his lecherous advances are rejected by the Rhinemaidens. With the stolen gold, he fashions a ring that will allow him to control the world. Wotan, Father of the Gods, then uses cunning to steal the ring as payment for the giants who built him Valhalla. Overwhelmed by rage and longing, Alberich curses the bearer of the ring, setting in motion a chain of vengeance, scheming, and betrayal amongst gods, monsters and heroes.

The epic narrative borrows heavily from Norse mythology, dealing with the rise and fall of the hero Siegfriend, a mortal born without knowledge of fear. His deeds involve thwarting the machinations of his dwarven guardian, slaying the giant-turned-dragon Fafnir, claiming the ring for himself, and traversing a wall of fire to win the Valkyrie Brunnhilde as his wife. In typical epic fashion, his heroic doings are used to instigate his fall from grace. The mythic overtures of the story are entertaining enough to read, but the enjoyment of the text is undoubtedly marred by the nature of the source matieral. Expect long passages of nothing but "Wallala weiala weia!" and "Hojotoho! Heiaha heiaha!" which seem to fill the bulk of the 750 pages. The German text runs alongside the English translation, so those versed in Wagner's mothertongue can compare and contrast the fidelty of Deathridge's work. Recommended to lovers or Norse mythology, fans of Tolkein, or anyone curious enough to read an opera.

[Davide Nole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prima opera della tetralogia. E' la prima volta che leggo i testi senza guardare l'opera vera e propria, e devo dire che è assolutamente appagante.
L'oro del Reno marca l'inizio del declino degli dei in un mondo in cui gli uomini non sono ancora contemplati. Al centro ci sono le classiche tematiche del tradimento tra fratelli, declinate in tre modi diversi da Wagner. Questo amplifica il tema dell'unione per uno scopo comune, che viene portata avanti in tutto il ciclo , sebbene con diverse tipologie di personaggio al centro.
Una lettura sicuramente consigliata, anche per chi crede fermamente nell'efferato nazismo del povero Richard.

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't expect Porter's translation of Wagner's libretto will be surpassed or even matched any time soon. It makes following along with recordings extremely easy, rendered as it is in a "singable" meter matching the scansion of the original. It is a highly readable vernacular English, lyrical and at times matching the marked consonance of Wagner's text.

Re-reading this fine translation is a delightful preamble to my current in-depth study of Wagner, in preparation for seeing the full cycle in Seattle this summer.

[Javier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty fascinating epic. Unfortunately, at its base it is anti-Semitic, Aryanist, and proto-Nazi. As symbolized by the hero Siegfried, The Ring is all about the "liberation" of the Aryan nation from the State, religion, capitalism, and "the Jews." In this way, the story is pretty "national anarchist" or "national socialist." The tragic conclusion, Gotterdammerung, was added by Wagner after the fact (Siegfried ends on a utopian note): it depicts a half-Jew killing Siegfried by stabbing him in the back, and the destruction of Valhalla and the gods.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I embark on the Met's Ring Cycle for the 3rd time, I thought reading this translation would help me avoid dividing my attention between subtitles and performance and allow me to just bask in the glory of the art, music, spectacle. So far so good. This is a great resource for Ring lovers, and reads much better than the subtitles in the opera house.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part of a series on the Wagner Ring Cycle’s individual operas. A great place to start on understanding this wonderful operatic series. The first in the series has a very good biography of the man who created them.

[Raúl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy libre elaboración de motivos de la literatura nórdica, en la fascinante ópera, y fascinante libreto, de El anillo del Nibelungo, por Richard Wagner.

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

rating for just the libretto, die walkure is probably the highlight, wotan's characterization is interestesting

[Levi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I would classify this story a tragedy. As with the Greek tragedies, a moral is learned through much suffering. Thus, I think this libretto serves its purpose extremely well—especially for having been translated. We, readers/listeners/audience members, are given an ample number of Wagner’s literary leitmotifs, one of the most crucial being the price of greed.

While hinted at in the introduction and foreword, it teems throughout the lines Wagner wrote. And as a quick side note: The introduction and foreword were enjoyable. I had reservations about Wagner, given how the Nazis had lauded and appropriated his work, especially the Ring cycle. However, the foreword had made some compelling points on the irony behind the Nazis’ adoption of motifs from the story. Overall, both intro and foreword were interesting, informative, and provided a nice foundation for which the libretto could be read.

