Kimberly Fairbrother Canton, Redeeming the Rhinemaidens: A Reconsideration of their Dionysian and Apollonian Attributes

The Rhinemaidens are a formidable trio; not only do they originate art and personify nature, but they are also the only ones left standing (or swimming) at the cycle’s end. And yet, these three water-maidens are consistently underestimated by the men in the Ring, most commentators on the Ring, many interpreters of the Ring and, perhaps, even the man who created the Ring.