Wotan

Wotan, also known as the Wanderer, and lord of the Ravens or Walvater is king of the Norse gods or "Light Elves", and a central figure in the Ring Cycle. It was Wotan who commissioned the creation of Valhalla by the Giants Fafner and Fasolt, and who stole the Ring from Alberich, only to turn it over in payment to the Giants. Wotan is the progenitor of the Wälsung bloodline.

Wotan before the Ring Cycle gave an eye to drink from the Well of Wisdom. He broke a branch from Yggdrasil the World Ash Tree and carved it into a spear, into this is carved the runes that give him his power. However in the process he wounded the tree, meaning it perishes. If Wotan breaks the laws on his spear, he will lose his power. He had used the power of the spear to tame "wandering flame" into the demigod Loge, who contemptously aids Wotan with his trickery.

Family

Wotan is married to Fricka, having pledged his remaining eye to marry her. By his marriage, he is brother-in-law to Freia, Froh and Donner. There are no children between Wotan and Fricka: Brunnhilde, his eldest, is sired from a liasion with Erda, while the eight other Valkyries are sired by other supernatural beings, like the ones Loge teases Donner and Froh for fancying. Also sired by him is the mortal Wälsung bloodline with twins Siegmund and Sieglinde.

Wotan visits Mime and offers him his help.

Das Rheingold

Wotan is arguably the main character in the first Ring opera. Before the play begins he commands a peace between the Gods and the Giants, commissioning them to build a fort for the Gods: Fricka had asked for a fort in vain hope to keep Wotan to herself, but he fancies it to solidify his power. The giants ask as payment for this enterprise Freia, Wotan's sister-in-law, with whom one of the giants, Fasolt, is smitten. His cunning brother Fafner, however, wishes simply to wisk Freia away from the Gods so that they'd wane and perish without the supply of her Golden Apples. Wotan agrees to the bargain since Loge promises to try and find a substitute for Freia before the deal goes into effect. Being unable to do so, Wotan is made to steal the Tarnhelm, the Ring and the Nibelung hoard from Alberich with help from Loge, and turn them over to Fafner and Fasolt in payment, though only gives the ring to the Giants when told to by Erda. He then names the fort Valhalla, hall of the slain, in reference to a newly-formed plan to populate it with the collected bodies of dead heroes to protect it from Alberich's hate.

Die Walküre

Wotan's children - the result of his liaison with a a mortal woman- are the central protagonists in this second opera. Wotan had also sired Brunnhilde and the Valkyries in the interim, but learns from Erda that all his preparations will not avail against Alberich if he reclaims the Ring from Fafner. Wotan wishes to stem this, but must guarentee Fafner's safety as per their agreement. He results to siring the Walsungs and deliberately stirring up conflict with another human clan, the Neidings, to raise Siegmund up to a life of hardship in the forest. During their conflict, the Neidings once raide their hall, killing Siegmund's mother and abducting his sister who is sold to marriage to Hunding. After they finally vanquish the Neidings, Wotan disappears, and at some later point pins a sword into the tree in Hunding's house, where he mournfully looks upon the enslaved Sieglinde: its unclear that Sieglinde's capture was part of his plan or that she had survived her capture.

Wotan intended for Siegmund to slay Fafner and take the ring, which only a free hero can do. He tells Brunnhilde to protect his son in his battle against Hunding. However Fricka points out Siegmund is not free, having been manipulated by Wotan. Fricka forces Wotan to agree to make Siegmund die in battle for his adultorous releationship with his sister Sieglinde. Wotan has to agree or he would be going against the law that gives him his power. He commands Brunnhilde to make sure Siegmund dies. Knowing his love for the Wälsungs, Brünnhilde protests but Wotan compells her to fight for Hunding. Moved in the event by Siegmund's love for Sieglinde, Brunnhilde disobeys her father and intervenes on Sigmund's behalf in the battle with Hunding. With his spear Wotan breaks Sigmund's sword, leaving both Wälsungs to die (though killing Hunding after Siegmund's death) and sentencing Brünnhilde to sleep in a ring of fire until awakened by a fearless hero.

Siegfried

Wotan appears here in his guise as "Der Wanderer." In a battle of wits with Mime, he guides the dwarf into permitting Siegfried to re-forge Nothung himself and wins Mime's head, but leaves it to the one who will re-forge the sword. Sure enough, Siegfried later kills Mime. Wotan is recognised by Alberich as he nears Fafner's cave, but says he will not interfere, though he tells the dwarf of Mime's plan to get the ring. After Siegfried has slain Fafner, Wotan tells Erda he no longer fears the end of the Gods. Near the end of the opera, Wotan appears to his grandson and warns him of the dangers in pursuing Brünnhilde, and reveals that he was the one who originally shattered Nothung. In a rage, Siegfried smashes Wotan's spear, and in so doing signifies the beginning of the end for the gods. This is the last appearance of Wotan.

Götterdämmerung

Though thematically and musically Wotan has an important role, he has no on-stage appearance in this final entry in the cycle. Waltraute tells Brunnhilde that after she was banished Wotan never sent the Valkyries from Valhalla again. Wotan has ordered Yggdrasil to be chopped down and placed around Valhalla as a funeral pyre, and is sitting in Valhalla awaiting its destruction when his ravens give the signal, ordering the Gods and nobles of Valhalla to remain there also. He has refused the golden apples of Freia. Waltrude hears from Wotan that Brunnhilde should return the ring to the Rhinemaidens, misconstruing that in the event the Gods will be saved, but Brunnhilda refuses as the ring represents the love of her and Siegfried. Wotan and all the other Gods perish when Valhalla is set alight after Brunnhilda gives the signal to the ravens before throwing herself into Siegfried's funeral pyre.

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