Das Rheingold Facts for Kids

Wotan's fortress of Valhalla

Das Rheingold (which means The Rhinegold) is a famous opera by Richard Wagner. It's the first of four operas that tell a big story called Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).

Das Rheingold has one very long act, which is like a big section of the play. This act is split into four scenes. It lasts about two and a half hours. Usually, there are no breaks (intermissions) because the music plays continuously from one scene to the next.

The characters in the opera include powerful Gods, huge Giants, tricky Nibelungs, and the beautiful Rhinedaughters. The Nibelungs are a group of dwarfs. They are known for being clever and sometimes mean. They live deep underground.

The Story of Das Rheingold
The Music of Das Rheingold
The Other Operas in the Ring Cycle
Images for kids
See also

The Story of Das Rheingold

Scene 1: The Rhine River

The first scene takes place in the river Rhine. Three magical Rhinemaidens named Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Flosshilde are guarding a special treasure: the Rhine gold. Alberich, an evil Nibelung, arrives and tries to catch the Rhinemaidens.

From their conversation, Alberich learns that the gold they are guarding has magic powers. He wants the gold for himself. However, the Rhinemaidens explain that anyone who wants the gold must give up love. They think Alberich won't do this because he likes girls a lot. But Alberich surprises them. He gives up love and takes the gold.

Scene 2: Valhalla, Home of the Gods

The second scene is in Valhalla, the amazing castle where the gods live. Wotan, the chief god, is there with his wife, Fricka. Two giants have just finished building this huge castle for the gods.

Wotan had promised to pay the giants for their work by giving them Freia, the Goddess of Youth and Beauty. Fricka is worried about this promise. But Wotan tells her he doesn't plan to keep it. He hopes to trick the giants instead. Freia then enters, looking scared because the giants are coming for her.

The giants, Fasolt and Fafner, arrive. They demand Freia as payment for building the castle. This is a big problem for the gods. Freia has a special garden where she grows golden apples. If the gods don't have these apples, they will grow old and die. Wotan doesn't know what to do.

Loge, the god of fire, enters. Wotan is annoyed with Loge for not finding another way to pay the giants. Loge says he has searched everywhere. He tells everyone about the magic Rhine gold and how Alberich stole it by giving up love. Loge explains that a powerful ring can be made from this gold. Whoever wears the ring will have power over the whole world.

The giants hear about the ring and decide they want the gold instead of Freia. They take Freia as a hostage. They say they will return later to collect the gold. If they don't get it, they will keep Freia forever.

Wotan asks Loge how they can get the gold. Loge suggests they steal it from Alberich. After all, Alberich stole it from the Rhinemaidens, so it's not truly his. Wotan and Loge then go down below the earth to the Nibelungs' home.

Scene 3: Under the Earth

Fafner kills Fasolt

Underneath the earth, Alberich is forcing the Nibelungs to work for him. They are busy hammering at an anvil. Mime, who is Alberich’s brother, has used some of the gold to make a special helmet. This helmet is called the Tarn helmet. Anyone who wears it can change their shape or become invisible. Alberich treats his brother very badly.

Wotan and Loge arrive and tell Alberich they've heard how clever he is. They ask him to show them what he can do with the Tarn helmet. Alberich puts on the helmet and changes himself into a huge dragon. Wotan and Loge pretend to be very impressed. They then ask him if he can change into something small. Alberich shows off again, turning himself into a frog. Wotan immediately steps on him and catches him. Wotan and Loge take all the gold and head back to Valhalla.

Scene 4: Return to Valhalla

Wotan and Loge tease Alberich. Alberich asks what they want so he can be free. Wotan demands all the gold. The Nibelungs pile up the gold. Alberich isn't too worried because he still has the magic ring. He thinks he can use its power later to get the gold back.

Wotan sees the ring on Alberich’s finger. He tells Alberich to give him the ring. Alberich is terrified, but Wotan tears it from his finger. Before Alberich leaves, he puts a terrible curse on the ring. He says that whoever has the ring will die. This curse is very important for the rest of the story in all four operas.

The two giants appear with Freia. The gods had become very weak without Freia, but once she returns, they start to get stronger again. Wotan tells the giants they can have their gold. The giants say they must pile up the gold in front of Freia until they can't see her at all. They do this, but the giants say there's still a tiny hole where they can see Freia’s eye. They spot the ring on Wotan’s finger and tell him to put it in the hole. Wotan says they can have anything else, but not the ring.

Then, Erda appears. Erda is the Earth Goddess. She is very wise. She reminds Wotan about the curse on the ring and tells him he should quickly give the ring to the giants. Wotan has no choice. He puts the ring in the hole. Now the giants are happy.

However, right away, the giants start arguing with each other. Fafner kills Fasolt. The curse on the ring is already working! Loge tells Wotan he was smart to give up the ring. But Fricka is still worried because Wotan did have the ring for a short time.

Donner, the god of Thunder, enters and swings his hammer. There's a flash of lightning and a loud crash of thunder. The clouds disappear, and a beautiful rainbow forms a bridge to Valhalla. The gods walk across the rainbow bridge into their castle. The Rhinemaidens are heard crying out to Wotan to give the gold back, but Wotan doesn't listen. The gods are now at the peak of their power. But, as we will see in the last opera, the curse will eventually affect them too, and they will also die.

The Music of Das Rheingold

The music in Das Rheingold is written to perfectly match every character and situation. The famous opening of the opera starts with a very low chord of E flat. This music helps you imagine the bottom of the Rhine river. At first, the notes are held for a long time. Then, they slowly start to ripple with broken chords and arpeggios, like the movement of water. The harps make sounds like waves. The music stays on the same E flat chord for the first 136 bars until the Rhinemaidens begin to sing.

Each character in the opera has their own special musical tune, called a leitmotif. These leitmotifs can change and combine to show how the characters' moods and situations are changing. For example, there are big, heavy chords for the giants. Loge, the clever god of fire, has creepy, winding music. The wise Earth Goddess Erda has dignified music. There's also a special leitmotif for the curse, which you hear many times throughout all four operas.

Richard Wagner actually called "Das Rheingold" a "prologue." This means it's like an introduction to the other three operas, which he saw as the main parts of the story.

The Other Operas in the Ring Cycle

The second opera is Die Walküre.
The third opera is Siegfried.
The fourth opera is Götterdämmerung.
The whole story is called Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Images for kids

Alberich and the subjugated Nibelung dwarfs (illustration by Arthur Rackham, 1910).
Libretto cover for Das Rheingold (Peter Hoffer)
Wotan
The Rhinemaidens, in the first Bayreuth production of Das Rheingold, 1876. l to r: Minna Lammert (Floßhilde); Lilli Lehmann (Woglinde); Marie Lehmann (Wellgunde)
Emil Fischer as Wotan at the 1889 New York premiere
The gods begin to lose their youth on Freia's departure