There’s an ordinary assumption that he’s a foul man as a result of he’s a basso. For many who look a bit of additional, some dislike him as a result of he compelled his spouse to marry him. Then got here the actual assault on opera lovers’ tolerance: he lives in a tree. Now, that’s narrowminded. A very long time in the past, in different nations, individuals lived in bushes. He even had a giant tree with a number of rooms. We ignore, or neglect, that Hunding didn’t know he was forcibly marrying the daughter of a god. And on the wedding ceremony, when the offended, one-eyed man got here in and caught a sword within the tree, this didn’t appear unusual to the friends despite the fact that they couldn’t pull it out.
I received’t hassle spelling out the virtues of residing in a tree. Cognizant readers will resolve for themselves. I’ll elaborate on the actual concern.
Hunding is a stand-up man. He prefers to battle, drink, eat, sleep, cohabitate together with his spouse, in that order. When his clan summons him for a battle, he picks up his sword and goes — completely regular in a primitive warrior society, even admirable if one understands the occasions (not the London Occasions, dodo) and the setting.
Nicely, someday the clan summoned him for battle. He fought nicely, helped defeat the enemy, and chased considered one of them by way of the woods together with his fellows to kill him; a conventional finish for losers.
So, after day’s combating, he goes house anticipating the little girl to greet him with a flagon of ale and a ‘nicely completed, large boy.’ As a substitute there’s a stranger ogling his spouse. He follows the code of hospitality, although he’d slightly kick the insolent man out on his ass and chop him up. He sees the stranger is wounded, clearly in battle, however at first doesn’t say something about it.
As soon as the visitor is fed, he asks him who he’s. In a rising story of sorrow, vanity and defiance, the stranger, nonetheless ogling Hunding’s spouse, reveals he’s an enemy. Once more, following the code, he lets the visitor have evening’s sleep, however they are going to battle within the morning.
I received’t go into what occurs when Hunding is sleeping. A mickey in his drink will get him out of the way in which for extramarital conjunction between visitor and spouse. Within the morning, Hunding wakes, does his pre-fight enterprise, faces the enemy ogler, and is about to be defeated by the arranger with a mega sword with the assistance of a demigoddess, when a god shatters his enemy’s sword. Hunding stabs him to demise and the god kills Hunding by pointing his spear at him.
So, what did Hunding do to deserve this destiny? He married the flawed lady, however plenty of guys do this. He did his obligation to his clan, supplied hospitality to an undesirable, and simply due to an outdated prophecy that has nothing to do with him, he dies. Is that truthful?
Some might rightly assert that Hunding is an honorable warrior who unknowingly picked a god’s daughter. It took some time, however he bought his in keeping with the outdated adage, ‘you don’t mess with the gods.’ All issues thought of, Hunding will be the harmless sufferer of the fickle finger of destiny. However he’s not likely a foul man. He’s an sincere man defending his spouse and residential, who occurred, with out his figuring out it, to get in the way in which of a curse.
