Wotan

Head of the gods. Architect of a world. Prisoner of his own laws.

Wotan is the king of the gods; he is a tragic patriarch whose grand designs and choices drive the saga’s central conflicts.

Wotan as the Wanderer in Siegfried
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“Das Ende! Das Ende!”
(The end! The end!)
—Die Walküre, Act II, Scene 2

Modeled on the Norse god Odin, he rules from Valhalla, yet remains bound by the very laws he created: the contracts engraved on his spear. These treaties give him authority over gods and mortals alike, but they also imprison him.

Der Wanderer (The Wanderer): A persona he uses in Siegfried

Licht-Alberich (Light-Alberich): A title he uses for himself to contrast his rule over the “upper world” with Alberich

Wälse: The name he used when he fathered the mortal twins Siegmund and Sieglinde with a human woman

Wolfe: The name by which Siegmund refers to his father before knowing his true identity
Das Rheingold: Steals the ring from Alberich in order to pay the giants for building Valhalla.

Die Walküre: Sends Brünnhilde to protect, and then later ensure the death of his son Siegmund. When Brünnhilde defies him, he puts her into an enchanted sleep as punishment.

Siegfried: Appears as the Wanderer. Siegfried shatters his spear of power.

Götterdämmerung: Does not appear in this opera but sends ravens to keep tabs on the action.