Chapter X

THE VALKUERIE

4£'T^ HE Valkuerie " is the name of the second part
JL of Wagner's great musical drama, founded
upon the northern myth of the Niebelungs, and the
bearers of the name were children of Wotan, as were
also the "Walsungs.

The appropriateness of this name will be at once
apparent when we understand that the mission
of the Valkuerie was to go to battles whether
fought between two or more, take the slain upon
their horses, and carry them to Valhal. Therefore, a
battlefield or a place of combat was called Valplads,
the place where Wotan, the god, chose the valiant ones
who died fighting the battle for truth (as they saw
it), to be his companions in the realm of bliss (as they
conceived it). Brunhilde, the spirit of truth, was
therefore chief among the Valkueries, the leader of
her sisters, the other virtues. She was the favorite
daughter of the god Wotan.

But when the gods had limited themselves and shut
away the universality of truth by the ring of creed

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and dogma — symbolized by Valhal — the Walsungs,
who are truth seekers first and foremost, rebelled.
They manifest under different aspects as shown by the
names given them in the northern myth. The root
of their name is Sieg, a German word which means
victory, and it is highly appropriate, for no matter
what odds are against it, truth will win in the end.

Siegmund, the courageous one, who is impelled to
seek truth no matter what the consequences, may be
slain as the result of his audacity. We shall hear how
and why, presently. Sieglinda, his sister and later
his wife, who has the same inward urge but dares not
openly follow it, may die in despair. She transmits
the hunger for the truth to their offspring Siegfried,
he, who through victory gains peace, so that what
one generation of truth seekers fails to accomplish,
will eventually be achieved by their descendants, and
in the end truth will triumph over creed and stand
supreme.

VWe are taking time by the forelock when relating
or hinting at events which will be unfolded in the
beautiful tale before us, but we cannot refrain from
iterating and reiterating that glorious thought, "For
now we see through a glass darkly. ' ' Though the walls
and limitations of physical existence are about us in
every direction, the time is coming when "we shall
see and know even as we are known/'

When Siegmund, impelled by the uncontrollable
desire for truth, leaves Valhal, Wotan is enraged and
in order to put a check on the independent spirit of

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the Walsungs, he orders the marriage of Sieglinda
to Hunding, who is the spirit of convention. She
swoons despairingly in his arms, for she has not the
courage to leave her ancestors as her brother had done.
Thus she is a fit symbol of those who, though they
rebel in their innermost natures, are married to the
conventions of the world and are afraid to make a
radical change from the established code of the church,
for fear of what people will think of them. Thus,
though outraged in their innermost nature and
thwarted in their holiest ambitions, they continue to
bear the yoke of conventionality and go through the
established church services for the sake of appearance.
In the course of time, Siegmund comes by chance to
the house of Hunding and finds his sister whom at
first he does not know, but when they have recognized
each other, he induces her to flee with him. They both
know that this act of theirs, this outrage against
Hunding, the spirit of convention, will not be con-
doned by the gods, and to fortify themselves in the
battle which they know is before them, they take with
them a magical sword called Nothung. Noth is need
or distress, and ung as we have already seen, means
child. Thus the sword is the child of distress, the
courage of despair. This sword had been buried to
the hilt in Yggdrasil by no less a person than Wotan,
himself, against just such an emergency as this. In
order that we may thoroughly understand this beauti-
ful symbol and the seemingly paradoxical conduct of
Wotan, it will be necessary to elucidate the meaning

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of Yggdrasil, the World Ash, the tree of life and be-
ing, as explained in the Scandinavian mythology.

According to their concept, this wonderful tree
reached from earth to heaven. One of its roots was in
the underworld with Hel, a terrible hag who ruled
over those who had died of disease and were not, there-
fore, qualified to dwell with Wotan in Valhal. They
represent the class of people who are indolent and
neglect to fight the battle of life to the last. Hel has
three children, who are closely akin to her and are
always fighting the gods, who have the welfare of man
at heart. They are symbols of the elements which
make up the material world where death alone reigns.
One is the Midgaard Serpent, a prodigious monster
encircling the earth and biting its own tail: it is the
ocean. The other is the wolf Fenris, which is so subtle,
yet so strong, that nothing can hold him: he repre-
sents the atmosphere surrounding the earth and the
winds which cannot be controlled. Loge, with whom
we have already become acquainted, is the spirit of
fire, deceit, and illusion. The other root of Yggdrasil
is with the Frost Giants in chaos, whence this
whole universe originated. The third root is with the
gods.

