Full Description
"Hausgeister! is as creepy as it is beautiful. Informative and fascinating, I thoroughly enjoyed this little gem." — BROM
Enter the world of ancient Germany where household spirits once held sway and linger within the tales that we know and love today. The household spirits of German folklore inhabit the pages of this book just as they settled the homesteads of ancient Germany. Belief in these creatures was ubiquitous and shaped daily life for the German people for centuries. The legends of these creatures, first shared orally and later written down and compiled, most famously by the Brothers Grimm, has shifted and changed through the tides of time. Now, in the 21st century, a team of three German creators have set themselves the mission of bringing these creatures back from oblivious references and foggy recollections to the international public. Domestic dragons and wild women, Kobolds and Wichtel are portrayed through the lens of narrative and mythological research showing their regional peculiarities within German folktales. Each creature is brought to life as a detailed sculpture in original size, based on historical descriptions and beautifully photographed in Germany, in the landscape that these creatures might once have walked. A new, spectacular approach that combines both art and cultural studies in an innovative way. Hausgiester!: Household Spirits of German Folklore is now available as part of Eye of Newt's specialty series, Wool of Bat, which is focused on the preservation and promotion of folklore and oral history from around the world. Freshly translated into English this book presents an authentic compilation of the knowledge and nature of the mysterious creatures that one (and perhaps still do) roam houses, castles, and farms in German-speaking countries. Original quotes from regional legends and guest contributions from various academic researchers complement this extraordinary compilation, which will delight both lovers of fairy tales and those interested in mythology and cultural history.
Contents
Contents
Foreword: NEW by Owen Davies
Welcome: A journey of discovery into the world of fairy tales and legends
Chapter 1: Past And Present
A short history of house spirits
House spirits as an object of narrative research
Chapter 2: House Spirits
The Kobold
The Wichtel
The Drak
The Holzfräulein
The Geldmännlein
Chapter 3: Wrapping Up - Insights Into The Science
Tobias Janouschek: Of Lares and Penates - Honouring household deities in the Roman Empire
Professor Tobias Gärtner: Textual and archaeological sources for beliefs in house spirits in the medieval period
Professor Rudolf Simek: Large trolls, small trolls, house spirits
Burkhard Kling: Die Irishen Elfenmaerchen of the Brothers Grimm
Janin Pisarek: The Changeling - A fiend in the cradle
Eberhard Bauer: Spooks and ghostly apparitions of the past and present
Chapter 4: In The Myth Studio - A Glimpse Behind The Scenes
Chapter 5: What Remains? A Summary
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
