SIEGFRIED
Mime the Nibelung stood working at his forge one summer day in the
gloomy forest cavern that served him as a dwelling-place; and as he
hammered at a fine long sword he had laid upon the anvil, he was filled
with despondency, knowing that, in spite of all his skill in forging,
he could not make a sword that would not be splintered at the first
mighty stroke of the noble youth for whom it was intended.
For Mime, though but a hideous gnome of evil disposition, and full of
guile, had been the means of preserving the precious infant life of
Siegfried, the promised hero-son of Siegmund and Sieglinde; and he had
nourished him with great care, knowing that this child was destined, in
years to come, to slay Fafner, the giant dragon that guarded the mighty
treasure of his Nibelung brother, Alberic.
He cunningly hoped by means of Siegfried to obtain this coveted
treasure for himself; and so he kept the child ignorant of the secret
of the Rhinegold, and of his own high birth. As Siegfried grew to
manhood, he had no knowledge of his true parentage, though he utterly
refused to regard Mime as his father; for in spite of his protecting
care, he hated the dwarf, feeling unconsciously that he had only
preserved him for his own evil ends.
Mime knew this, and feared him accordingly; and as he now stood
working at his forge this summer day, he trembled as he thought of the
youth's wonderful strength, for every sword he had yet made for him,
Siegfried had only contemptuously snapped in half.
Just as he finished the sword, Siegfried himself dashed boisterously
into the cave, leading by a leash a great bear he had caught in the
forest; for fear was unknown to the hero-son of Sieglinde, and savage
beasts he but regarded as his play-fellows.
He was a noble-looking youth of dazzling beauty, mighty strength, and
dauntless courage as befitted a descendant of the great god, Wotan; and
his contempt for the puny Mime was quickly shown by the careless manner
in which, in mere wanton mischief, he drove the fierce bear round the
cave after the wretched gnome, who shrank back in abject fear.
At last, having laughingly driven the growling beast back to the
forest, Siegfried returned, and demanded the new sword he had bidden
Mime forge for him; and the dwarf timidly handed him the blade he had
just finished, which would have been regarded as a mighty weapon by any
ordinary mortal.
But Siegfried laughed derisively as he took up the sword to test
its strength; and striking it but once upon the anvil, the steel
immediately shivered to pieces.
To stem the torrent of wrath that now burst upon him, Mime whiningly
implored Siegfried to remember the loving care he had ever shown for
him since infancy; but the youth declared that he hated the sight of
the gnome, and despised the pretended love he professed for him, since
he knew him to be at heart false and evil.
He then demanded to be told who were his parents, and how he came
to be left in the charge of a puny dwarf; and Mime, terrified at the
authoritative flash in the eyes of Siegfried, and not daring to deceive
him longer, told him in trembling tones all that he knew. He said that
he had found in the forest one day a beautiful woman, named Sieglinde,
who lay in tears and deep suffering; and carrying her to his cave, he
had tended her with care. She gave birth to a child during the night,
and dying almost immediately afterwards, had left the babe to the care
of Mime, bidding him call her son by the name of Siegfried.
Filled with emotion as he listened to this sad story, Siegfried next
demanded some proof of its truth; and very reluctantly Mime presently
produced the pieces of a broken sword, which he said the dying woman
had also left in his charge for her son, whose hero-father, she
declared, had used it in his last fight. Overjoyed at the possession
of this great treasure, which proved that his father had been a noble
warrior, Siegfried now commanded Mime to forge the pieces afresh into
a mighty sword once more, and enthusiastically declaring that with his
father's weapon he would win himself renown, he rushed forth into the
forest to tell his joy to the birds and beasts he loved so well.
But Mime was left in despair; for though he had many times in secret
tried to weld the broken pieces of the magic sword, Needful, he had
never yet succeeded, and knew it was beyond his skill to do so.
