COMPLETE LEITMOTIFS from "The Ring" by Richard Wagner Indexed by Roger Donnington "The Ring and its Symbols"
As Numbered and Labelled in The Ring and its Symbols by Roger Donington: Numerical Order
d01 d02 d03 d04 d05 d06 d07 d08 d09 d10 d11 d12 d13 d14 d15 d16 d17 d18 d19 d20 d21 d22 d23 d24 d25 d26 d27 d28 d29 d30 d31 d32 d33 d34 d35 d36 d37 d38 d39 d40 d41 d42 d43 d44 d45 d46 d47 d48
Alphabetical Order
Nature Rhine Erda Downfall More Downfall Freia as love Freia as Joy The Ring Brooding The Norn's rope Atonement Obligation Th The Curse Wotan's Treaties Alberich's Will Magic Sleep The Wanderer Tarnhelm Magic Potion Loge as Fire Ambivalent Loge Walküren The Norns Darkness Sunlight Rhinemaidens Forest Bird Innocent Delight Forest Murmurs Innocent Sleep Rheingold! More Rhinemaidens Rhinemaidens' Delight Innocent Delight Siegmund Sieglinde The Twin's Love Bliss The Drink Gu G utrune The Gibichung Promises Nothung Gold as Worth Sword as Manhood Th T hunder Walküren as Animus Siegfried's Horn
d69 d15 d21 d11 d38 d9 d88 d87 d24 d62 d79 d80 d4 d3 d57 d27 d29 d7 d6 d59 d58 d44 d81 d67 d40 d61 d49 d54 d60 d28 d34 d30 d20 d90 d19 d16 d50 d71 d72 d32 d5 d1 d43 d12 d51 d84 d42 d64
1
Agitation Alberich's Will Ambivalent Loge Atonement Bliss Brooding Brünnhilde as Woman Brünnhilde's Love Darkness Death Destiny Accepted Devotion Downfall Erda Fafner Forest Bird Forest Murmurs Freia as Joy Freia as love Giant's Authority Giant's Strength Gold as Worth Grief Accepted Gunter as Hero Gutrune Hagen Hagen's Dawn Hagen's Vassals Hunding Innocent Delight Innocent Delight Innocent Sleep Loge as Fire Love as Fulifllment Magic Potion Magic Sleep Mime as Smith Mime Frustrated Mime's Complaint Mo M ore Rhinemaidens More Downfall Nature Nothung Obligation Obstinate Mime Po P owerful Destiny Promises Rainbow Bridge
d49 d50 d51 d52 d53 d54 d55 d56 d57 d58 d59 d60 d61 d62 d63 d64 d65 d66 d67 d68 d69 d70 d71 d72 d73 d74 d75 d76 d77 d78 d79 d80 d81 d82 d83 d84 d85 d86 d87 d88 d89 d90
Hagen's Dawn Mime as Smith Obstinate Mime Siegfried as Smith Siegfried's Strength Hagen's Vassals Siegfried's Boldness Siegfried's Freedom Fa Fafner Giant's Strength Giant's Authority Hunding Hagen Death Valhalla Rainbow Bridge Siegfried's Deeds Tragic Volsung Gunter as Hero Woe or Grief Agitation Wotan Frustrated Mime Frustrated Mime's Complaint Wotan's Spear The Storm Restless Plotting Renunciation of Love Volsung as Destiny Siegfried's Heroism Destiny Accepted Devotion Grief Accepted Wotan's Grief Relinquishment Powerful Destiny Unavoidable Destiny Siegmund's Love Song Brünnhilde's Love Brünnhilde as Woman Siegfried's Love Love as Fulifllment
d83 d76 d75 d31 d2 d26 d33 d52 d55 d65 d56 d78 d48 d89 d53 d36 d35 d86 d25 d45 d18 d13 d39 d41 d23 d10 d8 d74 d37 d17 d46 d66 d91 d85 d63 d77 d22 d47 d68 d70 d82 d73
2
Relinquishment Renunciation of Love Restless Plotting Rheingold! Rhine Rhinemaidens Rhinemaidens' Delight Siegfried as Smith Si Siegfried's Boldness Siegfried's Deeds Siegfried's Freedom Siegfried's Heroism Siegfried's Horn Siegfried's Love Siegfried's Strength Sieglinde Siegmund Siegmund's Love Song Sunlight Sword as Manhood Tarnhelm The Curse The Drink The Gibichung The Norns The Norn's rope The Ring The Storm The Twin's Love The Wanderer Thunder Tragic Volsung Transformation Unavoidable Destiny Valhalla Volsung as Destiny Walküren Walküren as Animus Woe or Grief Wotan Frustrated Wotan's Grief Wotan's Spear
