This short, understandable fright of the mighty warrior and ruler over the earth is proof of the power of the sage who by his mere presence mobilizes the forces of conscience of the king: on the one side he awakens within the king the spontaneous, natural, indeed human desire for freedom and independence from all his innumerable obligations; on the other side he increases the alertness of the king's inner insight, so that he realizes his mistake immediately and tries to correct it again by acknowledging his royal duty without delay.

“And this acknowledgment is an expression of great modesty on the part of the king because he is well aware that personally, by accepting the invitation, he would gain freedom.

“He knows: Sehermund is a great, divine sage in whose power it is to guide an individual, but also many people, safely to perfection; and the mighty sage suddenly, at his own discretion, offers the king this guidance by saying that he wants to feed him; the food proper of the great sage is the light of life, and it gives everyone who receives it very individually immortality, omniscience, omnipotence and: freedom. The statesman knows this very clearly.