The Outline of Mythology

Thomas Bulfinch's whole mythic world — the gods of Olympus, King Arthur's Round Table, the Mabinogeon, Beowulf and the paladins of Charlemagne — told as stories, the way 1913 read them.

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Wagner's Nibelungen Ring: Wotan

The principal gods are Wotan, Loki, Donner, and Froh. The chief giants are Fafner and Fasolt, brothers. The chief dwarfs are Alberich and Mime, brothers, and later Hagan, son of Alberich. The chief nymphs are the Rhine-daughters, Flosshilda, Woglinda, and Wellgunda. There are nine Valkyrie, of whom Brunhild is the leading one.

Wagner's story of the Ring may be summarized as follows: A hoard of gold exists in the depths of the Rhine, guarded by the innocent Rhine-maidens. Alberich, the dwarf, forswears love to gain this gold. He makes it into a magic ring. It gives him all power, and he gathers by it a vast amount of treasures.

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