As the dwarf stood despondently at his anvil, a stranger, wrapped in
a dark mantle, suddenly entered the cave and sat down to rest by the
hearth; and though he called himself a Wanderer, Mime soon learnt to
his terror, from the stranger's huge spear causing thunder to mutter as
it struck the ground, that it was in reality the great god Wotan who
had thus invaded his dwelling.
Although ill-received by the dwarf, the Wanderer calmly kept his seat;
and in the course of conversation, he announced that Mime should fall a
prey to the just wrath of one who had never known fear, and who alone
possessed the power to forge the mighty sword, Needful.
With these ominous words the stranger vanished, and as Mime shrank
back to his forge, trembling, Siegfried returned from the forest, and
demanded his sword. The dwarf declared that he had not skill enough to
forge the broken blade, and he added that it could only be restored by
one who had never felt fear.
Upon Siegfried eagerly demanding what this fear was, Mime tried to
describe the feeling to him; and the youth declared that he had no
knowledge of such tremblings, but was curious to experience them. Then
Mime craftily remarked that he knew of a terrible giant dragon, named
Fafner, who would quickly teach him what fearing was; and Siegfried
exclaimed impetuously that the dwarf should conduct him to this monster
without delay.
He then took up the fragments of the magic sword, declaring that he
alone, who knew not fear, would restore the weapon; and filing down the
steel, he melted it in a crucible, and began to forge it afresh. Amidst
the roaring of the bellows and the clang of the falling hammer, Mime
sat lost in meditation, wondering how he could turn the youth's power
to his own purposes; and at last an evil idea flashed across his brain.
He would let the hero slay the dragon and even secure the treasure; and
then, when exhausted by his exertions, he would offer him a cooling
draught containing a deadly poison, which should instantly cause his
death, and the great prize would thus fall into the hands of Mime the
Nibelung.
Siegfried had now fashioned his sword, and was singing gleefully as he
hammered it on the anvil, calling it lovingly by name, and finishing it
off with wondrous skill; and by the time the gnome had brewed his fatal
draught, the magic blade, Needful, was completely restored.
With a loud shout of joy Siegfried seized the mighty weapon, and struck
it with all his force upon the anvil to test its strength; and the blow
was so great that the anvil split from top to bottom, and fell asunder
with a terrific crash.
But Needful remained bright and unscratched; and swinging the
wonderful sword exultingly over his head Siegfried rushed out of
the cave, calling on the awed and shrinking Mime to lead him to the
dragon's den. The dwarf, quickly recovering himself, and remembering
the prize in store for him, took up the horn containing the fatal
draught he had brewed; and joining Siegfried immediately, he led him
unerringly through the forest to the wild spot where Fafner's cave was
situated.
Here Alberic the Nibelung had been awaiting the dragon's death for many
years; and having learnt this very day from Wotan, the Wanderer, of the
near approach of Siegfried, he had slipped back into a rocky cleft to
watch what happened.
Soon afterwards, Siegfried and Mime came forth from the forest; but
the timid dwarf did not dare to remain long near the cave, and quickly
departed to hide, after telling the youth that the dragon would soon
appear. The young hero presently blew a long, loud blast upon his
hunting-horn; and almost immediately afterwards, the terrible giant
dragon, Fafner, came out from his cave, demanding who summoned him.
Siegfried stared at the great beast in amazement; but not a single
spark of alarm was in his brave heart as he boldly announced that
he had come to learn what fearing was. Fafner replied that he was
overbold, since he should now serve him as food; but upon this,
Siegfried, having no mind to provide a meal for the unwieldy creature,
though fearless still, drew his sword, Needful, and smilingly sprang
forward to meet his enemy.
With fire and poisonous fumes issuing from his nostrils, the dragon
rushed upon him; but as it raised its huge body, Siegfried dashed
boldly beneath the gaping jaws, and buried his sword in the monster's
breast.
