o-to-jo-ho! Heia-ha, heia-ha, heia-ha!" Bruennhilde came
leaping down the mountain again, upon her horse, Grane. Seeing a
quarrel was in progress between the Goddess and Wotan she became
quiet, dismounted, and led her horse to a cave and hid him there.

"There, Wotan, is thy war-maid now. Pledge me thine oath that the
magic sword which Siegmund bears, shall lose its virtue! Give thy
war-maid instruction." Fricka urged this in a manner calculated to
show Wotan there would be no more peace in Walhall if he flouted his
wife. He sat down in dejection.

"Take my oath," he said miserably; and thus Sieglinde's and Siegmund's
doom was sealed. Fricka triumphantly mounted into the car drawn by
rams, and in passing, spoke to Bruennhilde.

"Go to thy war-father and get his commands." Bruennhilde, wondering,
went to Wotan.

_Scene II_

"Father, Fricka has won in some encounter with thee, else she would
not go out so gaily and thou sit there so dejected. Tell me, thy
war-child, what troubles thee!"

At first Wotan shook his head, but presently his despair urged him to
speak and he told Bruennhilde the story of the Rheingold and the ring
of the Nibelungs.

"I coveted what was not mine," he said. "I got the gold from Alberich
and in turn Fafner and Fasolt got it from me. Fafner killed his
brother for love of the gold, and then turning himself into a dragon,
set himself to watch over the gold forever. It was decreed by the
Fates--Erda's daughters--that when Alberich should find a woman to
love him, the overthrow of the Gods was at hand. Alberich had bought
love with the treasure. Our only hope lay in the victory of some hero
in whose life I had no part. I left for such a one a magic sword, so
placed that only the strongest could draw it. He had to help himself
before I gave him help. Siegmund has drawn the magic sword. If he had
won in the battle with Hunding, the Eternals would have been saved;
but Fricka demands that Hunding shall win the fight and a God must
sacrifice all Walhall if his wife demands it. He had better be dead
than browbeaten forever." Wotan almost wept in his anguish. "So must
the Eternals face extermination. A wife can crush even a God!"

"What shall I do for thee, Father Wotan?" Bruennhilde cried
distractedly.

"Obey Fricka this day in all things. Desert Siegmund and fight on
Hunding's side." Wotan sighed heavily.

"Nay, I shall defy thy commands for once," she declared, but at this
Wotan rose in wra