to wake Bruennhilde, Wotan will describe Siegfried as the eye that Wotan is missing. Mime’s appeal to his native land, his mother’s womb, and his mother-wit, all seem to invoke Erda, Mother Nature, as she is known objectively to Alberich, a source of worldly power. But Wotan - in his new incarnation as Siegfried the artist-hero - has renounced objective, worldly power in favor of the psychological power of art, or aesthetic intuition (love), which stakes no claim on actuality, and therefore does not strive for power. It is Mother Nature - as known through objective knowledge, as known by the head - which grows weak before Wotan’s missing eye Siegfried, Wotan’s heart if you will, who will re-forge the sword Nothung and eliminate Wotan’s head, Mime, with it. Similarly, Wotan in S.3.1, again disguised as the Wanderer, will inform Erda that her knowledge wanes before Wotan’s will. Wotan’s will is, of course, Bruennhilde, who described herself as such just prior to Wotan’s confession in V.2.2. Wotan’s self-loathing, Mime, wanes before Bruennhilde.
[S.1.2: E]
The three questions the Wanderer now chooses to ask Mime concern the Waelsung hero-race, its greatest representative, Siegfried, the sword Nothung (i.e., the various means Wotan employs to redeem the gods from Alberich’s curse on his Ring), and Mime’s formerly secret plan to exploit Siegfried in order to win Ring, Hoard, and power from both the gods and Alberich:
Wanderer: (again seating himself more comfortably) Now, worthy dwarf, tell me first (:#17; :#71?) (#71:) what is the race (#71:) which (#?: – [music which may reference something Wotan sang earlier within the context of #113 about traveling the world to gain knowledge?]) Wotan acted badly towards (:#?) (very softly but audibly: #99:) and yet which is dearest of all to him (:#99)?
Mime: (gaining courage: #41) (#117:) Little I’ve heard of heroes’ kin and yet I can wriggle out of this question. (#26a or #67?) (#71 vari:) The Waelsungs are the favoured race which Wotan fathered and fondly cherished (:#71 vari), while showing them disfavour (#26a or #67?). (#71:) Siegmund and Sieglinde were sired by Waelse, a wildly desperate pair of twins (:#71): (#92:) Siegfried they begat themselves (:#92), the strongest scion of the Waelsungs. (#41) (#117:) Wanderer, have I kept my head in answer to your opening question (:#117)? (#41?)
Wanderer: (good humouredly) how well you name that race to me: (#?: – [a hint of Loge’s music with a trill at the end?]) you’re a sly one, I see, you scoundrel (:#? [a Loge motif?])! (#17?:) You’ve acquitted yourself of my opening question (:#17?); (#17?) secondly, tell me, you dwarf (:#?)! – (#101/#41>>:) A wily Nibelung cares for Siegfried (:#41; :#101): (#48 orch:; #voc?: [music possibly related to, or associated with, #89 or #90?]) Fafner he’s to kill for him, so that he may gain
