Author: C .T.

The Barter

When the gods of Valhalla saw the immense treasure brought there by the Nibelungs, they understood the reason for Votan and Loge’s journey to the realm where Alberich ruled. With these riches, it was possible to seduce Fafner and Fasolt. They would agree to give Freia in exchange for jewels and precious stones so that the goddess could continue to cultivate the fruits that conferred eternal youth on the inhabitants of Valhalla.

Votan ordered Loge to call the giants to arrange the barter. When the giants saw the huge treasure deposited on the spacious esplanade of Valhalla, they opened their eyes wide.

“Come closer,” commanded Votan.

The giants approached the treasure and the lord of Valhalla continued:

“Do you see these jewels, these precious stones, these chests full of gold? I offer you all this in Freia’s stead.”

Fasolt was about to nod when he was stopped by a gesture from Fafner. He replied:

“Great and valuable is this treasure of the Nibelungenland; but Freia is worth more than all the riches of the world. She, and she alone, can confer eternal youth on the gods. Since the day she left Valhalla you have all grown somewhat older. As the days go by, your faces will be covered with wrinkles…”

“Enough!” cried Votan angrily.

The giants backed away in fear, and the god continued:

“Do you want more than this treasure to leave Freia to us?”

“I understand that in addition to the precious stones, the metal bars and the carved jewels, there was a helmet forged by Mime.”

“Take the helmet too,” interrupted Votan, tossing it onto the pile of jewels.

The giants remained mute. They neither denied nor nodded.

“Do you want anything else? Answer me!”

“On your hand shines the ring that Alberich forged from the gold of the Rhine,” continued Fafner.

“The ring was not part of Alberich’s treasure. The gold with which he forged it had been stolen.”

“Stolen or not, it was his until you and Loge took it from him.”

Votan hesitated for a moment. He looked at the faces of the gods who witnessed the scene and noticed in them obvious signs of ageing. In the eyes of all his sons, the lord of Valhalla read the desire not to prolong Freia’s absence any longer.

Throwing the ring on the pile of jewels, Votan exclaimed:

“Take the ring, and along with it, the curse of Alberich!”

Fasolt was the first to throw himself on the treasure and seized the ring.

Fafner demanded the jewel.

“Why should I give you the ring,” asked Fasolt.

“Because I got it. If it hadn’t been for me, you would have accepted Votan’s first offer, without the helmet and the ring.”

“That is not sufficient reason to claim the preference. The jewel is on my finger, and no speech of yours will suffice…”

Fasolt was unable to continue, for a tremendous blow from Fafner cracked his skull.

Fafner kills Fasolt by
Arthur Rackham (1867-1939)

The murderer, after returning Freia, took the treasure, the magic helmet and the fatal ring.

Fasolt’s corpse lay there, at the mercy of the vultures’ voracity.

The Nibelung’s curse bore its first fruit.

The kingdom of the Nibelungs

Wotan and Loge arrived in the underground realm where Alberich ruled. The Niebelheim, which means “Kingdom of the Mist”, consisted of countless caverns carved out of the living rock, connected by an intricate network of long, narrow passages.

By the light of great torches that illuminated the dens, Wotan and Loge saw endless rows of Nibelungen dwarves carrying heavy chests filled with precious metals and stones.

As the two dwellers of Valhalla went deeper and deeper underground, the varied rumours of the immense workshops reached their ears, growing louder and louder and more distinct. When, at last, they came to an esplanade, they were confronted by an imposing scene: huge forges, in which great fires were burning, various metals were smelting, and upon innumerable clanging anvils, a veritable army of goldsmiths was beating. Everywhere the dwarves were bustling about, carving precious stones, filing metal edges, adjusting the locks of chests, chiselling jewels of all kinds, or carving miniatures in stone.

Alberich directed the activities of this grandiose workshop, encouraging the enthusiastic, stimulating the reluctant and punishing the listless who interrupted the hard work.

Mime, the most skilful forger, was the one who received the most severe reprimands. At this moment he was adjusting a burnished steel helmet that Alberich had commissioned from him. It was a magical helmet, capable of making the wearer invisible. It also had the virtue of changing its owner’s countenance or form at will.

-Have you finished adjusting this helmet? -asked Alberich.

-Yes, replied Mime, I have just polished it; try it.