As the dragon rolled over, dead, Siegfried drew his sword triumphantly
from its body; but in so doing, he accidentally tasted the creature's
blood. Suddenly he discovered, to his joy, that he could now understand
the language of the birds around him; and being especially attracted
by the notes of a pretty wood-bird, he went nearer to listen to what
it had to say. The wood-bird told him to enter the cave, and possess
himself of the dragon's treasure, adding that if only he gained the
_Tarnhelm_ and magic Ring, he could make himself lord of the whole
world.
Full of joy, Siegfried rushed into the cave; and at that moment
Mime and Alberic came forth from opposite directions, scowling with
surprise and anger as they recognised each other. They instantly began
to quarrel as to which should have the treasure; but when Siegfried
presently issued from the cave, with the Ring on his finger and the
wishing-cap tucked into his belt, Alberic departed, content to let his
curse take effect upon the spoiler.
As Siegfried passed under the trees, the wood-bird again spoke to
him: and this time his feathered friend warned him that Mime was his
enemy, and meant to poison him in order to obtain the treasures he had
won. The youth, having always suspected the dwarf of evil intentions,
was thus put upon his guard; and when Mime presently drew near with
insinuating smile, and pleasantly offered him the horn of poison as
a "cooling drink," he instantly plunged his sword into the traitor's
heart.
As the crafty dwarf fell dead at his feet, the wood-bird spoke yet once
again; and in sweet, thrilling tones, it now told him of a glorious
bride whom he might win--the beautiful fallen Valkyrie, Brünhilde, who
still slept upon her rocky fastness, surrounded by fire, and waiting
for the one fearless hero of the world to brave the flames and possess
her.
Filled with rapture at the thought that the joys of love might thus
be his, Siegfried eagerly desired to know in which direction so fair a
prize lay; and for answer, the pretty wood-bird spread its wings and
fluttered along in front to show him the way. Through miles and miles
of forest depths the feathered guide flew without resting; and then,
when night had passed and the rosy dawn appeared, it suddenly vanished,
and Siegfried, finding himself at the foot of a wild mountain, the
rocky top of which was encircled by fire, knew that he had arrived at
his goal.
But as he approached the mountain-side his path was suddenly blocked
by a stranger. This was none other than Wotan, the Wanderer, who still
roamed the world, conscious of his approaching doom, which should be
brought nearer by this same radiant Volsung youth, and who, having
vainly sought advice from the wise goddess Erda, now half-heartedly
hoped to oppose the hero himself.
Seeing a stranger barring his path with extended spear, Siegfried drew
his magic blade, Needful, and with a mighty stroke hewed the spear in
two pieces, upon which a blinding flash of lightning rent the air,
followed by a loud crash of thunder. Knowing now that it was useless to
withstand this hero-youth who had thus destroyed his weapon of power,
Wotan vanished in a cloud of darkness, and retreating in despair to
Valhalla, he there awaited the Twilight of the Gods, which he knew was
now quickly approaching, since he, the mightiest of them all, had been
defeated.
But Siegfried, free to pursue his way once more, dashed joyfully up the
mountain-side, and plunging fearlessly through the fierce encircling
flames, he reached the rock beyond in safety. Here the Valkyrie,
Brünhilde, still lay peacefully slumbering; and gently removing her
protecting shield and helmet, Siegfried, entranced, stood gazing in
breathless silence upon her dazzling loveliness. A passionate love
surged up in his quickly-beating heart; and kneeling beside the fair
maiden, he pressed a tender kiss upon her lips.
Instantly Brünhilde opened her beautiful eyes, and rising from her
rocky couch greeted Siegfried with joy, telling him that she had loved
him all through her charmed sleep, knowing that he alone should awaken
her to life once more.
Then Siegfried, enraptured, clasped her in his arms, entreating her to
accept his love; and though Brünhilde at first shrank back, offended at
the touch of a mortal, she could not long fight against the answering
passion awakened in her own breast. Remembering that her divinity was
now lost for ever, she placed her hand in Siegfried's with joy; and
as the hero held his beautiful bride in his arms, he felt that the
dark night-time of his early years had at last dawned into a glorious
day-time of light and joy.