The three Norns, daughters of Erda, gather beside Brünnhilde’s rock, weaving the rope of Destiny. They sing of the past and the present, and of the future when Wotan will set fire to Valhalla to signal the end of the gods. Without warning, their rope breaks. Lamenting the loss of their wisdom, the Norns disappear.
As day breaks, Siegfried and Brünnhilde emerge from their cave, high on a mountaintop surrounded by magic fire. Brünnhilde sends Siegfried off to new adventures, urging him to keep their love in mind. As a pledge of fidelity, Siegfried gives her the ring of power that he took from Fafner’s hoard. Bearing Brünnhilde’s shield and mounting her horse Grane, Siegfried rides away as an orchestral interlude (Siegfried’s Journey to the Rhine) starts.