In the second part of Margaret Armour's translation of Richard Wagner's best-known work "The Ring of the Nibelung," the last two opera's in the cycle, "Siegfried" and "The Twilight of the Gods," are reproduced here with color plates by Arthur Rackham. "Siegfried," the third of the four operas, is primarily inspired by the story of the legendary hero Sigurd in Norse mythology. A man without fear, he attempts to learn it. This narrative is followed by the finale, "Götterdämmerung" – the title of which is a translation into German of the Old Norse phrase "Ragnarök," which in Norse mythology refers to a prophesied war among various beings and gods that ultimately results in the burning, immersion in water, and renewal of the world.
