Scene 2
(the same)

(Hunding enters)

Sieglinde: I found this man lying at our fireplace, exhausted. He was in really bad shape.

Hunding: You took care of him?

Sieglinde: I gave him something to drink, and treated him as our guest.

Siegmund: She's shown me more kindness than I've seen in a long time. Don't be mad at her for that!

Hunding: You found rest at my fireplace; my house will offer you the same. (to Sieglinde) Bring us a meal! (aside) He looks a lot like my wife; he has that same shifty look in his eyes. (to Siegmund) It looks to me like you've come here from far away, but you don't have a horse. What could possibly have forced you to walk through the forest for so long?

Siegmund: Through the forest, through the fields, the meadows, the thorn bushes, terrible storms - pain and despair pushed me on; I have no idea which way I came. I have even less of an idea where I am now. You've helped me so much, please tell me who you are.

Hunding: The roof over your head, and this house that gave you shelter, belong to Hunding. When you leave here and travel to the west, you will find many great mansions. These belong to good friends who will guard my honor to the death. If that honor means anything to you, then tell me who you are. If you don't trust me, though, then maybe you'll feel more comfortable telling my wife. At least she seems to be very interested in your story.

Sieglinde: Yes, I'd like very much to know who you are.

Siegmund: Peace and happiness aren't any part of my name; only sadness and pain - that's what you can call me, "Sadness and Pain". My father's name was "Wolf". I also had a twin sister, but she and my mother were violently taken away from me at birth. Wolf was very strong, and loved to fight, so a lot of people came to be his enemies. One day, I was out hunting with him. It was a long, tiring day, but we finally came back home - only to find everything had been destroyed. Our great room was burned to the ground, our magnificent oak tree was cut down to a stump, my mother's mutilated body was dumped in the yard, and my sister - we never found her. She could have died in the fire, or been carried off - I don't know. I do know that the criminals who did this chased my father and me for a long time, meaning to kill us, too. We escaped from them every time, though, and spent years together, wandering in the forest. Because of that, many people still call me "Wolf-cub". That's my story.

Hunding: And quite an amazing story it is, "Sadness and Pain, the Wolf-cub". I think I've even heard rumors about such a pair as you and your father, though I never heard your names mentioned.

Sieglinde: Tell us more! Where is your father now?

Siegmund: The criminals who killed my mother chased after us, and eventually caught us. We put up a great fight, though, and a lot of them fell to the "wolves", shall we say. We fought them off pretty well, and those that were left ran off back into the forest. But in all the confusion, I was separated from my father. The more I looked for him, the more lost I got. The only thing I ever found was an old wolf skin. It just lay there in front of me, empty. I never found any trace of my father. Eventually, I had to leave the woods and go out among other people. I never did get along with anyone else very well, after having spent so much time alone with my dad. No matter what I did, I couldn't get fit in with other people. Nothing went right for me: anything I wanted to do, everyone else thought was wrong. Everything I saw people doing and enjoying, didn't seem right to me. Bad luck followed me everywhere I went. I got into a lot of fights, and made an enemy of practically everyone I met. The harder I'd try to be happy, the sadder and lonelier I'd end up being. I should change my name to "sadness", because it's all I've ever known.

Hunding: The Norns must have it in for you, all the problems you've had. You know, no one will be very happy to welcome you if you always introduce yourself by asking for help.

Sieglinde: (to Hunding) Only a coward would be scared of an unarmed, helpless man! (to Siegmund) Please go on; tell us how you lost your sword in the fight.

Siegmund: There was once a sad girl who asked for my help. Her family made her marry a man she didn't love. Of course, her family resisted me when I came to rescue her, but I fought them off. The only problem was that I'd killed her brothers in the process. Of course, then the girl was upset at losing her family, and turned her sadness into anger against me. It seemed like every relative she ever had came to her defense, and set on me. I told her to run away, to save herself, but she wouldn't. So, I had to stay and fight them all off just to protect her from being crushed. Eventually, my shield and spear were stripped away from me, all bent and broken. As I stood there defenseless, I watched her die, crushed in the crowd. Then, of course, I got all the blame for everything, and her family chased after me; I had to leave her lifeless body on a pile of corpses and run off into the forest. Now you have your answer, and can see why I have no peace.

Hunding: I know of a savage group of people who don't respect anything decent people do. Everyone despises them, including me. Once, they murdered my family, and I was called on to get revenge for that blood. I got there too late, and couldn't stop the coward that ran away from me. But now, tonight, I've come home to find him standing right in front of me! Because my house is a place of honor, I'll give you shelter for the night. But tomorrow you'd better have whatever weapons you think will help you. Tomorrow is the day you'll pay for what you've done. (to Sieglinde) Leave the room! You don't need to hear any of this! Get me a drink and wait for me 'til I come to bed. (to Siegmund) Every man needs his armor. You heard me, "Wolf-cub", I'll see you in the morning. Prepare yourself! (exits)