Some folks say that there are few people with mild opinions about opera; that most folks are passionate about opera, either loving it or loathing it. Richard Wagner (1813-1883) wrote a famous opera called “The Ring of the Nibelung.” Here is an opera that is sure to inspire strong reactions - the piece is about 15 hours long! Performances of the “Ring” are usually split across four nights, allowing those who love opera to attend all week long while providing for easy escapes for the opera loathers. The Libretto (storyline) of the “Ring of the Nibelung” is based on an Old Teutonic legend about a magic gold ring and the greed to possess it. As with most legends, there are several variants depending on who is retelling the story. Wagner himself used several disparate sources to weave together the story of the “Ring.”
In the Teutonic legend, the brothers were named Fafnir and Regin - while in the opera their names are Alberich and Mime - sons of King Hreidmar. When the god Loki accidentally killed Otr, the third brother, the ring was given to the Dwarf King Hreidmar (along with a grand sum of gold) as "blood money." The Ring carried a curse that it would bring its owner great wealth and great misfortune. Fafnir coveted the Ring and conspired with his brother Regin to steal the Ring and the gold treasure from their father. Fafnir killed his father and then, not wishing to share the treasure with his brother, ran off into the wilderness and hid in a great cave. There he lay down on his hoard of gold and metamorphosed into a great hideous dragon.
In the legend, Regin (still seeking to gain the treasure for himself) persuaded Sigurd to kill Fafnir the dragon. In the opera, the young hero was named Siegfried. According to Regin’s plan, he directed Sigurd / Siegfried to dig a trench in front of the cave wherein lay the great dragon Fafnir. In the morning, when Fafnir came out to drink, his path would take him across this trench where Sigurd / Siegfried would conceal himself with his magic sword. Sigurd / Siegfried would strike at the dragon as he passed overhead. Regin secretly hoped that both the hero and the vile dragon will be killed in the confrontation and he will be able to claim the gold and the Ring for himself alone.
The Teutonic Gods intervened again when Odin came in a vision to Sigurd and warned him about the burning properties of dragon’s blood, that Regin knew of this danger yet did not tell Sigurd, and to dig a second pit to crawl into to escape contact with the dragon’s blood. So Sigurd dug a second ditch, as he had been told, then waited for the dragon to emerge. In the cool of the dawn, the massive dragon emerged and the ground shook beneath his feet as he lumbered towards the river. Sigurd felt a sharp pang of fear when he saw how immense the dragon truly was, but he hid in his trench and thrust his sword deep into the underbelly of the colossal body as the dragon passed above him. As the toxic blood gushed forth, Sigurd rolled to safety into the second pit. Fafnir bellowed and writhed in pain, but the wound was fatal.
As the great beast lay dying, Fafnir asked Sigurd his name and who sent him to kill such a terrifying dragon. Fafnir figured out that it was his own brother Regin who plotted his death, and he knew that Regin would also cause Sigurd's death. Sigurd mocked the dying dragon that he would take all of the dragon’s treasure from within the cave, now that the dragon could no longer guard it from him. Although Fafnir told Sigurd that taking the treasure will mean his death, Sigurd remained defiant that all men must face death someday.
After the dragon’s death, although Regin was astonished and disappointed to see Sigurd had survived, outwardly he greeted the young hero with great congratulations and praise for his noble deed. He directed the champion to cut out the dragon’s heart and cook it over a fire that Regin might eat it in honor of the glorious deeds of the day. Sigurd built a cooking fire and cut the heart from the dragon’s chest with his powerful sword. As he was preparing this unusual dish, he burned his hand on the fire. Inadvertently, Sigurd licked his hand and in so doing tasted the blood and juices that ran from the dragon’s heart. Instantly, the taste of the dragon’s blood endowed Sigurd with the understanding of all languages, including the language of the birds. The birds told him to eat the heart of the dragon himself and become the wisest of all men. He also learned from the birds that Regin intended to kill him and, drawing his sword once more, he slew Regin with a single fierce blow.
The “Ring of the Nibelung” opera further follows the fate of Siegfried, including his own betrayal and death, and the continuing mischief of the Ring in the hands of his lover Brünnhilde. These themes are familiar to contemporary readers; the One Ring of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” invokes the same corrupting powers, the same degradation and loss of humanity for Gollum while he struggles with his greed to possess the Ring. In “The Chronicles of Narnia,” C.S. Lewis includes a character Eustace Scrubb who turns into a dragon due to his greediness over a cursed treasure.
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Monday, December 27, 2010
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