Donner and Freia, and Fricka.
Appears in the "Rheingold."

DONNER: God of Thunder, brother to Fricka, Freia, and Froh. Appears in
the "Rheingold."

LOGE: Spirit of Fire and Flame. Belongs first to the underworld and
then the Gods. Appears in the "Rheingold."

MIME: Dwarf (Nibelung, foster-father of Siegfried.) Appears in the
"Rheingold" and in "Siegfried."

SIEGMUND: Son of Wotan, husband to Sieglinde and Siegfried's father.
Appears in the "Valkyrie."

SIEGFRIED: Son of Siegmund and Sieglinde, and grandson of Wotan
(Waelse). Husband of Bruennhilde and Gutrune. Appears in "Siegfried" and
the "Dusk of the Gods."

HUNDING: Sieglinde's husband. Appears in the "Valkyrie."

GUNTHER: Son of Gibich and Grimhilde and brother to Gutrune and
husband to Bruennhilde; half-brother to Hagen. Appears in the "Dusk of
the Gods."

HAGEN: Son of Alberich and Grimhilde; half-brother to Gunther and
Gutrune. Appears in the "Dusk of the Gods."

THE RHEINGOLD

CHARACTERS OF THE OPERA

Donner }
Wotan }
Froh } Gods.
Loge }

Fricka }
Freia } Goddesses.
Erda }

Alberich }
Mime } Nibelungs.

Fasolt }
Fafner } Giants.

Woglinde }
Wellgunde } Rhein-daughters.
Flosshilde }

Nibelungs.

ACT I

Deep down in the jagged bed of the river Rhein there lay hidden a
great treasure of gold, which for ages had belonged to the
Rhein-daughters--three mermaids who guarded it.

Above the gold, in and out of the shadowy fissures, the beautiful
fishwomen had swum and played happily, and the years had never made
them old nor weary nor sad. There they frolicked and sang and feared
nothing. The golden treasure was heaped high upon the rock in the
middle of the river's bed, and it shone through the waters of the
stream, always to cheer and delight them.

Now, one tragic day, while the daughters of the Rhein were darting
gaily about their water home, a little dark imp came from
Nibelheim--the underground land of the Nibelungs--and hid himself in
the dark cleft of a rock to watch the mermaids play. In all the
universe there was probably not so malevolent a creature as that one.
His name was Alberich. Hidden in his dark nook, he blinked his rheumy
eyes at the mermaids, envied them their beauty, and thought how he
might approach them. Above, on the surface of the earth, it was
twilight, and the reflection from the gold upon the rock was soft and
a beautiful greenish hue. The merma