Born in the ancient mythological Eddas, this tale of betrayal, theft and curses is only the beginning of a much greater saga. A dwarf makes a terrible bargain for power. The natural balance is destroyed. The Father of all makes a terrible bargain that only a wily con man can help him with. Theft upon theft knots the cords of fate in terrible ways and leads to a destructive curse that will take around 15 hours of singing to sort out. But hey, there’s a golden palace, a rainbow bridge and lots more to come!

Each bead and charm of the Das Rheingold Opera Bracelet represents a character or moment from Wagner's first Ring Cycle opera. Some of the most important beads and charms are described below and you can see all of the symbolic descriptions on the spiral chart photo above or to the left. Also, a story chart explaining the symbolism of the beads and charms accompanies every bracelet. See the story chart below; click the upper right corner for a larger view.

• The lovely Rhinemaids are symbolized by emerald iridescent beads; a gold glass star is their treasured Rheingold.
• A small dark bead represents Alberich the dwarf while a black heart symbolizes his vow to give up love for power.
• Chief God Wotan, who sacrifices an eye for wisdom, is represented by a blue glass cat’s eye bead; a delicate green faceted bead is his wife Fricka.
• Large iridescent clear matte beads signify the Frost Giants Fasholt and Fafner.
• A delicate pink flower is goddess of love and beauty Freia. A large leaf represents fertility god Froh and a crackling storm colored bead is Donner the thunder maker.
• A twisted red bead is symbolic of the cunning, fiery Loge while Erda the earth goddess is blue and white like our planet herself.
• A black bead in the same color as Alberich’s heart will represent the Rheingold’s curse.
• A gold glass cathedral bead symbolizes Vallhalla and a run of delicate rainbow colored glass beads is the rainbow bridge.

Charms on the bracelet include:

• A Rhinemaiden (mermaid)
• One of Freia's golden apples
• Valhalla (castle)
• The Ring itself