Under the root, which is with Hel, the Serpent,
Nidhog, lies gnawing. It is the spirit of envy and
malice which is subversive of good : Nid means envy,
and hog, to fell. Because Yggdrasil, the tree of
life in manifestation, lives by love, envy and mal-
ice would fell the tree and bring it down to death

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and Hel. But under the root that is with the gods,
is the fountain, Urd, whence the three Norns, or
Fates, fetch the water of life — the spiritual impetus
wherewith to water the tree and keep its leaves fresh
and green. The names of these three Norns are Urd,
Skuld, and Verdande. Urd is from the German, Ur,
the past, primordial, or virgin state in relation to
man and the universe. She spins upon her wheel the
thread of fate generated by us in the past ; and Skuld,
a name signifying debt, is the second Norn, who repre-
sents the present. To her, Urd delivers the thread of
fate of past lives which we must expiate in this em-
bodiment. It is then given to Verdande, the third
Norn, whose name is a derivation of werdende, the
German word for becoming. She represents the fu-
ture, and when the thread of fate symbolizing the debt
paid at the present time is handed to her, she breaks
it off piece by piece. Thus this wonderful symbol
tells us that when the causation generated in past
lives has worked itself into effects in this life, the debt
is cancelled for all time to come.

The northern mythology further tells us that be-
sides these three chief Norns, there were many others,
and that one officiated at each birth and took charge
of the destiny of the child then born. We are also
told that these Norns, or Fates, did not work accord-
ing to their own will but were subject to the dictates
of the invisible Orlog. The name is a corruption of
the word Ur, meaning primordial, and log, law. Thus
we see the northern svmbol teaches that the Norns

90 MYSTERIES OF THE GREAT OPERAS

were not subject to the gods, and that our destiny is
not ruled by caprice but by an inexorable law of na-
ture, the law of cause and effect.

Under the third root, which was with the Frost
Giants, was the well of Mime. The Frost Giants, or
nature forces, had existed prior to the establishment
of the earth. They had helped in its formation and,
therefore, knew many things which were hidden from
the gods. Therefore, even Wotan, the god of wis-
dom, was wont to go to the well of Mime to drink
therefrom, that he might receive a knowledge of the
past. He also had to drink from the fountain of Urd
that he might renew his life.

Thus we see that the Hierarchies, who help us to
evolve, are themselves living to learn; and the very
fact that they are learning shows their liability to
err, and, also the reason why Wotan, their chief,
should provide the sword, Nothung — the courage of
despair — so that in an emergency those against whom
he erred might have a weapon wherewith to defend
themselves. Much more might be said about this
wonderful World Ash, the Yggdrasil, but the student
has now sufficient information to enable him to under-
stand the relation of the sword to that which follows.

When Siegmund and Sieglinda, fortified with tho
magic sword — tjie courage of despair — leave the house
of Hunding, the spirit of convention, to seek truth in
the wide world, the outraged Hunding needs not the
command of Wotan to pursue them with intent to
kill. Wotan bids Brunhilde, the Valkuerie, to be in-

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visibly present at the expected battle and fight for
Hunding, the spirit of conventionality. But the spirit
of truth cannot fight against the truth seeker, so
Brunhilde sorrowfully refuses to comply with Wotan 's
orders. When Siegmund meets Hunding in deadly
combat and is about to vanquish him, Wotan inter-
poses his spear, and upon that the sword, Nothung, is
shattered and Siegmund, defenseless, is killed by a
blow from Hunding.

Thus truth is ever upon the side of the truth seeker
in his battle against the conventionalities of the church
and social customs. But when the power of religion,
which furnished him the courage of despair necessary
to stand up for his convictions, is pitted against the
power of creed symbolized by the spear of Wotan,
many an earnest soul has been vanquished, though
not convinced. Siegmund may die, and Sieglinda may
follow him to the grave, broken hearted, when, assisted
by Brunhilde she has given birth to Siegfried, the vic-
tor ; for, as already said, the thirst for truth once felt
can never be quenched until it has gained satisfaction.

In the meantime, Wotan powerless to abandon Val-
hal, the ring of creed, is forced to put away from him-
self Brunhilde, the spirit of truth, who has disobeyed
him ; for it is a condition of creed that it be autocratic
and brook no gainsaying. But as all religions are in-
herently imbued by a spirit of love and a sincere desire
to benefit and uplift mankind, Wotan feels an over-
whelming sorrow at the step which is necessary for the
continuance of the policy he has adopted, and which

92 MYSTERIES OF THE GREAT OPERAS

he adheres to despite the heart-rending pleadings of
Brunhilde. It is a terrible thing to part company with
truth, and both feel this more keenly than words can
express, when the poor creed bound Wotan must per-
force put Brunhilde to sleep, as he says : "Never to be
wakened, until one shall come who is more free than
I."

And in that saying he discloses the principal re-
quirement in the quest of truth. ' ' Unless a man leave
father and mother," said Christ, "he cannot become
my disciple." All limitations must have been swept
away before we can hope for success in the quest of
truth.

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