When the mighty Alberich had put on the magic helmet, he wished to test its virtue and uttered the mysterious command in a low voice:

Hear me, O magic helmet!
I want to see a change in me.
Listen well to my desire:
I want to be a mist.

As soon as he had recited the verses of the command, Alberich was transformed into a little cloud.

-Can you see me, Mime, he asked his assistant.

-No, I can’t see you, replied the smith.

-You don’t see me, but you will feel me.

And at the same instant poor Mime received a punch in the face that knocked him down.

Alberich’s derisive laughter was heard, drifting away in the form of a little cloud carried by a gentle breeze.

Wotan and Loge approached the stricken dwarf, and the fire god spoke to him:

-How do you feel, Mime, resting on the hard ground?

-Resting, you say? There is no rest or tranquillity in this realm any more. Everything has changed since Alberich seized the gold of the Rhine. With that cursed gold, a ring was forged, and since then he is the master of us all. Nothing and no one dares to challenge his power. Look at the treasures his slaves are amassing.

-Why did he strike you if you are serving him, submissive and obedient?

-Because I took too long to carve him the magic helmet he ordered.

-A magic helmet? What virtues does it have?

-To make the wearer invisible, or to enable him to transform himself into another being.

-Into another known man, for example?

-In another known or unknown man, in a large or small animal, in a beast or a lamb. Didn’t you see how Alberich went away from here, transformed into a cloud?

Then Mime saw the master coming and joined a team of smiths pounding on a huge anvil.

Alberich strode forward, arrogant and overbearing. From his waist hung the magic helmet. When he saw Wotan and Loge, he stopped. With a sour accent, he asked:

-Who are you and what do you want here?

-Ah, dear Nibelung! Pride and ingratitude should not accompany the great mighty. You would be ungrateful if you did not acknowledge my favours. Who lights your forges? Who heats your subterranean dens but me?

-Ah, you are Loge, the god of fire! I did not recognise you. But you have not yet told me why you have come to my kingdom.

-The fame of your power and wealth has brought us here. We have seen something, but we are finding that it has been somewhat exaggerated.

-Exaggerated? Have you seen the other caverns? Have you seen the huge row of chests full of jewels? Do you not see how my legions of miners, smelters, smiths, chisellers, carvers, setters and others work?

-Yes, yes, yes, yes! interrupted Loge in a mocking tone, to exasperate the Nibelung; we have seen all that, we know all about it.

-And so?

-Of what use is the treasure you are amassing in your subterranean caverns? No one on earth knows anything of your fabulous riches and your extraordinary power.

-The day will come when it will be known. When my treasures are enough to astonish the world, they will be brought out into the sunlight.

-How much vanity, my friend: and how much innocence! With your riches, you will arouse envy among mortals, and there will be none wanting who will kill you to seize them. It is not the first time that a rich and powerful man has fallen under the light dagger of an assassin.

-Ah, god of fire! You think you are the only cunning being. And well: to disabuse thee, I’ll tell thee, that my predictions are taken. Do thou see this helmet? It is enough that I cover my head with it to transform me and even become invisible like a breath of air.

-Those are things they say, Loge replied with mock incredulity.

-Things that are said? Now you’ll see!

And, putting on his helmet, Alberich pronounced the formula:

Hear me, O magic helmet!
I want to see a change in me.
Listen well to my desire:
Invisible I wish to be.

Alberich’s figure disappeared from the sight of Wotan and Loge, and both gods heard the dwarf chuckle. When he regained his human form, he asked in a wry tone:

-Was the demonstration enough?

And the perfidious Loge replied:

-The prodigy of making things invisible is as old as the world among us. I would like to see how you manage to transform yourself into another being.

-Which animal do you prefer? -asked Alberich petulantly.

-An unusual animal… a dragon, for example.

-You will be pleased, Mr Doubter.

And, putting his helmet back on, the dwarf repeated the formula:

Hear me, O magic helmet!
I wish to see a change in me.
Listen well to my wish:
I want to be a great dragon.

At the same moment, a huge dragon with terrible jaws appeared in front of Wotan and Loge. Loge pretended to be terrified and signalled that he was finally convinced.

When Alberich returned to his normal figure, he awaited confirmation of his triumph from the lips of the incredulous visitor and his silent companion.

