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InGerman heroic legend,Alberich (German:[ˈalbəʁɪç]) is adwarf. He features most prominently in the poemsNibelungenlied andOrtnit. He also features in theOld Norse collection of German legends called theThidreksaga under the name Alfrikr. His name consists of the elementsalb ("elf") andric "power" or "ruler",[1] It is equivalent to theOld FrenchAlberon orAuberon, from which the EnglishOberon is derived.[2] and is the source of theNorman French derivationAubry.[3]
The name was later used for a character inRichard Wagner'sopera cycleDer Ring des Nibelungen.
Alberich plays a prominent role in theNibelungenlied, where he is the guardian of the Nibelung's treasure and has the strength of twelve men.Siegfried overpowers him using hiscloak of invisibility (Tarnkappe), after which the dwarf serves the hero. Siegfried later pulls his beard in mock combat when he arrives unannounced to claim the treasure.[4]Ortnit seeks to woo the daughter of the heathen king Machorel, Alberich reveals his paternity to Ortnit and aids him in his quest, playing tricks on the heathen king and even impersonatingMohammed. When Ortnit sets out on his final fatal adventure against a plague of dragons, Alberich takes back the magic ring and warns Ortnit not to go on his quest.[4]
In theThidrekssaga, Alfrikr makes the swords Eckisax and Nagelringr, giving this last sword toThidrek.[2]
References to Alberich outside of heroic poetry are rare.[2]
InWagner's opera cycleDer Ring des Nibelungen, Alberich is the chief of theNibelungen race of dwarves and the main antagonist driving events. InDas Rheingold, the first opera in the cycle, he gains the power to forge the ring after renouncing love and stealing the gold of the river Rhein, of which the ring is made. His brother, the smith Mime, creates theTarnhelm for Alberich. News of the gold robbery and ring of power incites gods and giants alike to action. The giantsFafner andFasolt demand the ring in payment for buildingValhalla, and carry offFreia as a hostage. InGötterdämmerung (the fourth opera in Wagner's cycle),Hagen, the murderer of the heroSiegfried, is the half-human half-dwarf son of Alberich by Grimhilde, a human woman. This detail of Hagen's origin is Wagner's invention, not taken from the myth or epic poems, in which Hagen is an ordinary human being with human parents.
Wagner's Alberich is acomposite character, mostly based on Alberich from theNibelungenlied, but also onAndvari fromNorse mythology. He has been widely described, most notably byTheodor Adorno, as anegativeJewish stereotype, with his race expressed through "distorted" music and "muttering" speech;[5][6][7] other critics, however, disagree with this assessment.[8]
Alberich shows up inRheingold, not inWalküre, then again inSiegfried, and finally inGötterdämmerung (while Hagen is sleeping, commanding Hagen to regain the Ring). At the end of the opera, Alberich along with the three Rhine maidens are the only key characters inDer Ring des Nibelungen that remain alive. Wotan seems to die at the end ofGötterdämmerung when Valhalla goes up in flames, Fasolt fromRheingold dies inRheingold, Sieglinde and Siegmund fromWalküre die inWalküre (Sieglinde is at least dead by the timeSiegfried begins, some 15–20 years later), Mime (fromRheingold andSiegfried) dies inSiegfried, Gunther and Hagen fromGötterdämmerung both die at the end of it, and Siegfried (fromSiegfried andGötterdämmerung) and Brunhilde (fromWalküre,Siegfried, andGötterdämmerung) both die inGötterdämmerung.[citation needed]
InWorld War I, the German retreat to fortified positions in theHindenburg Line, which was officially named after Siegfried despite its common name, was namedOperation Alberich.[9]
During WWII, Germany developedanechoic tiles, which were nicknamed Alberich.
InGenevieve Cogman’sInvisible Library fantasy book series, Alberich is the primary antagonist to the main character, thelibrarian Irene. He is a powerful and mysterious figure whose actions and motives create significant challenges for Irene and her mission to retrieve rare books from alternate worlds
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