As Numbered and Labelled in The Ring and its Symbols by Roger Donington
d1
Nat ur ure
The depths of the Rhine as undifferentiated nature; Urelement
d2
Rhine
First stirring under the Rhine as a premonition of consciousness (developed from d1)
d3
Erda
Erda as the earth‐mother and ancestral wisdom (minor form of d2)
d3a
World World Ash Tree Tree
Rhythmic variation of d3
Downfall
The downfall of the gods, back to Mother Nature; Götterdämmerung (inversi on of d3)
d5
More More Downfa Downfall ll
Further comments on the downfall of the old order; Götternoth (developments of d3 and d4, with d70)
d6
Frei Freia a as Love Love
Freia as young love (related to d2 but with a chromatic element)
d7
Frei Freia a as joy joy
Freia's golden apples as joy, and immortality (major form of d4 and of d76)
d4
3
d8
the the Ring Ring
The Ring as underlying purpose
d8a
(chromatic modification of d4 and returning upwards; related to d7, and the basis of d13 and d63) d8b
Broo Broodi ding ng
Purposeful brooding; Sinnen (derived from d8, related to d61a )
d10
The Norn's Norn's rope rope
The Norn's rope of destiny (derived from d2ainfluenced by d8)
d11
Aton Atonem emen entt
Attonement as a force of destiny; Sühnerrecht (related to d8)
d12
Obliga Obligatio tion n
Obligation as an expression of destiny (related to d8)
d13
The The Curs Curse e
Alberich's curse as an expression of destiny (an inversion of d8)
Wotan's Wotan's Treati Treaties es
Wotan's treaties as part of his destiny (related to the opening of d13)
Alberi Alberich' ch'ss Will Will
Alberich's obsessive will as a force of destiny, the Nibelung's hatred; Vernichtungsarbeit (harmo nic version of the opening notes of d13
d9
d14
d15
4
Magic Magic Sleep Sleep
Magic sleep as regression to the unconscious (note the progressions to the mediant; the falling semitones relate to d68 and hence to d4)
The Wander Wanderer er
Wotan the Wanderer, wise and in touch with the unconscious (note the progressions to the mediant; related to d16 by the falling semitones; compare also d82)
d18
Tarn Tarnhe helm lm
the Tarnhelm as unconscious fantasy; Tarnhelmzauber (note the final bare fifth; related to d16 and to d68)
d19
Magic Magic Potion Potion
the magic potion as unconscious repression; Zaubertrug (a further concentration of d18)
d20
Loge Loge as Fire Fire
d16
d17
d20a
d20b
Loge the god of fire as primal energy; Waberlohe (related to the extreme chomaticism of d16 combined with restless energy)
d20c
d20d Loge's Protective Ring of Fire
5
d21
Abivale Abivalent nt Loge
Loge as the ambivalence of primal energy; flattery, trickery (further aspects of d20, and also related to d15 but more dynamic) d21a
d22
Walk Walkür üren en
The Valkyries as primal energy in action; Walkürenruf (related Walkürenruf (related to d20c and to the inversion of d20b)
d22a
d22b
d23
d24
the the Norn Nornss
the Norns as premonitions of the unconscious (a retardation of d22, the Norns being another aspect of the Valkyries; also linked to d16)
Darkn Darknes esss
Darkness, standing for unconsciousness (note the mediant progession from Ebmin to Cbmaj, a dark tonality; always followed by d2)
6
Sunlight, standing for returning d25
Sunl Sunlig ight ht
d26
Rhinem Rhinemaid aidens ens
d27
Forest Forest Bird Bird
consciousness; Weltbegrüßung (th e same mediant progession as d24 but from Emin to Cmaj, a bright tonality)
