Not long ago, while browsing through a catalogue I found the complete production (all 15 hours) of Wagner's Ring Cycle as presented at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany. Although I grew up listening to the music, and knew the basic plot, I'd never seen it performed. So I ordered it, and have been watching it off and on. I am about halfway through.
Quite frankly I am surprised that Hollywood hasn't made a movie of it, especially with the success of the Lord of the Rings series, which Tolkien may or may not have copied from Wagner. He claimed he didn't, and I haven't read his works or seen the movies so I really can't judge.
While watching it, I was struck by several parallels with the Bible. The same themes are present in both, sin, treachery, a hero who will save the world. But while the Bible (the Christian version) ends with all the saved people living happily ever after in the New Jerusalem, "The Ring" ends with everything being destroyed, including Valhalla, home of the gods. Ironically, Hitler was obsessed with "The Ring" and wanted to style the religion of the Third Reich after it; apparently the message never sank in. It's definitely not the myth I'd want to base my life on.
Like Genesis, "The Ring" starts out with deception and disobedience, only in this case it is Wotan, king of the Gods, who is the one to break the covenant. He wants to build a castle and engages two giants to build it for him. But there is a problem, the giants want to be paid. Along comes Loge, who plays the same role as Satan does in Genesis and Job. Why don't you give them your daughter Freia? he suggests. Now apart from the fact that Freia doesn't particularly want to go with either giant, she is also the one who supplies the Gods with the apples of eternal youth. (Apples again!)
Incredibly Wotan agrees. Now he's the one with the problem (well, so is Freia) because he is in charge of all the covenants between the Gods and the rest of creation. They are written on his spear. He decides to break the agreement with the giants, they get pissed off and take Freia. The Gods start aging. But Loge has a solution. The dwarf Alberich has a ring made from the gold he stole from the Rhine maidens. Perhaps you could persuade the giants to accept that instead. So Wotan ends up stealing the gold from Alberich and gives it to the giants in exchange for Freia (but not before Alberich has put a curse on it). One giant kills the other and that is the end of the first part.
In another echo of Genesis Wotan likes to fool around with mortal women and have children by them, a whole slew of them. Two of them, the twins Seiglinde and Seigmund, fall in love with each other and decide to get married despite the fact that they are brother and sister and despite the fact that Seiglinde is already married. Seiglinde's husband challenges Seigmund to a battle. Wotan's wife, Fricka, is a real family values person and nags at her husband until he says all right, all right, I'll withdraw my protection from Seigmund and let him die. He tells Brunnhilde the Valkyrie (another one of his daughters) that she is not to take Seigmund's side in the battle but take him off to Valhalla instead to be with all the other heroes.
But it so happens that the curse that is put on the ring can only be lifted by a hero who has lived his entire life completely free from the protection of the Gods (echoes of the New Testament here?). It just so happens that Seiglinde is pregnant with Seigmund's child who is the hero to come. So Brunnhilde defys Wotan and unsuccessfully attempts to save Seigmund. She manages to spirit Seiglinde off to safety but now she is left to face Wotan's wrath. Unlike Eve the disobedient who meekly accepted her's and Adam's banishment, Brunnhilde challenges her father. Yes, she disobeyed, but does the punishment fit the crime? In the end she gets him to compromise. She is sentenced to sleep like Sleeping Beauty until she is awakened by the only hero capable of penetrating the ring of fire that surrounds her. And thus ends part two.
In part three we will see that her savior will be none other than Seigfried the son of Seiglinde and Seigmund, and if you think that there is more inbreeding here than in a tribe of hillbillies you aren't far off. As a matter of fact, all of these characters would fit nicely into a trailer park. But it's opera and that's what makes it classy.
To be continued . . .
Quite frankly I am surprised that Hollywood hasn't made a movie of it, especially with the success of the Lord of the Rings series, which Tolkien may or may not have copied from Wagner. He claimed he didn't, and I haven't read his works or seen the movies so I really can't judge.
While watching it, I was struck by several parallels with the Bible. The same themes are present in both, sin, treachery, a hero who will save the world. But while the Bible (the Christian version) ends with all the saved people living happily ever after in the New Jerusalem, "The Ring" ends with everything being destroyed, including Valhalla, home of the gods. Ironically, Hitler was obsessed with "The Ring" and wanted to style the religion of the Third Reich after it; apparently the message never sank in. It's definitely not the myth I'd want to base my life on.
Like Genesis, "The Ring" starts out with deception and disobedience, only in this case it is Wotan, king of the Gods, who is the one to break the covenant. He wants to build a castle and engages two giants to build it for him. But there is a problem, the giants want to be paid. Along comes Loge, who plays the same role as Satan does in Genesis and Job. Why don't you give them your daughter Freia? he suggests. Now apart from the fact that Freia doesn't particularly want to go with either giant, she is also the one who supplies the Gods with the apples of eternal youth. (Apples again!)
Incredibly Wotan agrees. Now he's the one with the problem (well, so is Freia) because he is in charge of all the covenants between the Gods and the rest of creation. They are written on his spear. He decides to break the agreement with the giants, they get pissed off and take Freia. The Gods start aging. But Loge has a solution. The dwarf Alberich has a ring made from the gold he stole from the Rhine maidens. Perhaps you could persuade the giants to accept that instead. So Wotan ends up stealing the gold from Alberich and gives it to the giants in exchange for Freia (but not before Alberich has put a curse on it). One giant kills the other and that is the end of the first part.
In another echo of Genesis Wotan likes to fool around with mortal women and have children by them, a whole slew of them. Two of them, the twins Seiglinde and Seigmund, fall in love with each other and decide to get married despite the fact that they are brother and sister and despite the fact that Seiglinde is already married. Seiglinde's husband challenges Seigmund to a battle. Wotan's wife, Fricka, is a real family values person and nags at her husband until he says all right, all right, I'll withdraw my protection from Seigmund and let him die. He tells Brunnhilde the Valkyrie (another one of his daughters) that she is not to take Seigmund's side in the battle but take him off to Valhalla instead to be with all the other heroes.
But it so happens that the curse that is put on the ring can only be lifted by a hero who has lived his entire life completely free from the protection of the Gods (echoes of the New Testament here?). It just so happens that Seiglinde is pregnant with Seigmund's child who is the hero to come. So Brunnhilde defys Wotan and unsuccessfully attempts to save Seigmund. She manages to spirit Seiglinde off to safety but now she is left to face Wotan's wrath. Unlike Eve the disobedient who meekly accepted her's and Adam's banishment, Brunnhilde challenges her father. Yes, she disobeyed, but does the punishment fit the crime? In the end she gets him to compromise. She is sentenced to sleep like Sleeping Beauty until she is awakened by the only hero capable of penetrating the ring of fire that surrounds her. And thus ends part two.
In part three we will see that her savior will be none other than Seigfried the son of Seiglinde and Seigmund, and if you think that there is more inbreeding here than in a tribe of hillbillies you aren't far off. As a matter of fact, all of these characters would fit nicely into a trailer park. But it's opera and that's what makes it classy.
To be continued . . .