I greatly enjoyed the story, blemishes and all. I couldn’t help be reminded of many popular culture references that have sprung from this material (and/or related mythologies): dragons and giants, Germanic versions of Odin and Thor, and an epic adventure involving a manipulative ring that grants its wearer absolute power, but is ultimately destroyed by engulfing flames...sound similar? *cough* LoTR. I look forward to comparing the enduring music with the story.

However, it does have a few aspects—some more fundamental, other superficial—I did not very much care for. For instance, I did not entirely care for the melodrama. It just seems over-the-top (which is the point). I know it’s an opera, which is bound to be excessive at points, so my critique is moot/minor. Furthermore, I did not care for the dated gender roles—women subservient to men—Valkyries are badass, but the damsel in distress trope is annoying. This may simply be a product of its time; nevertheless, it’s somewhat frustrating if read with a modern lens. Also, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed: I feel the same about the rampant incest in the story as I do about it in Game of Thrones...unnecessary and weird.

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is almost disappointing that this libretto should work so effectively in terms of literature; I should think the ideal music drama would, removed from its music, seem in some way lax or incomplete. The Ring of the Nibelung – which, in unusual fashion, existed as literature for several decades before meeting the music it was written for – instead serves in itself as a pseudo-mythological pattern upon which anxieties of the 19th century might be writ large. The anarchic, revolutionary Wagner is here at his most polemic, though all wrapped in the genuine trappings of legend. It does not feel as though Wagner borrows aesthetically from a Nordic-Germanic trope-box in order to make flesh his political intentions, as is a frequent case in analogous writing, but rather than he conjures so many things simultaneously. This is myth, and this is revolution, and this is the human condition; these things are not arranged in a hierarchy, nor do they feed on one another. They are rather coterminous and discrete, all of which contributing to the cathartic whirlwind that so-often represents The Ring. Admittedly when removing the music one does also lose a substantive layer of meaning – these naked verses find much juxtaposition, emphasis, contrast when paired with Wagner’s sonic enormities. The fullhearted complexity and nuance – in what are aesthetic and intellectual terms – cannot be sighted when reading the libretto alone, much in the way most screenplays can only pronounce the skeleton of a great film (whose greatness will often rely so much on that which isn’t – and more importantly cannot be – written down). Though I feel Wagner achieves something of a double-success: his opera-cycle is improved by first reading the libretto, and his libretto is retrospectively improved having heard or seen the operas. This is not some flimsy lyric-sheet to serve as structure for so many ditties, nor is it a logocentric thesis upon which music might be crudely foisted. It is, perhaps favouring the word ever so slightly, a total meeting of the two.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the single most Germanic work of art I’ve ever encountered. Wagner draws from Hegel, Schopenhauer, The Nibelungenlied, The Saga of the Volsungs, The Prose Edda, Goethe, and the Brothers Grimm. The scenery descriptions, written by Wagner, remind one of the art of Caspar David Friedrich. The libretto is steeped in 19th century Romanticism. And the music is...well, Wagnerian! His patron for Das Rheingold was even King Ludwig II.

You just can’t get more German than this.

The first three dramas in the cycle are exciting, adventurous, and philosophical, linking the myths of old to a burgeoning modernist sensibility. The final opera is more understated, with Wagner fully embracing Schopenhauer and returning to the idea of Wotan as tragic hero, as much as Seigfreid. While this provides nice closure and links back to the first two dramas, it does lead to a bit of an anticlimax. Still, the cycle come full circle: the foolishness of the gods, the break from the gods, the independence of the human spirit, the merging of man/woman (and the individuation of the Self), the power of love to both unify and destroy, the death of the hero that leads to a genesis of the human spirit, and the ultimate destruction the gods. It’s grand, epic, and unforgettable. I watched a staged version as I was reading the libretto to get the full impact, but Wagner’s language is so beautiful that this alone should rank him as one of the great 19th century German poets.

This edition translated by Stewart Spencer with the full German text side-by-side and extensive endnotes is essential. The opening essays and photographs of various stagings throughout the years provide excellent context.