Three different kinds of creatures fight among themselves for the possession of the world: gods, giants and dwarfs. In the bright world of the gods, their ruler Wotan reigns; he is united by marital ties with the goddess Frika; her sister Freya takes care of those apples, the consumption of which preserves the gods’ unfading youth. The cunning Loge has only a semi-divine nature; he is always busy finding such difficulties and obstacles from which only he can bring out the host of gods subordinate to Wotan. Giants live on the surface of the earth among rocks and mountains; their strength is immeasurable, but their thinking ability is weak; where it is impossible to gain the upper hand by physical strength, there the giants always yield. In complete contrast to them are the Karls or Nibelungs, who live in the bowels of the earth, from which they extract and preserve metals; they are small, weak, but active and cunning. These three tribes are always at enmity with each other and try, some by force, some by cunning, to subjugate each other.P.I. Tchaikovsky (from the essay “Bayreuth Musical Celebration”)