The Rudolf Steiner Archive

65. Siegfried and Lohengrin from a Theosophical Perspective

[ 1 ] On Friday evening, Dr. Steiner gave his second lecture at the Hotel zum Erbprinzen. Despite the bazaar taking place at the same time—which continued to draw crowds well into the evening—a small group of interested attendees had gathered to listen attentively to the speaker.

[ 2 ] He began with a description of the ancient mysteries, which he said have continued to exist to this day. In the Mysteries, cosmological truths are depicted figuratively; they show how the Logos plunges into matter—symbolized by its death—how it passes through the realms of nature, reflects upon itself within the human being—that is, is born—and celebrates its resurrection in the perfect human being. Self-knowledge: knowledge of God. Richard Wagner has now taken up this primordial drama of the mysteries. In northern Europe, it was proclaimed by the Druids. The echoes of their teachings resound to us from the Edda and find their folk expression in the legend of the horned Siegfried. Siegfried is the human being striving for redemption, who has already fought his base instincts and desires to such an extent that they have shrunk to the size of a dwarf; but if he is to develop further, he must subjugate them completely—he must slay the dwarf and pass through the fire of purification to find his divine self and awaken it to new life. And at the very moment this happens, Wagner also has the human voices unite; we hear them resound together for the first and only time. This small detail alone demonstrates how intuitive Wagner’s creative process was, for of course he did not consciously account for every such detail but, like all brilliant artists, followed an inner, obscure impulse.

[ 3 ] After Lohengrin had been interpreted in a similar way, a rather lively discussion ensued. The final lecture, scheduled for late February, will be titled: “Nietzsche and Theosophy.”

[ 4 ] The Weimar branch of the Theosophical Society held a meeting on Friday evening at the Hotel Erbprinz. Dr. Rudolf Steiner spoke on “Siegfried and Lohengrin from a Theosophical Perspective.”

[ 5 ] The speaker explained the following: The profound impact of Richard Wagner’s works stems from the fact that they are grounded in great universal truths. They lead us back to the ancient mysteries, in which the drama of the deities’ deeds was presented to a select few. One can go back to Egypt, to India, Babylonia, Greece, and so on; everywhere one encounters this primordial drama of the World Spirit, who descends into matter and from it brings forth the natural kingdoms and, ultimately, human beings, from whose souls he is reborn. In this primordial drama there was something that was at once religion, wisdom, and art. The same is found in northern Europe as well. Wotan descends into the material realm; there the giants build a dwelling for the gods. This is the first material body inhabited by the god who has become earthly. Adjacent to it lies the realm of Nieflheim (the land of the Nibelungs), where earthly wisdom dwells as gold (the Nibelung hoard), though it is bound to death and transience. Wotan further develops the essence of the giants into humanity, which finds its representative in Siegfried. Siegfried, in turn, strives to return to divine wisdom, which is symbolically represented by Brünnhilde. To reach her, the initiate (Siegfried) must overcome the serpent of lower nature (Fafner) and pass through the sea of fire of purification that surrounds Brünnhilde. The great enigmas of existence thus also appear embodied in Norse mythology. And Richard Wagner thus gave an echo of the great primal drama in his Siegfried. This required a language higher than everyday speech. Music became the means of expression. Wagner’s Lohengrin shows how closely he was connected to these matters. In the realm of art, he achieved something that, in its own way, proclaims the theosophical worldview to our age. The “Swan” is the name of the disciple who asked about initiation, and Lohengrin, the Knight of the Grail, is the initiate himself, who gives impetus to the progress of humanity at the time of the great city-building in the Middle Ages. This urban culture itself is personified by Elsa of Brabant. She must not ask Lohengrin about his name or status, just as those on the outside must not learn the true nature of the great Initiates, lest he be desecrated by contact with the mundane. Wagner’s genius thus artistically presented the great mythical wisdom of humanity in the nineteenth century. This is the basis for the powerful impact of his creations.