Loge took the floor and said:

-The danger of losing your immense riches is not conjured up in a dragon to guard them. It is told of some heroes who have vanquished terrible dragons and slain them. If the virtue of your helmet allowed you to take the form of a small, insignificant, harmless animal, able to hide in the crevice of a rock or the mud of a swamp… perhaps it would be more useful to free you from the lurks of your possible enemies.

-My helmet allows me any transformation. I have said it and I repeat it.

-A wretched toad, too?

-Even a toad. You shall see. And, putting on his helmet again, Alberich uttered the verses:

Hear me, O magic helmet!
I want to see a change in me.
Listen well to my wish:
I want to be a toad.

At the same moment, a disgusting toad began to hop around the two visitors.

At a signal from Loge, Wotan put a foot on the little animal and pinned it down. As soon as it returned to dwarf form, the god of fire snatched the helmet from its grasp. Alberich was pinned under the foot of the prince of the gods. Loge tied his hands with a rope, and he was pushed out of his underground redoubt.

-Behold, Alberich, behold the world of men, which you wanted to dominate with your riches!

Thus spoke the god of fire, and the dwarf, begging for mercy, asked to be untied.

-You must first pay a ransom for your freedom. What do you offer?

-All my riches! -the prisoner hastened to reply.

In his mind, Alberich thought to himself: “By making the Nibelungs work, I shall soon gather new treasures.”

-Well, said Loge, order your slaves to carry your chests to Valhalla.

To make myself heard and obeyed I must bring the Rhine-gold ring to my lips. Untie me.

-Endless rows of dwarves, like an army of ants with great leaves on their shoulders, carried the Nibelung’s chests to the heavenly abode of the gods.

When Alberich considered his ransom paid, he demanded his freedom.

-I have nothing now; let me go.

-Not true, replied Loge; you still have something left.

-What do I have left?

-The golden ring.

-The ring I forged myself? My life before the ring! You cannot take it away from me, it is mine! Mine!

Then Wotan’s voice thundered:

-Yours, you say? With what gold did you forge it? With the gold, you stole from the Undines of the Rhine?

And grabbing his hand, the god violently snatched the jewel from him.

-Away, you arrogant and perfidious thief! Sink into the black earth! That is your kingdom! Dark and miserable is your destiny!

Seeing himself free, Alberich ran towards a cleft in the rock to penetrate the bowels of the earth. Before disappearing, he turned to Wotan and uttered the following curse:

May that ring that made me powerful
May it always bring great misfortune
To him who wears it on his finger
May it be a guide to the grave.

Wotan was troubled by this curse. Ill winds had long been blowing for the gods of Valhalla. There was discord in the world among men, and they did not respect the deities as in the past. They neither worshipped the gods nor feared them.

More than once the lord of Valhalla had had to come down to earth and directly settle many matters arising from a lack of understanding among men. They had lost their cordiality. Good feelings had been stifled. Violent passions and crooked inclinations prevailed. Vices were rife.

Worst of all… was that some of the gods, subjects of Wotan, had also been caught at fault. He himself, the great lord of Valhalla, the keeper of order, the maintainer of discipline, the upholder of justice, had had to resort to violence to fulfil his plans.

Odin/ Wōden/ Wotan, in his guise as
a wanderer by Georg von Rosen (1886)

Wotan thought that the infringement of the divine laws was going to have disastrous consequences for Valhalla: “Fate is not to be trifled with,” he reflected; and as he remained mute and did not move from the rock on which he had dispossessed Alberich with the help of Loge, the latter asked him:

-What shall we do now? The treasure of the Nibelung must be stored up on the esplanade of Valhalla. Shall we call upon the giants to barter?

-Yes, answered Wotan, coming out of his reverie. We must get Freia back as soon as possible. We will offer Fafner and Fasolt all the riches of Alberich so that the goddess may continue to cultivate in Valhalla the fruits of eternal youth.

Arriving at the high abode of the gods, Wotan sent Loge in search of the giants and gathered all his subjects from Valhalla.

In the presence of all the gods, the great barter of Freia for the treasure of the Nibelung was to take place.

