Photo of piano keyboard and pianist's hands by Gabriel Gurrola on Unsplash

History, analysis and commentary about western classical music

Introduction to Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen [The Ring of the Nibelung]

Index of Characters

Das Rheingold [The Rhine Gold]

Gods

Wotan (head of the gods)
Loge (god of fire)
Donner (god of Thunder)
Froh (brother of Donner)

Goddesses

Fricka (wife of Wotan)
Freia (sister of Fricka)
Erda (earth goddess)

Nibelungs

Alberich
Mime

Rhine Maidens

Woglinde
Wellgunde
Flosshilde

Giants

Fasolt
Fafner

Arthur Rackham illustration for The Rhine Gold
Arthur Rackham - The Rhine Gold

Die Walküre [The Valkyries]

Wotan (head of the gods)
Fricka (wife of Wotan)
Hunding
Sieglinde (wife of Hunding / twin sister of Siegmund)
Siegmund (twin brother of Sieglinde)
Brunnhilde (favoured Valkyire of Wotan)

Valkyries

Gerhilde
Ortlinde
Waltaute
Schwertleite
Helmwige
Siegrune
Grimgerde
Rossweisse

Arthur Rackham illustration for The  Valkyries
Arthur Rackham - The Valkyries

Siegfried

Siegfried
Mime
Alberich
The Wanderer (Wotan)
Fafner (as dragon)
Erda (earth goddess)
Brunnhilde
Forest Bird

Arthur Rackham illustration for Siegfried
Arthur Rackham - Siegfried

Götterdämmerung [Twilight of the Gods]

Siegfried
Brunnhilde
Gunther
Gutrune (sister of Gunther)
Hagen (son of Alberich)
Alberich

Rhine Maidens

Woglinde
Wellgunde
Flosshilde

Norns

First Norn
Second Norn
Third Norn

Extras

Vassals
Ladies

Arthur Rackham illustration for Twilight of the Gods
Arthur Rackham - Twilight of the Gods