From What Sources Did Wagner Draw His Inspiration For The Plot Of The Ring Cycle?

The Influence of Wagner'southward Band on the work of J.K. Rowling

I of the more underrated influences on popular civilisation is the effigy of Richard Wagner, particularly his magnum opus, the Band cycle.This is perhaps due to the fact that Wagner proved to exist something of a bigot and an anti-semite, positions that, while one time commonplace, are rightfully no longer en vogue. It too likely owes to the fact that his piece of work was put to use by the Nazis, who essentially ruined every bit of interesting civilisation they were associated with, including the toothbrush mustache and the undercut. Those unfortunate facts bated, Wagner'due south impact on culture is immense and undeniable. His work is a transitional stage between the end of the classical era and the dawn of modern multimedia. Wagner'south corpus embodies the metamorphosis of western civilization from the pre-Hollywood era to the era of industrial light and magic, the gargantuan, immersive and large-scale economic behemoths of the entertainment industry in which contemporary social club is awash. Not simply did Wagner'south work presage the dawn of Hollywood, but the unabridged multi-billion dollar industry of immersive fantasy experiences, from Dungeons and Dragons to Game of Thrones, can trace its lineage back through the work of Wagner. His Der Ring des Nibelungen is an epic cycle of superhuman beings, of elves and giants and dragons, of quests and magical objects similar rings of ability and helmets to provide a cloak of invisibility, in which the stuff of myth is used to comment on contemporary society and to inspire mankind to pursue its highest aim, namely redemption through self-sacrificial love.

the Rheinmaidens and Rheingold

For the purposes of this commodity, nosotros desire to trace how Wagner's work, specially the Ring Bicycle, provided source material for J.K. Rowling in her creation of the Wizarding World and its themes, both in Harry Potter and the Hogwarts saga and extending to the Fantastic Beasts series currently playing out in the Warner Brothers films.

Who Even Likes Opera Anyway?

Start, allow'due south establish the plausibility that J.K. Rowling is consciously and purposely drawing inspiration from a composer of musical theater. While this may seem similar a stretch at first, we know that at least ane Harry Potter character is associated with the opera —the alchemist (and actual historical figure), Nicolas Flamel. Harry relays the legend that Flamel was one time seen at the opera more than than 400 years after the engagement of his birth.

"But it'due south true. [Nicolas Flamel] was spotted at the opera in Paris in 1762 and he was born back in 13 something."

Taken in isolation, the conjunction of a key character in Philosopher's Rock with the opera would be mere coincidence. But, of grade, there's more to it than that. Permit's non forget that i of the primary themes in the Harry Potter canon is the work of enquiry, the close reading of texts, and the connexion between the text in books and events in the story. If nosotros have learned anything from Harry Potter, it is that, when faced with a mystery, we should head direct to the library. When we arrive, we should not be surprised to detect that at that place is a thread woven betwixt books and into the lives of characters and that, through conscientious exegesis, we tin solve the riddle.

With a little research, we learn that Wagner, every bit a German composer of the 19th century, was an heir to an aesthetic move of the 18th century known as "Sturm und drang." A major hero of this move was Goethe, whose Faust is the story of an alchemist who sells his soul to the devil in an endeavour to proceeds unlimited knowledge. In what I believe is a nod to the connection with Goethe and Faust, Rowling originally dubbed the Decease Eaters "the Knights Of Walpurgis", a bit of word play on the "night of Walpurgis" (Walpurgisnacht), an upshot that features prominently in Goethe's Faust and near which he wrote a poem. The Harry Potter saga is, of course, woven around similar themes involving alchemy (which Rowling calls "potions"), soul-selling (or soul-splitting in Potter) and unlimited power. So we accept a connectedness betwixt Harry Potter and Goethe, simply what about Wagner? As information technology turns out, Wagner intended to consummate a Faust symphony based on Goethe'due south play.

