What Rheingold means?

Rheingold in American English (ˈraɪnˌgoʊld ; German ʀaɪnˌgɔlt) noun. German Legend. the hoard of gold guarded by the Rhine maidens and afterward owned by the Nibelungs and Siegfried.

What are three characters from the Rhine gold?

At the bottom of the Rhine, the three Rhinemaidens, Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Floßhilde, play together. Alberich, a Nibelung dwarf, appears from a deep chasm and tries to woo them.

What is the Rhine gold?

The Rhine Gold is the first opera in Wagner’s cycle of four operas called The Ring of the Nibelung. The cycle follows the life and deeds of the hero Siegfried, and depicts the end of the gods and their way of life.

When was Das Rheingold written?

1854Das Rheingold / Written

Who is the Rhinemaidens father?

god Oceanus
Just as in Greek myth the Oceanids are the daughters of the titan sea god Oceanus, in Norse mythology—specifically the Poetic Edda—the jötunn (similar to a giant) sea god Ægir has nine daughters.

What does the unconditional prophecy of Erda mean?

Notice Erda doesn’t say, “Unless you give up the ring, you will die.” Her prophecy is unconditional: “All things that are, perish. An evil day dawns for the immortals. I warn you, yield up the ring” (65). The doom she predicts is inevitable.

What is the significance of Wotan’s spear?

Near the end of the opera, Wotan appears to his grandson and warns him of the dangers in pursuing Brünnhilde, and reveals that he was the one who originally shattered Nothung. In a rage, Siegfried smashes Wotan’s spear, and in so doing signifies the beginning of the end for the gods.

Did Tolkien copy Wagner?

Some researchers take an intermediate position: that both the authors used the same sources, but that Tolkien was influenced by Wagner’s development of the mythology, especially the conception of the Ring as conferring world mastery.

Who wrote Das Rheingold?

Richard WagnerDas Rheingold / Composer

What is the basis for the story of The Ring of the Nibelung?

Wagner’s main source was an old German poem called the The Song of the Nibelungs. This poem is about the dragon-slayer Siegfried. Norse sagas Wagner read in connection with the creation of the Ring included the Völsunga saga, the Prose Edda, and the Poetic Edda.

What must Alberich do to gain the power of the ring?

With the help of Loge, god of fire and cunning, he forces Alberich to give up the ring, whereupon Alberich puts a curse on whoever owns it. Wotan gives the ring to the giants, and Alberich’s curse strikes immediately: Fafner kills Fasolt in order to become the sole possessor of the ring.

Why does Wotan have one eye?

First, in order to drink from the spring of wisdom, Wotan sacrificed one of his eyes. Second, Wotan fastened a spear from a branch he tore from the World Ash-Tree, which then withered and died.