In Wagner’s opera Das Rheingold, the Rhinemaidens guard the precious substance called Rhine gold.
The opera begins beneath the Rhine, where the Rhinemaidens play around the gold. They explain that whoever forges a ring from it can gain immense power, but only someone who renounces love can successfully claim it. Alberich accepts that condition, steals the gold, and becomes the first major owner of the ring.
Rhine gold is not simply ordinary treasure in Wagner’s drama. It is the raw material for the Ring’s power and for the destructive cycle that drives the four-opera work. The gold’s theft begins the chain of bargains, betrayals, and curses.
Wagner’s story combines material from several Germanic and Norse traditions, but “Rhine gold” is Wagner’s distinctive dramatic formulation. It should not be confused with Andvaranaut, the magical ring in the Völsung-related legends.