The song of the Rhinemaidens as tempters back to immature innocence; Rheintöchter (derives Rheintöchter (derives from d1, the added sixth as in d24 hinting at the Rhinemaidens as delight in nature. Very close to d27)
The song of the forest‐bird, as initiator out of immature innocence (very close to d26)
d27a
m51b
d28
Innoce Innocent nt Deligh Delightt
The glitter of the sunlight on the gold under the water, as childhood's innocent delight (related to d26 and d29)
d29
Forest Forest Murmur Murmurss
The forest murmurs as Siegfried's childlike innocence and playful thoughts (related to d28 and d20c)
d30
Innoce Innocent nt Sleep Sleep
Brünnhilde sinking into the innocent sleep from which she will awake into womanhood (same as the opening of d26 and d27)
7
d31
d31a
d32
Rheing Rheingol old! d!
Rheindaughter's Lament
Rheingold! Rheingold! (re‐ harmonises the added sixth of d26; also occurs in the minor where it is very close to d68)
Minor variation on d31.
More More Rhinema Rhinemaide idens ns
The Rhinemaidens in Götterdämmerung (extension of d31) d32a
8
d33
The Rhinemaidens' deceptive delight Rhinemai Rhinemaidens' dens' Delight Delight (from d31 and, d31 and, inverted, Loge the trickster d21a) d21a)
d34
Innocent Innocent delight delight
Truly innocent delight; Liebesentzückung Liebesentzückung (related to d33 and d33 and d26) d26)
d35 d35
Sieg Siegmu mund nd Siegmund as hero schooled in misfortune (related melodically to d70, d70, d73 and d73 and d74) d74)
d35a
d36
Siegli Sieglinde nde
d37
The Twin' Twin'ss Love Love
Sieglinde as heroine schooled in misfortune (at bar 2; fits well with d35; d35; resembles d8 inverted, d8 inverted, or d1 followed d1 followed by d4) d4)
The love of Siegmund and Sieglinde (derived from d69)
d37a
9
d38 d38
Blis Blisss
Bliss, and the longing for bliss (related to d6; d6; the chromatic rise is the complement of d37 and d37 and d68) d68)
d38a
d38b
The drink which unites the destinies of d39 d39
The The Drin Drink k
d40 d40
Gutr Gutrun une e
d41
The Gibic Gibichun hung g
Siegmund and Sieglinde (development of d35 and d35 and d36; d36; a lovely passage, but occurs twice only so hardly qualifies as a motif)
Gutrune as foredoomed heroine (reminiscent of d37 and d37 and d37a respectively) d37a respectively)
The Gibichung brother and sister as foredoomed pair; Hagen uses it as the first half of his wedding‐ call; Hochzeitruf (variant Hochzeitruf (variant of d40; d40; also refers to d7) d7)
d42 d42
Prom Promis ises es
Honorable intentions, the appearance of good faith; the seeming to keep promises, the longing for normality (related to d40, d40, d41 and d41 and d61) d61)
d42a
d43 d43
Noth Nothun ung g
Nothung as the promised or longed‐ for sword; Schwertwart (derived from d45; d45; also refers to d42a) d42a)
10
d44
Gold Gold as Worth Worth
The gold as true worth (derives directly from d1, connected to d45; also occurs in minor)
d45
Sword Sword as manhood manhood
The sword as true manhood (derives directly from d1; closely connected to d44)
d46 d46
Thun Thunde derr
The thunder as masculine spirit; Donner; Gewitterzauber (related to d44 and d45)
d47
Walküre Walküren n as Animus Animus
The Valkyries as the masculine element in women; Walkürenritt (The Ride of the Valkyries, a variant of d46)
d48
Siegfried Siegfried's 's Horn
Siegfried's horn call expressing his free spirit; Waldknabenruf (derived from d46 and d63; the source of d65)
d49
Hagen Hagen's 's dawn dawn
The dawn of Hagen's day (directly related to d1 and d2)
d50
Mime Mime as Smith Smith
