At the end of Siegfried, Siegfried had wakened the sleeping Br nnhilde and won her love. It is now night, and three Norns sit around a fir tree, weaving the rope which holds the knowledge of past, present, and future. They used to sit at the World Ash-tree until Wotan had it cut up and piled around Valhalla in preparation for the final conflagration. The web of fate is becoming tangled, and finally one of the strands breaks on a rock. The Norns have lost their wisdom and their ability to control destiny, and must return to their mother Erda.
Day breaks upon the lovers.
Br nnhilde has imparted her godly knowledge to Siegfried and now offers him her horse Grane, urging him on to more heroic adventures. Giving her the Ring as a pledge of their love, he mounts Grane and descends into the Rhine valley. Siegfried's Rhine Journey. Gunther wonders what can be done to enhance the glory of his clan. His half-brother Hagen describes a wonderful woman surrounded by magic fire, who would make him an excellent queen.