 

For clarity of the timing of the different sections:

The Rheingold

1. Prelude 0:05
2. Das Rheingold 4:20
3. Nibelheim 6:11
4. Valhalla 8:38

The Valkyrie

5. the Valkyries 11:53
6. fire magic 15:40

Siegfried

7. woodland weaving 19:36
8. Siegfried’s heroic deed 21:53
9. Brünnhilde’s Awakening 28:17

Twilight of the Gods

10. Siegfried & Brünnhilde 34:34
11. Siegfried’s Rhine Journey 38:50
12. Siegfried’s Death 44:12
13. Funeral Music 49:59
14. Brünnhilde’s Sacrificial Act 55:49

Valhalla

Higher than the loftiest peaks of the mountains, higher than the ashen clouds whirled by the wind from the lofty summits, stretched the luminous abode of the immortal gods.

Lord of the place and prince of the gods was the wise and powerful Wotan. His gaze encompassed the whole panorama of the world. He perceived everything that was happening in the most hidden valleys of the earth and the great depths of the sea. The whole expanse was like an open book to him: snowy fields and cultivated meadows; dense jungles and desolate plains; deserted fields and tumultuous cities.

On Wotan’s shoulders perched two swift-flying ravens. Daily they would travel over the most diverse regions and return to inform the lord of Valhalla of all that was happening in the kingdom of men.

Wotan himself sometimes descended and discoursed among mortals. He would leave his golden helmet and his heavy spear and disguise himself as a poor wandering pilgrim. Instead of his mighty spear, he would then wield an ash-tree shaft, on which were inscribed the pacts he made, with men and gods, and which he bound others and bound himself to fulfil.

The lord of Valhalla returned to his abode satisfied with the course of events in the world, and there he spent his time in the company of his wife Fricka and her sister Freia.

Wotan’s daughters were the nine Valkyries, gallant Amazons, invincible in war. Invisible to the eyes of men, they were only glimpsed by them at the last hour of life. Armed and protected with helmets and breastplate, they mingled in the turmoil of earth’s battles, and carried on their lithe horses the bodies of heroes who had fallen in the heat of battle. They carried them to the abode of the gods, and there, in Valhalla, they were reborn to eternal life as a reward for their heroism.

Wotan’s palace was worthy of such a god. It had been built by two skilful builders, the giants Fafner and Fasolt. In payment for the enormous and heavy task, the lord of Valhalla had promised them a worthy reward.

When the work was done, the builders were questioned.

-What is the reward you expect?

The two giants, without a moment’s hesitation, gave the long-prepared answer:

-We want you to give us Freia, the sister of your wife Fricka.

-How dare you ask me for anything less than Freia, the goddess of youth? She is the only one who knows how to cultivate the fruits that grant the gods eternal youth.

-You have promised, Wotan; you cannot refuse. The pact is engraved on your ash shaft.

The Norse gods were mortal, and only through the apples
of Iðunn could they hope to live until Ragnarök.
Image by J. Penrose, 1890.

Indeed, Wotan was bound by the covenant inscribed on his staff. What to do?

At that moment Loge was seen coming. The mischievous fire-god approached cautiously and whispered in the ear of the lord of Valhalla:

-Promise to deliver Freia promptly. I will find a way to outwit these clumsy giants.

Some time passed. Wotan’s palace shone in Valhalla and commanded the admiration of all the gods. It was an abode worthy of the prince of the immortal gods.

One day he saw Freia rushing towards him.

-What is the matter with you, goddess of youth?

-Fafner and Fasolt are after me. They say I belong to them.

Wotan was about to reply when the two giants arrived, choked by their running.

-It has been a long time since your promise was made, and it has not yet been kept. We want Freia. She belongs to us, and you can no longer keep her by your side.

Between the two giants they embraced the young goddess, and at that moment Wotan and the other gods felt their youthful strength diminish. Without Freia the life of the immortals was worthless.

Freyja and Loki flyte in a 1895
illustration by Lorenz Frølich.

Wotan’s astute counsellor came in time.

-Here comes Loge; he will advise what to do! -said Votán, and, turning to the newcomer, he continued:

-You are late, god of fire. Valhalla is almost without Freia, and we are without youth.

