Rhinemaidens

The Rhine Maidens Wellgunde, Woglinde and Floßhilde among the protagonists of the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner.

They are mythical creatures of nature, as well as the timeless and knowing Erda and the fate monitored Norns. Wagner has created with his ring seal its own mythology.

The Rheintöcher occur in Das Rheingold, the first work of the tetralogy at as guardians of lying in the Rhine natural gold. The dwarf Alberich, a Nibelung, courting their favor, but they reject the ugly advertisers. Powerless, they see then how Alberich steals the gold of the Rhine ( the stage efficiency 's sake makes it out to be a solid gold piece is ), and how he then cursed love. Love waiver and forged into a ring Rheingold will give him unbridled power. This prophecy had him - carelessly or intentionally, which remains in limbo - made ​​the Rhine daughters.

In the further course of the tetralogy seek the Rhine maidens, the Rhine returned to the ring and thus the gold again. But neither Wotan, who has handed over the ring as a price for the construction of his Valhalla to the giants Fasolt and Fafner, Siegfried yet, ask the Rheintöchter in the third act of Götterdämmerung around the ring are ready to do so. Only at the end of the mythological action accomplishes Brünnhilde the redeeming Weltentat and gives the ring back to the Rhine daughters and the Rhine.

• Nibelung
• Operatic character of Richard Wagner
• Rhine in the culture