Mime as smith, and forging generally; Schmiedemotiv (directly represents the tapping of hammer on anvil)
d51
Obstin Obstinate ate Mime Mime
Mime as obsessive persisten persistence ce (variant of d50)
d52
Siegfried Siegfried as Smith
Siegfried's heroic forging as his youthful impetuosity (heroic counterpart of d50, distantly related to d58, the bass refers to d73) d52a
Siegfried's Forging Song
d53
Siegfried Siegfried's 's Strength Strength
Siegfried's youthful strength; Lebenslust (heroic counterpart of d58, reminiscent reminiscent of d46 and d52)
d54
Hagen' Hagen'ss Vassa Vassals ls
The Vassals as the strong world of men (inversion of d53)
11
d56
Siegfrie Siegfried's d's freedom freedom Siegfried's heroic freedom from entanglements; Wanderlied (brighter Wanderlied (brighter relatives of d52, d52, linked with d70 and d70 and d73; d73; see also d72, d72, d26 and d26 and d27) d27)
d56a
d57 d57
Fafn Fafner er
Fafner as inertia, as the backward pull of the unconscious; Schlangenwurm Schlangenwurm (related to d18 and d18 and m20) m20)
d58
Giant's Giant's Strength Strength
The Giants as brute strength
(wurmmmotiv) ‐ Fafner as Dragon
d59
Giant's Giant's Authority Authority
The Giants as the brutal aspect of parental authority (combination of d58 and d58 and d73) d73)
d60 d60
Hund Hundin ing g
Hunding as Siegmund's dark shadow (related to d58, d58, d62 and d62 and d69) d69)
12
Hage Hagen n
Hagen as Siegfried's dark shadow, and the Gibichung race generally in this negative aspect (dark counterpart of d42, in the same family as d40, d41 and d42; d61arelates to d9)
d62 d62
Deat Death h
The darkness of death itself (Siegfried's funeral march, related to d58 and d60)
d63 d63
Valh Valhal alla la
Valhalla as achievement, and as Wotan's genuinely creative thoughts (a stable diatonic version of d8)
d64
Rainb Rainbow ow Bridge Bridge
The rainbow bridge to Valhalla (developed from d1, influenced by d2, d45 and perhaps d63)
d65
Siegfried's Siegfried's Deeds
Siegfried's heroic deeds as the ever‐reborn spirit of youth (a stronger version of d48)
d66
Tragi Tragicc Volsun Volsung g
The tragic but heroic destiny of the Volsung race (minor version of d44 linked with d3, d42, d78 and perhaps d76)
d67
Gunter Gun ter as Hero Hero
Gunther's illusory heroism (related to d63 and d66; reminiscent of d18 because of the bare fifths)
d61 d61
d61a
13
d68
Woe or Grief Grief
Woe or grief, whether accepted or not; Frohnmotif (the falling semitone relates to d4; opposite of d38)
d68a
See also Göt 3/1 Rheintöchter "Siegfried! Siegfried!" and Göt 2/3 Hagen "Hoi‐ho! Hoi‐ho!"
d68b
d69
Agitat Agitation ion
Agitation, including both passion and compassion; Flucht (extension of d66, uses the same notes as d37)
d69a
d70
Wotan Frustrated Frustrated
Wotan's will frustrated; Unmuth (incorporates d68, close to d73, the complement of d79)
d71
Mime Mime Frustr Frustrate ated d
Mime's will frustrated (a version of d68; the same as the opening of d70)
d72
Mime's Mime's complaint complaint
Mime's complaint (reminiscent of d68 and d70; a dark counterpoint of d56, but in the minor and with a tritone as in d61a)
Wotan' Wotan'ss Spear Spear
The spear as Wotan's wilful authority, but also his entanglements and inhibitions; Vertragsmotiv (related to d70, d79, d59 and m56; lies within d90c)
d73
d73a Treaty Treaty Motif Motif
Variant of d73. Wotan's spear is inscribed with runes codifying the treaties and obligations he has created and promised.