Making Rings — metallurgy and alchemy

Wagner's Ring Wheel is and then named because of the magical artifact at the center of the saga — the Band of the Niebelung. This band is a magic object forged past a race of dark elves (the Niebelung), pressed into service by Alberich. They forge the Band from the magical Rhinegold, which was stolen past Alberich from the beautiful and enchanting Rhinemaidens. The affinity between metallurgy used to create artifacts — especially magical artifacts like rings that empower the wearer to rule the earth — and abracadabra should be noted. Alchemy is the procedure past which metallurgists transmute the properties of metals. Mircea Eliade has drawn out the connectedness between the smith who makes metal objects in ancient times to medieval alchemist who remakes himself in the alchemical fire in his work The Forge and the Crucible. The piece of work of the blacksmith is intricately bound up in the work of the alchemist, as the practical act of forging weapons and ornaments likely gave rising to the more than speculative and esoteric practices of pure transmutation in alchemy. At that place is a primal magic at work whatsoever time someone takes the raw materials of nature and forms them into objects for homo use. The amplification of this magic leads past projection to tales near magical rings that command the world. Abracadabra is a form of speculative or philosophical blacksmithing, in which the piece of work transforms not just the material merely the spirit of the i who performs the work. This, in turn, leads to the tradition of literary alchemy , which transforms the soul of the reader through the work of fine art. This was Wagner's aim in the Ring Cycle, though he used myth and not alchemy equally his source, and it is Rowling's aim in her fantasy literature, which draws heavily on myth and alchemy to fan the flames in her reader'south soul.

Norse Mythology and Wagner'due south Ring

For source cloth Wagner looked to both the Niebelunglied and Norse mythology for characters around which he could weave his Ring Cycle. The Niebelunglied was the start known epic poem written in German language and is considered a sort of High german "Iliad." From it Wagner almost drew, among others, the characters of Sigfried, Brunnhild and Hagen. He combined these characters with others drawn from Norse mythology, including Wotan (or Odin), and Loge (or Loki) and Fafner the giant. We should notation every bit a Harry Potter connection that Loki is the father of the great wolf Fenrir who lends his name the terrible werewolf, Fenrir Grayback. It may also be fruitful to explore the connexion between Odin'south lost eye and the magical centre of Mad-Middle Moody.

Wagnerian References and Themes

An alchemist at the opera? An alchemist who sells his soul? Sturm und Drang? We're well aware of Rowling's penchant to play with words and names and nosotros should immediately recognize the tip of the wand to Wagner in the name of the foreign wizarding school — Durmstrang. Just in case you recall this kind of wild speculation is kind of affair you would read in the Quibbler, annotation the ways of transportation that Durmstrang employs — a flying ship, yet another nod to Wagner and his starting time masterpiece, "The Flying Dutchman." Another of Wagner's works is the opera Parsifal, based on the story of the Arthurian knight and his quest for the Holy Grail. In Rowling's piece of work, there are several references to Arthurian characters and the Knights of the Round Table — "Merlin'due south beard!" the Latinization of the name Parsifal or "Percival", memorialized in the estranged Weasley (Percy, Son of Arthur) and, most significantly, every bit one of Dumbledore's many names (Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore).

In Rowling's piece of work, Harry is often thematically related to Sigfried. He is the chosen one and the warrior hero who will defeat Fafner and return the ring to Wotan. Though Harry is far more likeable than Sigfried. Wotan is thematically related to Dumbledore. Wotan's staff has runes carved into information technology as does the Elder Wand. Wotan promises to Sigfried that he will find a weapon to his paw when he most needs one, like to Dumbledore's statement about the Sword of Gryffindor. Wotan disguises himself every bit a wolf in the Ring wheel and is associated with the wolf, possibly the source of "Wulfric", i of Dumbledore's names. Wotan is governed by unbreakable pacts, like the ane he forges with Fafner and therefore cannot slay him directly. Wotan must use another every bit an amanuensis in order to obtain the ring. This is like to the theme of the claret pact between Dumbledore and Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts series and also to a lesser degree to the fact that Dumbledore uses others like Snape and Harry in the Harry Potter saga. Brunnhilde is continued with Lily Potter. She is the embodiment of self-sacrificial love and the beating heart of the entire saga. Brunnhilde is condemned to slumber at the top of a mount by Wotan, surrounded by fire that can merely exist penetrated past one who knows no fright. Compare this to the band of burn down cast by Grindelwald, a Loki character who is both charismatic and cunning and also a liar, who casts a ring of fire to examination his followers. The climax of the Ring wheel comes equally Brunnhilde rides her horse through the funeral fire set for Siegfried. In an act of cocky-sacrificial love, she gives herself to the flames and destroys the Ring, restoring the gold to the Rheinmaidens. This deed is the most meaning for the Harry Potter connection — self-sacrificial dearest is the greatest force in the universe. This is the pregnant and purpose of both Wagner's Ring wheel and the Band composition that Rowling has woven throughout the Harry Potter and Fanstastic Beasts series.

