Das Gold im neuen Altgeist
Alberich's Pain
Woe, o woe is Black-Alberich, the dark, uncivilized, and immoral side of the god Wotan. All he wants is to become Light- Alberich, to clothe his darkness in nobility. He has lost interest in the futile pursuits of the world. He will rise from his place as Wotan’s dark shadow and become as the noble god. To do this, he must have the gold from the River Rhine, even if it means stealing it from a Rhine Daughter.
As we embark on a journey through the paintings and drawings in this volume, let us put ourselves in the place of the Rhine daughter in the painting Window. Blues and reds are lighted by the rising yellow sun, and the girl looks out to the stories that she herself will help form from these colors in the day ahead. From day to day and age to age, Rhine daughters contend with the primary colors from which they were born, building from them their houses and pathways. While a countless variety of stories may unfold, the three primary colors are the unchanging center of their creation.
1. The Cycle Begins
Evening on the Rhine
The Rhine daughter emerges from the deep blue waters. Earthy red flows from her head, down her body, and over her feet, protecting her from the harsh elements. Soft yellow light illuminates her blurred vision, allowing her to see the blue and red that surrounds her. It is a painful birth.
Elsa von Brabant
The knight himself is Elsa’s defense. It is not for her to find the source of his power–-his name–-or question the validity of his knighthood. This is the command of her knight. Only thus can she love him and can he defend her. If she breaks this command, her knight will leave her.
The Spell
A Rhine daughter glowing in red and gold sits in the foreground. Behind her, a figure lurks in the darkness, blinded in one eye like her ruler, Wotan. The light about her seems fabricated. The young Rhine maiden caught between them sits entranced, unable to extract herself from the spell.
The Sculptor
As the Rhine daughter holds the earth and waters from which she came, she sees that she too can sculpt and build. As she sculpts the elements, she learns of the primary colors that she can combine. The ripples that she causes in the waters and the earth become a tower to her own kingdom. May she discover more of the power in her own hands!
