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Title Page
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Acknowledgments
Abbreviations for key references
Guide to abbreviations used in text
Allen Dunning's numbered Guide to the Ring's Musical Motifs
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The Ring

Introduction


References
Appendix I
Appendix I I

Key Colour Coding

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I would be grateful for donations of any size, small or large, to help defray the cost (1) of maintaining this website, (2) and to finance my past and present research which produced my book posted here, Volume One of "The Wound That Will Never Heal," and my forthcoming revision of Volume One (to be submitted for publication), and completion of Volume Two on Wagner's six other canonic operas and music-dramas. I sacrificed at least seven years of paid employment and incurred debts to complete this project, and am currently unemployed, so I thank you in advance for any financial help you can provide. Your friend, Paul Heise.

(#123 is a transformation or continuation of #122; their other motival links, if any, not yet ascertained)

[See #122 for #123’s dramatic context]

 

[[#124]] “Siegfried’s Forging Song” – Siegfried ostensibly creates himself by re-forging his father Siegmund’s (ultimately Wotan’s) sword Nothung

(#124’s motival links, if any, not yet ascertained)

“Siegfried: (#121: During the following Siegfried removes the mould from the fire, breaks it, and places the red-hot blade on the anvil: #120 mournful vari) He wants to lead me to where I’ll learn fear; a stranger will have to teach me: (#103 inverted vari) what he can do best he can’t impart; he remains a bungler in all that he does! (while forging: [[ #124 ]] Hoho! Hoho! Hohei! Forge, my hammer, a hard-edged sword! Hoho! Hohei! Hoho! Hohei! [[ #124 >>>> ]] Blood once died your faded blue; its bright red trickling made you blush: coldly then you laughed and licked the warm blood cool! Heiaho! Haha! Haheiaha! [[ #124 >> ]] Now the glowing coals have made you glow red; your yielding hardness yields to my hammer: in anger you spit out sparks at me for having tamed your brittleness! (#123) Heiaho! Heiaho! Heiaho! Ho! Ho! Hahei! [[ #124 ]]/#123 End Fragment; #109)

 

Mime (aside: [[ #124 >>> & Varis ]] He’s making a sharp-edged sword for himself to bring down Fafner, the foe of all dwarfs: I’ve brewed a false drink to trap Siegfried once Fafner has fallen before him. My cunning is bound to succeed; my reward must smile upon me!

 

(During the following, Mime busies himself pouring the contents of the pot into a flask.)

 

[Siegfried repeats the “Forge, my hammer” sequence to #124>>]

 

Siegfried: ([[ #124 >>]] How I rejoice in the joyous sparks! The force of their fury adorns the brave: delighting, you laugh upon me now, though you look grim and grudging! Heiaho! (…) [[ #124 >> ]] Through heat and hammer have I succeeded; with mighty blows I hammered you flat: now may your blushing shame disappear; be as cold and hard as you can!

 

(He brandishes the blade and plunges it into the bucket of water: #123) (…) (#121 Chromatic Vari: He laughs aloud at the hissing noise. While Siegfried attaches the newly forged blade to the hilt, #41: Mime fusses about with his flask downstage.)