Wagner: Die Walküre [Der Ring des Nibelungen: II]

Opera 100

Here we write a 100-word précis of numerous opera plots. This is an ongoing and serendipitous series, the idea being to present the storyline in an instant.

Wagner: Die Walküre [Der Ring des Nibelungen: II]

by: Alexander Campbell

The fugitive Siegmund, the god Wotan’s mortal son, meets his twin sister Sieglinde, trapped in loveless marriage to Hunding. Sieglinde drugs Hunding, Siegmund obtains the magic sword Nothung, and the now-incestuous siblings flee. Wotan’s wife Fricka, goddess of wedlock, demands he withdraw support for Siegmund, insisting that Wotan’s favourite Valkyrie daughter Brünnhilde follows suit. Unexpectedly moved by Siegmund’s devotion to Sieglinde, Brünnhilde defends him. Wotan intervenes, shattering Nothung and killing Siegmund. As the pregnant Sieglinde escapes with the sword, Brünnhilde awaits Wotan’s punishment. Regretfully, he leaves her in enchanted sleep on a rock, deprived of immortality, surrounded by impenetrable fire.

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