In a firm voice and tone Loge replied:

-Freia cannot leave Valhalla. Our eternal youth would dissipate like mist dissolved by the sun’s rays. In exchange for Freia, Fafner and Fasolt can be rewarded with gifts more important to them. I have travelled the entire surface of the earth and visited the bottom of the seas and the subterranean dens. I was going to return saddened because I had found nothing worthy to offer these giants in exchange for Freia. But just as I was about to return, I was given great news. Alberich, of the Nibelung race, has renounced love and has been able to steal the gold of the Rhine. With it he has forged a ring. With the power it gives him, he dominates all of his race. In his underground caverns he forces them to amass vast treasures for him. Crowds of dwarves mine precious metals and stones from the bowels of the earth. But what the Nibelung is most proud of is that with the golden ring of the Rhine his power will obscure that of the gods of Valhalla. If we can wrest this ring from Alberich, we can give Fafner and Fasolt all that treasure instead of giving them Freia.

-What do you say, Fafner? -Wotan asked one of the giants.

-For me… I accept. I don’t know what my companion thinks.

-And you, Fasolt?

Once the giants had nodded, Wotan and Loge set off towards the Nibelungenreich in search of their treasures.

For the context of this series, see here

Part One: The Rhine Gold

One sunny afternoon the Rhine – the largest river in the German lands – glittered like a huge silver ribbon amidst the dark green of the forests. In the area where its calm waves are intercepted by rocky masses on the banks and reefs that emerge in the middle of the current, the light was filtered by a faint mist that, like a subtle veil, enveloped the landscape.

Amidst the silence of the morning, only the cries and laughter of the undines, playful and joyful daughters of the father river, could be heard. With their swift mermaid-like movements, they moved from reef to reef. Their flowing hair looked like cascades of gold. Despite their amusing games, these undines fulfilled an important function. They guarded the gold of the Rhine and kept away anyone who wanted to seize it. Only the man who renounced love, preferring the wealth and power that the gold conferred, could do so.

With their dazzling beauty, the Rhine daughters incited those who approached the river to love, thus keeping them away from any intention of stealing the precious treasure they guarded. That was their mission.

Along the riverbed lived the Nibelungen in underground caverns. They were dwarves from the “Land of the Mists”, enemies of the gods of Valhalla, the heavenly abode where Wotan ruled.

One of their Nibelungen, Alberich, who had pursued the Undines, having been scorned by their constant rebuffs, made a formal promise to renounce love forever so that he could take possession of the gold of the Rhine and dominate the world.

-It has been a long time since the Nibelung Alberich has shown his shaggy hair in these parts.

-I have heard that he is no longer interested in pursuing us.

-Why?

-Because he has renounced love.

-Definitely?

-Yes, for good.

This was the dialogue that splendid afternoon between Woglinde and Wellgunde, the two undines who had most mocked the dwarf as he walked along the riverbank.

-If Alberich has renounced love, it must have been because of our contempt.

-Yes, because of our scorn and our mockery. Despair has led the rancorous Nibelung to renounce the enjoyment of man’s supreme good: love.

-Instead, this renunciation enables him to become the owner of riches and the ruler of the world.

-He who wants to achieve both must be encouraged to steal the gold that we guard.

-Indeed: I fear that Alberich will one day come to take possession of the gold that glitters in the depths.

-I don’t think the little man would dare. It’s too much of a feat for him.

-Well, I don’t know what we can do if that son of the black earth should think of going down to the bottom of the Rhine to plunder the gold that lights and brightens the waters.

-There he is! At this moment his rough figure is silhouetted against the crest of the steep bank.

-I can’t see him.

-Look to the left. On that promontory. Can you see him?

-Yes, I see it now. He prepares to jump into the water.

-Let’s get closer and try to lure him back to love.

-I think our attempt will be in vain. So long have we mocked him; so often have we fled from his amorous yearnings, that the scorned man thinks only of wealth and power.

-To get them, surely, he comes to steal the gold of the Rhine.

While the undines were talking, Alberich continued to watch the waters of the river. He followed slowly along the high bank as if looking for a suitable place to jump. When he saw a soft glow at the bottom of the water, his eyes sparkled with greed.

“This must be the place,” said the Nibelung to himself, “This must be the place where the reef on the top of which the gold of the Rhine shines; I will go down and pluck it out with my nails, I will take it to my underground caverns, I will rule over men, and my power will darken the power of the proud gods of Valhalla.

So saying, Alberich threw himself into the water and plunged into the depths of the river. He plucked up the treasure and retreated.