The scene now shifts to another part of the forest, where Mimi's brother Alberich, former master of the ring, keeps gloomy guard at the entrance to the cave where Fafner, the dragon, hugs his gold. Dense dark ness reigns. A sudden gust of wind sweeps by, rustling all the leaves, and brings The Wanderer, Wotan, to warn the dwarf of the approach of a fearless one who shall wrest the treasure from the Nibelungs. The dragon, waked by Wotan, calls out that he is fairly starving for a hero, and then peacefully resumes his slumbers.
When the morning breaks, Siegfried approaches with Mimi, his guide, and as they wait for the coming forth of the foe, Mimi describes again its horrors, its yawning maw, its lashing tail, its noisome venom and its fiery breath. Siegfried does not quail but chatters gaily of his method of assault. Nothing disturbs the youth save Mimi's false protestations of great love which rouse in him such irritation that he summarily dismisses the dwarf, who hobbles off muttering, " Fafner and Siegfried, Siegfried and Fafner, would each the other might kill! " While Siegfried sits alone under the lime-tree, waiting for the dragon to appear, the forest murmurs sound in his ears and he falls to musing upon his birth. He is sure that his sire bore no resemblance . to Mimi and he wonders whether his mother's eyes were soft and tender. As he broods sadly upon the fact that he never shall know, the birds' songs attract his attention and he fashions a pipe from a reed and tries to imitate them. But after repeated trials, forced to acknowledge his failure, he throws the pipe away and blows a challenging call upon his hunting-horn. At this, there is an ominous stir in the cave and a huge, snarling, lizard-like thing comes forth from its lair. Siegfried laughs as he rushes to the fray. He eludes the flaming breath and horrid claws and, when his opportunity comes, thrusts his sword deep into the monster's breast. Before he dies in awful convul sions, the dragon warns his slayer of the curse of the Ring. As Siegfried draws the blade from the wound, a drop of fiery blood falls upon his hand and he seeks to alleviate the burn by touching it with his lips. To his amazement, the taste of the blood enables him to understand the song of the birds. From one of them he learns that the Nibelung hoard in the cave is now his by right of conquest and that while the Tarnhelm can tide him through wonderful tasks, the Ring can give him the ward of the world. Thanking his feathered friend, he descends into the cavern, and comes forth with his magic equipment to meet Mimi and Alberich who, deeply sus picious of each other, are hastening in. As they slink aside at sight of him, the bird speaks once more and warns the hero against the fawning Mimi, who soon approaches, proffering a poisonous draught. Siegfried, out of all patience with his deceit, draws his sword and kills Mimi with a single blow, the brother dwarf laughing in delight at the sight. The hero flings the dead body into the cave and again pauses to listen to the bird in the lime-tree. This time it tells of Brunnhilde, lying in fire
girdled slumber till he who knows no fear shall come to awaken and claim her. Eagerly Siegfried starts to his feet, for a strange new feeling has found place in his breast and, with the bird fluttering ahead to show the path, he starts joyfully out upon the quest.
When the curtain rises again, a wild mountainous region is revealed dimly through the shadows of night. Wotan, The Wanderer stands in the midst of thunder and lightning. The place is the foot of Brunnhilde's rock. Wotan conjures his witch-wife, Erda, from her earthly abyss and, pallid as with hoar-frost, she rises in bluish vapor from the depths, reluctant to break her long sleep. He questions her as to the future and whether the doom of the gods may be averted but she knows nothing more except that the time of Brunnhilde's awakening has arrived. As she sinks back into her chill abiding-place, the mellow light of the moon reveals and illumines the figure of Siegfried, who comes across the gorse led by the bird. Wotan attempts to bar the youth's passage, knowing that he who wakes and wins the sleeping Valkyrie shatters the power of the gods. Siegfried, brooking no interference, shivers to pieces Wotan's spear, the emblem of the god's authority, and, with a song on his lips, passes unfalter ing and untouched toward the wall of magic fire. The scene changes and Brunnhilde is discovered lying at the foot of the fir-tree just as Wotan left her sleeping there. Near by lies Grane, her war-horse, waiting till his mistress wakes. Siegfried has passed the wall of magic fire and now finds the motionless maid. He thinks her a warrior but when he lifts the helmet and her long hair escaping its bondage, ripples about her in a golden flood, he starts back in surprise at the beauty revealed. She does not stir, he listens for her breathing, but in vain. Tenderly he cuts the iron corselet and greaves from her body, and she lies before him, throbbing with life, a beautiful woman in soft female garb. Trembling, he sinks down with his head upon Brunnhilde's bosom, for love has taught him the fear which Fafner could not inspire. Finally, with an ardent kiss he rouses her who went to sleep a goddess and awakes a woman, with a woman's reluctance to sur render to love. She resists him. She pleads with him but, at last, won by his wooing, although knowing that capitulation means the downfall of Walhalla, and the doom of the gods, she throws herself into the arms of the hero whose coming she herself has foretold. She deems all well lost for love and exclaims exultantly Far hence, Walhall' lofty and vast, Let fall thy structure of stately tow'rs; Farewell, grandeur and pride of gods! End in rapture, ye IEsir, your reign! Go rend, ye Nornir„ your rope of runes! Round us darken, dusk of the gods! Night of annulment; now on us gain! Here still is streaming Siegfried, my star. He is forever, is, for aye My own, my only and my all.
Love that illumines, laughing at death.