Opera Stories from Wagner
By Florence Akin
The Broken Sword
Mimi always pretended to be Siegfried’s father, and he pretended to love Siegfried.
But Siegfried knew there was no love in Mimi’s heart.
Daily Siegfried grew larger and stronger.
Mimi continually boasted of his work at the forge.
Often he said: “No one in this world can make such marvelous swords as Mimi.”
Siegfried urged him to make one sword after another, but as fast as they were made the boy would shatter them to bits with one blow on the dwarf’s forge.
Then he would cry in disgust: “Nonsense, Mimi. Your swords are mere toys. Just like little switches.
“Either make me a good strong sword or quit your bragging.”
Mimi always kept the pieces of Siegmund’s sword carefully hidden. While Siegfried roamed through the woods, the dwarf would work for hours trying to mend the magic blade, but its hard steel would never yield either to his fire or his hammer.
Mimi grew tired and discouraged.
“I can never mend it,” he groaned.
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