The Mentor: The Ring of the Nibelung, Vol. 3, Num. 24, Serial No. 100, February 1, 1916

In Short

This volume is a concise guide to Richard Wagner's four-opera cycle, The Ring of the Nibelung. Written by music critic Henry T. Finck and accompanied by educational monographs from The Mentor, it outlines Wagner's revolutionary vision of the "Music Drama," traces the history of the Bayreuth Festival-Theater, provides detailed synopses of the four constituent operas (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Die Götterdämmerung), and accounts for the work's historical reception. It endures as an accessible companion that demystifies Wagner's artistic theories and dramatic narratives for the everyday reader.

The Story

The narrative begins with an overview of Wagner’s artistic revolution and his departure from traditional Italian operatic forms. Wagner seeks to reunite poetry, painting, sculpture, and music into a single integrated "Art Work of the Future." To realize this vision, he secures the financial backing of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and builds a specialized Festival-Theater in Bayreuth, complete with a sunken "mystic abyss" for the orchestra and an unadorned amphitheater focused entirely on the stage.

The dramatic cycle opens in Das Rheingold, where Alberich, King of the Nibelung dwarfs, steals the Rhine gold after forswearing love. He forges a magic ring of universal power and a helmet of transformation. Wotan, chief of the gods, tricks Alberich into giving up the hoard and the ring to pay the giants for building Valhalla. Alberich curses the ring to bring death upon every possessor. The giants claim the treasure, and Fafner slays his brother over the ring before Wotan leads the gods into Valhalla.

In Die Walküre, Wotan seeks to protect the gods by fathering the mortal Wälsung twins, Siegmund and Sieglinde. Siegmund claims the magic sword Nothung from a tree, but Wotan's intervention causes Siegmund to die in battle. Wotan's daughter, the Valkyr Brünnhilde, disobeys her father by protecting the lovers. Wotan revokes her divinity, putting her to sleep on a mountain surrounded by magic fire, reachable only by a hero without fear.

Siegfried follows Siegmund's orphaned son. Raised by the dwarf Mime, Siegfried re-forges the shivered sword Nothung, slays the dragon Fafner, and takes the ring. Guided by a forest bird, he breaks Wotan's spear, steps through the fire, and awakens Brünnhilde with a kiss, winning her love.

In Die Götterdämmerung, Siegfried leaves Brünnhilde to seek adventure, giving her the ring as a token of fidelity. At the hall of the Gibichungs, Hagen—Alberich's son—administers a potion that wipes Siegfried's memory, causing him to marry Gutrune and betray Brünnhilde to Gunther. Later, Hagen spears Siegfried in his vulnerable back. Realizing the truth, Brünnhilde returns the ring to the Rhine maidens, rides her horse into Siegfried's funeral pyre, and ignites a flood and fire that consume both Hagen and Valhalla, ending the era of the gods.

Finally, the text reviews the historical struggle to stage the Ring, Seidl's introduction of the work to American audiences, and practical advice on enjoying the music directly without becoming bogged down in formal guidebooks.

How It Unfolds

The theory of the Music Drama Wagner rejects traditional opera's isolated arias and recitatives, arguing instead for an amalgamated art form that unites text, staging, and musical motifs into a single dramatic whole.

Building the sanctuary at Bayreuth Driven by a desire for a dedicated theater free from commercial distraction, Wagner secures land in Bayreuth and builds a grand amphitheater featuring an invisible, sunken orchestra pit.

The theft and the curse Alberich renounces love to steal the Rhine gold and fashion the ring of power; when Wotan trickily confiscates the hoard, Alberich curses the ring to ruin all who possess it.

Tragedy of the Wälsungs Siegmund draws the sacred sword Nothung to defend Sieglinde, but Wotan ensures his death in battle; Brünnhilde tries to save him and is punished with deep sleep within a circle of magic flame.

The hero forged in the forest Siegfried reforges Nothung, slays the dragon Fafner, claims the ring, cuts through Wotan's blocking spear, and braves the fire to awaken Brünnhilde.

Betrayal and the downfall of Valhalla Drugged by Hagen's potion, Siegfried forgets Brünnhilde and is eventually murdered; Brünnhilde casts the ring back into the Rhine and joins Siegfried on the pyre as Valhalla burns.

The music speaks for itself The book closes with advice to new listeners: while structural commentaries aid understanding, one should simply let the music tell its own story rather than treating leitmotifs like a rigid game.

The People

• Wotan

The chief of the gods who seeks supreme security through his grand castle, Valhalla. Impeded by his own conflicting oaths, debts to the giants, and the curse of the ring, he ultimately resigns himself to the inevitable downfall of the divine order.

• Alberich

The King of the Nibelung dwarfs who renounces love to forge the ring of power from the Rhine gold. Driven by revenge after losing the gold to Wotan, he curses the ring and orchestrates his revenge through his son, Hagen.

• Siegfried

The fearless son of Siegmund and Sieglinde, raised by Mime in the wilderness. Strong, naive, and untamed, he successfully reforges Nothung, slays Fafner, and wakes Brünnhilde, only to fall victim to Hagen's deceitful magic potion.

• Brünnhilde

A Valkyr maiden and daughter of Wotan who defies her father's commands out of sympathy for the Wälsungs. Stripped of her divinity and encircled by fire, she marries Siegfried, suffers his tragic betrayal, and ultimately redeems the world by returning the ring to the Rhine.

• Hagen

The half-brother of Gunther and son of Alberich. Bound by his father's mission to regain the ring, he plots Siegfried's memory loss, murders him in cold blood, and is eventually dragged into the Rhine's waters.

In Its Own Voice

"The secret of Wagner’s success with the people and of his influence on dramatic art lies in his naturalness of expression."

Finck summarizes the enduring appeal of Wagner's compositions over early critical opposition.

"He could no more help creating the Ring of the Nibelung than a volcano can help erupting when the time comes."

The author describes Wagner's relentless drive to complete his epic work despite severe financial distress.

"A course of handbook study before you are familiar with the music is indeed, as you say, very much 'like hard work.'"

The Mentor editorial staff advises a reader to experience the music directly before getting bogged down in analytical guides.

What It's Really About

The core of the book rests on the tension between artistic innovation and public reception, set against the tragic thematic architecture of Wagner's myth. At its heart, the Ring explores how the relentless pursuit of absolute power, symbolised by the gold, corrupts love and guarantees destruction. Wotan's reliance on broken promises and stolen wealth brings about the ruin of the gods, proving that even divine rulers cannot escape moral consequences. Meanwhile, Finck's commentary argues that true art requires total integration of expression rather than empty virtuosity, demonstrating how Wagner successfully turned an uncompromising artistic vision into a lasting cultural movement.

Why Read It Today

This work serves as an ideal entryway for readers curious about opera, mythic storytelling, or the mechanics of artistic creation. Rather than presenting a dense academic text, it delivers concise plot summaries, historical context, and sharp critical analysis in accessible prose.

The text offers a vivid portrait of late nineteenth-century culture, illustrating how fierce opposition to new art eventually gave way to worldwide appreciation. Readers encounter the challenges of historical staging, the financial struggles of an uncompromising genius, and the sheer narrative scope of Nordic mythology transformed into music drama. While the condensed summary format moves swiftly across complex plotlines and mid-1910s musicological terms, its plainspoken clarity makes a formidable artistic masterwork approachable and engaging.