“Siegfried” by Richard Wagner libretto (English)

Contents: Characters; Act One; Act Two; Act Three; Glossary

Glossary

aught - anything
aye - always, forever
birny - a type of armor
boot - to profit, benefit
bruin - a bear
churl - vulgar person
craven - coward
fain - gladly, willingly
fell - fierce
fell - a barren hill or highland (The place were Brünnhilde sleeps is a fell)
fly - to flee
froward - rebellious, disobedient
gage - an item offered in pledge
gloaming - twilight
greaves - a type of leg armor
guerdon - payment, reward
haft - handle (of a spear)
haply - perhaps
hest - command, bidding
hie - to hurry
lay - song
meeter - better suited
mien - expression
mite - a small creature
moil - hard work
Neidhöle - name of the cave where Fafner guards the hoard
Norns - daughters of Erda, goddesses of fate
Nothung - name of Siegfried’s
sword, literally “needful”
prate - to talk idly
rede - advice; story
reft - stolen, deprived
rend - to tear apart
rune - secret
shew - to show
shiver - to shatter
shivers - small pieces
sooth - truth
stead - to help, to be of use
thrall - slave; slavery
trammeling - confining
tristful - sad
trow - to believe
twain - two
unholpen - without help
wala - an earth spirit (in the Ring operas, “the wala” is Erda)
Walhall - Valhalla
Wälse - name used by Wotan as father of Siegmund and Sieglinde
Wälsung - descendant of Wälse (Siegfried is a Wälsung)

ween - to imagine, believe
wend - to travel, go
wight - creature, person
withall - besides
wonted - accustomed

libretto by Frederick Jameson

Contents: Characters; Act One; Act Two; Act Three; Glossary