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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.

[[#158]] Siegfried’s and Gunther’s life-blood mixes in the bowl from which they drink

Siegfried, by granting the unheroic Gunther, Siegfried’s own audience, access to Siegfried’s muse of inspiration and unconscious mind, Bruennhilde, and therefore access to Wotan’s unspoken secret (his hoard of runes) which she keeps, Siegfried makes his audience (Gunther) indistinguishable from himself. Thus Siegfried transforms himself into Gunther with the Tarnhelm (#142; #143), which is the basis of the Wagnerian “Wonder,” Hagen’s Potion (#154)

(The first 7 notes or so of #158 correspond with #102, the Motif representing Mime’s inherent inability to re-forge Nothung. This suggests #158 is based on #102, suggesting Gunther’s craven nature is akin to Mime’s: both Gunther and Mime seek to pull the wool over Siegfried’s eyes to exploit him for their own betterment, and both employ a potion to this end; though Gunther does not at first contemplate Siegfried’s death, ultimately he will imitate Mime in wishing for it.)

[[#159]] The “Oath of Atonement”: Siegfried and Gunther will atone with their blood if they dishonor this oath to each other

Though it will seem to Gunther later, thanks to Hagen’s machinations, that Siegfried dishonored Gunther by laying with Bruennhilde on the very night he abducted her to give her in marriage to Gunther, Gunther has dishonored himself by exploiting Siegfried’s unconsciousness of his true situation to grant Gunther an honor he doesn’t deserve and should not possess, access to the unspoken secret (Wotan’s hoard of forbidden knowledge he confessed to Bruennhilde) formerly concealed from man by his collective unconscious, Bruennhilde

(#159 is based on #68, and both are based in turn on #19a; through #19, #159 is kin to #17a, #20a, #50, #51, and #167; #159 is linked by association then also with #46, which is based on #19b)

[[#160]] The blood-brothers Siegfried and Gunther drink faith to each other as they drink each other's blood

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