d74 d74
The storm which opens Die Walküre, as Wotan's resistance to destiny (derived from d73, with the rising quintuplet from Alberich's d15)
The The Storm Storm
14
d75
Restless Restless plotting plotting
d76
Renunc Renunciat iation ion
Restless plotting or distress; Rachebund (connected with d70 and d68, and thence to d4)
Renunciation, often amounting to acceptance of destiny; Entsagungsmotiv (related (related to d68, the rising minor‐sixth and subsequent fall to the tonic are distinctive; close to d78)
d76a
d76b
d77
Volsung Volsung as Destiny Destiny
The Volsung race as instruments of destiny (related to the end of d70 and of d35, the third bar of d66, the minor‐sixth leap of d76, and the semitone fall of d68 here cancelled by the third note; foreshadows d88)
d78
Siegfried's Siegfried's Heroism Heroism
Siegfried's heroism as acceptance acceptance of of his his destiny destiny (related to d13 and d76)
d79
Destiny Destiny Accepted Accepted
Destiny accepted (related to d4 and d76; a complement of d73)
d80 d80
Devo Devoti tion on
Devotion, especially Siegfried's to Brünnhilde, as part of the binding power of destiny (variant of d79)
d81
Grief Grief accept accepted ed
Grief as acceptance of unavoidable suffering (semitones between bar 1 and bar 3, and bar 5 and bar 6, are reminiscent of d68)
d82
Wotan' Wotan'ss grief grief
Wotan's grief at parting from Brünnhilde (reminiscent of d66, d76 and d81; related to d17)
d83
Relinq Relinquis uishme hment nt
Relinquishment (reminiscent of d76 inverting the opening notes; close to d82; the last two bars are d84)
d84
Powerful Powerful Destiny Destiny
Destiny as the power to which all must in the end surrender (the last two bars of d83; an extension of d68, refers to the last two bars of d70)
15
d85
d86
d87
Unavoidable Unavoidable Destiny Destiny
The inevitability of destiny (variant of d84; connected to d79 and thence to d73 and d4)
Siegmund's Siegmund's love song
Siegmund's song for the coming of spring, as his experience of fulfilment with Sieglinde (related to d26, d7 and d37, but has an aria‐character somewhat out of place in the Ring)
Brünnhilde Brünnhilde's 's love
Brünnhilde's Brünnhilde's holy love; Friedensmelodie Friedensmelodie (triumphant counterpart of d40, reminiscent of d6; appear in Siegfried Idyll ) Idyll )
d87a
Wolzogen calls d87a the Weltenhortmotiv
d88
Brünnhilde Brünnhilde as Woman Woman
Brünnhilde as loving woman (a transformation of d77; related to d76, shares C‐G‐Bb with bar 3 of d86, the falling minor seventh on the beat is the bright counterpart of bar 2 of d61)
d89
Siegfr Siegfried ied's 's love love
m59
d90
Love as fulifllment fulifllment
Siegfried's tender love for Brünnhilde, and hers for him; Welterbschaft Welterbschaft (evokes d32, d34, d65, d80, d 87, d87a, d63 and d2)
Love as fulfilment; Liebesgruß (connected with d87, d88 and d89, more distantly with d69 and d86; the end of d90a recalls d38, and d90c is a modification of d73)
d90a
d90a (Liebesfesselung (Liebesfesselung)) is shared by Fricka and Brünnhilde
d90b
d90c
d91
d91a
Transform Transformation ation
Transformat ion (related to d88)
Wolzogen calls d91a Liebeserlösung
16
