Wagner Siegfried

In the third part of Der Ring des Nibelungen, we meet Siegfried, Wagner’s vision of, like it or not, a truly Germanic superhero, inspired by the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche: he is attractive and strong, a kind of promethean Übermensch, independent and free from social or moral restrictions. Since Siegfried is “one who does not know fear”, it is for him to weald together the pieces of the magic sword Nothung, smashed when his father Siegmund died in Die Walküre.

The reconstructed weapon soon paves the young man’s way to the Ring. Unaware of the worth of his new toy, Siegfried finally arrives at a great rock, which is surrounded by fire. He carelessly breaks the spear of an old man barring his way (Wotan, whose remaining powers are thus crushed forever). Then, he mounts the rock and beholds a wondrous being: Brünnhilde, the former goddess and now a woman. He awakens her with a kiss and both fall madly in love.

Siegfried’s music contains some of Wagner's most magnificent depictions of nature, such as the green depths of a German forest, and one of the most thrilling moments in opera history: when Brünnhilde opens her eyes and first sees the light of sun again after her long years of slumber.