Leitmotifs

Beyond the intertextuality and allusion at piece of work between Rowling's contemporary fantasies and the classic operas, there is an fifty-fifty deeper dialectic at work betwixt Rowling and Wagner. Rowling's literary style emulates Wagner's great stylistic and compositional innovation, known as the leitmotif. Modern picture show audiences are and then accustomed to the effects of the leitmotif that it's difficult to imagine a score composed without them. Leitmotifs are the melodic and harmonic lines that stand up equally symbols or signals. For case, they may signify that a character has arrived or a sure strength is present. The all-time examples come from the work of John Williams, who is heavily influenced past Wagner. Think of the Majestic March or the Force Theme in Star Wars — hearing these leitmotifs in the films either accompanies characters or plotlines or signals that they are at work in the background. Recollect of Williams' "Hedwig'south Theme" and yous're immediately traveling through the clouds, headed toward Little Winging for another cycle in the unfolding Harry Potter myth. Leitmotifs were ancestral to musical drama by Wagner but the concept of the leitmotif has applications to other types of expression also, including prose. The concept of the leitmotif has become mainstream and part of the shared lexicon, but I'1000 convinced that Rowling'southward debt to Wagner extends beyond the trove of Teutonic mythical elements of giants, elves and rings and to the formal elements of limerick through thematic fix pieces that recur throughout the piece of work, gaining in intensity, depth and psychological import each time they are invoked.

The unabridged Harry Potter saga has been equanimous as a cycle, like Wagner'southward Ring. Each installment of the bicycle contains all of the leitmotifs and each time we traverse the circuit of a new installment (a new book or movie) we accept the leitmotifs invoked, developed, contrasted, recast, varied and ultimately given newer, deeper meanings. We take Harry at the Dursleys. Harry being chosen into the Wizarding World. Harry escaping the Muggle earth. Harry encountering a new aspect of Wizarding Society. Harry in Diagon Alley. Arriving at Hogwarts. Sorting. Learning about the new faculty. Meeting the new instructor/villain. On and on, through year after year, the leitmotifs of the saga are brought out and woven together to create ever deeper rings of meaning. In an interview about her Cormoran Strike series, Rowling (Galbraith) has fatigued a concrete connection between musical and literary leitmotifs in her piece of work:

Q: Music is threaded through the novels (we know, for example, that Strike'southward dad is a famous rock star; Blue Öyster Cult songs figure in the plot of "Career of Evil"). If you were to give me a playlist to listen to while I read "Lethal White" what would be on it?
A: There are eight songs or pieces of music mentioned in the novel that should be on the playlist: "Cutt Off" by Kasabian, "No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley, "Wherever You Volition Go" by The Calling, Rihanna's "Where Have you Been," " Ni**equally In Paris" past Kanye West and Jay-Z and "Oliver Twist" by D'Banj, "Blackness Trombone" by Serge Gainsbourg and Brahms'due south Symphony №1, C Pocket-sized.

I'd add together "So Long Marianne" by Leonard Cohen for Strike and Charlotte, "Heroes," by David Bowie for the Olympic properties and "White Horses" by Andrea Ross, not simply for the volume'southward leitmotif, simply for Robin, and a romantic, innocent girl'southward thought of adventure and freedom.
— J.Thou. Rowling's Friend Robert Galbraith Has Something to Say

I'll accept more than to say elsewhere nigh the significance of Blue Oyster Cult and how it draws out the intertextual dialogue between Harry Potter and Cormoran Strike, merely for the purposes of this article it'southward significant to note some other Wagner connection. "Don't Fear the Reaper" is a vocal used as a leitmotif in Career of Evil. Information technology's a vocal about how honey can conquer death.

Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity, Romeo and Juliet
40, 000 men and women everyday, Similar Romeo and Juliet
40, 000 men and women everyday, Redefine happiness
Another forty, 000 coming everyday, Nosotros can be like they are

Come on babe, don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand, don't fright the reaper
We'll be able to fly, don't fear the reaper

I repeat — "Don't fearfulness the Reaper" is a song (like Wagner's Ring is comprised of songs) most how love tin conquer death (like Wagner's ring is virtually honey conquering death and Harry Potter is nigh love conquering death). This connexion, through music and lyrics, leads readers to connect the strings between works of art in vastly different styles and periods to deliver the aforementioned fundamental bulletin. This sort of intertextual commentary is non the stuff of kids books or lurid detective fiction. This is high fine art. Information technology'south essentially the aforementioned sort of loftier art that has earned James Joyce's Ulysses the reputation as greatest novel of all time.

Lest this connection between Harry Potter and Cormoran Strike seems like a stretch, I'll nowadays you with the cover artwork from the album on which "Don't Fearfulness the Reaper" first appears. Find that it depicts a magician holding Tarot cards and pointing to a symbol. Tarot, along with the other Hermetic arts similar abracadabra, star divination, herbology and bestiaries, obviously forms the basis of the Hogwarts curriculum and source material for the Harry Potter narrative. The wizard pointing to the symbol could also be a clue to the fact that Rowling used the formalist structure of the Harry Potter serial to describe out the Deathly Hallows symbol and is using the intertextual commentary of the Strike novels to tease out yet again. Read more near that here. What does this all mean? Rowling is, once again, letting us know that she is hiding things in evidently sight.

Blue Oyster Cult, Agents of Fortune

In the absence of the Wagner connection, Rowling's utilize of the word "leitmotif" could be understood equally a colloquialism which but refers to "theme." But I believe she chooses her words carefully and that her entire corpus is an intertextual conversation between works and that, every bit a reader and interpreter herself, she is constantly encouraging her fans to treat her texts as exegetical puzzles to exist solved.This game of "trace the influence" is what Rowling invites us to play along with her (just as Joyce did a century ago as he wove his narratives around mythology and music). Trace the intertextuality and you'll find the magic of the meaning in the work. The spell is conjured through a combination of formalist limerick in the ring structure punctuated by a prose form of Wagnerian leitmotifs. For the initiate, Rowling wants us to know how the magic is made and so she leaves clues.

Rowling'due south mastery of the leitmotif, I believe, and its connectedness to band limerick, are what accept fabricated the Harry Potter saga perhaps the most engrossing canon of literature outside of the Bible. This is why readers can and will read the books over and over, finding new depths each time they echo the circuit. For fans, reading Harry Potter like listening to a favorite anthology that'south worn out from being played again and again. Non merely do the leitmotifs have significant in and of themselves, they gain richness and complexity as they are played in counterpoint to i another. (See leitmotifs like "Harry suspects Malfoy and/or Snape is upwards to no good" and how it can exist varied and inverted to create richer effects.) This is a primal attribute of Rowling'south style and its bear upon on generations of readers and I believe she learned it in part from Richard Wagner. Just as Wagner took the stuff of myth to compose an epic designed to set the human soul free, Rowling took the stuff of Wagner and used it to transform the souls of her readers. The intertextual connections are clues and provide a richness and depth not unlike the invocation of leitmotifs. Harry Potter is consciously connected to Wagner's work through the echoes in names and narrative themes, which opens united states of america to a world that we might never accept encountered otherwise. Rowling has joked about a Harry Potter opera, simply why not? She's conquered the literary globe, she's conquered picture show, she has an amusement park and a play. In each of these media — volume, motion picture, stage or experience — she's set a generation ablaze with fervor non but for her characters merely for the possibilities of the artforms themselves, for art itself. She is, in a very real sense, the heir of Wagner's empire. He had the same aims in his projection to build Bayreuth Festival — a destination meticulously designed and crafted to stage the multimedia experiences that he created, to bring the myth to life, and to help humanity attain its highest possibilities through encounters with his art. Rowling is a modern day Wagner.

Source: https://medium.com/@bob.rightside/the-influence-of-wagners-ring-on-the-work-of-j-k-rowling-d897a8e20b5b

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