LL-L "Literature" 2002.02.06 (04) [D/E/German]

Wed Feb 6 19:16:23 UTC 2002

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 06.FEB.2002 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: "Jorge Potter" <jorgepot at caribe.net>
Subject: Till Eulenspiegel

Dear Ron and the rest of the Lowlanders,

Hearing R. Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel on the radio, it occurred to me that
nothing about the famous joker has ever come to my attention on this
website. You probably have done it already and a link will satisfy my
curiosity, but just in case, I will summarize:

A Braunschweiger born in the early 15th Cent., he became a famous acrobat,
rope-walker, magician and general all around showman who dedicated his life
to fooling people, until he finally was hanged for his pains.

Although Eulenspiegel was not on the curriculum at Syracuse U., my professor
suggested I read it "just for fun." The short episodes were doable at my low
level of German and the punch lines worth the trouble.

My favorite (#14):

Der Pfaffe stand einmal vor dem Altar, zog sich an und wollte die Messe
halten. Eulenspiel stand hinter ihm und ordnete ihm sein Meszgewand. Da lies
der Pfaffe einen grossen Furz, so dasz es durch die ganze Kirche schallte.
Da sprach Eulenspiegel: >>Herr, wie ist das? Opfert Ihr dies unserm Herrn
statt Weihrauch hier vor dem Altar?<< Der Pfaffe sagte: >>Was fragst du
danach? Das ist meine Kirche. Ich habe die Macht, mitten in der Kirche zu
scheiszen.<< Eulenspiegel sprach: >>Das soll Euch und mir eine Tonne Bier
gelten, ob Ihr das tun koennt.<< Der Pfaffe sagt: >>Ja, das soll gelten.<<
Sie wetteten miteinander und der Pfaffe sprach: >>Meinst du dasz ich nicht
so keck bin?<< Und er kehrte sich um, machte einen grossen Haufen in der
Kirche und sprach: >>Sieh, Herr Kuester, ich habe die Tonne Bier gewonnen.<<
Eulenspiegel sagte: >>Nein, Herr, erst wollen wir messen, ob es mitten in
der Kirche ist, wie Ihr sagtet.<< Eulenspiegel masz es aus: da fehlte wohl
ein Viertel bis zu Mitte der Kirche. Also gewann Eulenspiegel die Tonne
Bier.

So my question is: if Till was a Braunschweiger, where are the Low Saxon
documents? He traveled extensively through northern Germany, but also the
highlands, as well, and presumably to Antwerp, Prague and Rome.

Eulenspiegel seems to have been quite unique. In Spanish we have the
15th-16th genre of "novela picaresca," presumably "picaresque novel" in
English. These are also about  rogues (picaros), but they are poor kids in
an impoverished economy just trying to stay alive. They have nothing of
Eulenspiegel's theater. Interestingly, Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas, a
royal courtier who wrote the picaresque "La vida de un buscon," was a real
joker, who because his rank was so high could get away with some pretty
gross stuff.

Also Eichendorff's "Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts" is a 19th Cent fantasy
with little relation to any of the above.

Jorge Potter

-----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Literature

¡Hola, Jorge!

Thanks for sharing your favorite story above.  ¡Una historia encantadora y
instructiva sobre un tema muy delicado! ;=)

"Till Eulenspiegel," which is the German version of Low Saxon (Low German)
"Dyl Ulenspiegel," "Till Ulenspegel'," etc., and Dutch "Tyl Uylenspieghel,"
"Tijl Uilenspiegel," etc., has been discussed briefly in this forum a while
ago.

It seems to me that not a lot is actually known about Dyl, and there is are a
lot of legends and conjecture surrounding him.  He might well be considered
common property of the Continental European Lowlands, i.e., the Low Countries
with inclusion of Northern Germany.  It is generally believed that the stories
are based on the doings of an actual medieval prankster, a mischievous social
critic and _Dwarslöper_, someone who marched to his own drum and rubbed
people's noses in their own folly.  He has always been considered "Low German"
(which in the past could refer to Dutch speakers as well).  Some believe that
he was originally from Flanders and eventually moved to what is now Northern
Germany.  (The languages were not all that different at the time, nor were the
borders as defined as they are now.)  His supposed tomb is embedded in the
outside wall of a church in Mölln (in Holstein, about halfway between Hamburg
and Lübeck), supposedly standing up on end due to his coffin having slipped,
this being considered the last of his numerous pranks.

The Gutenberg archive contains a Modern German translation of the story
collection: http://gutenberg.aol.de/bote/eulenspg/eulenspg.htm

An especially dedicated site with useful links to material in English, German,
Dutch and French is found here:
http://www.ulenspiegel.net/homepage.htm

Below please find a brief bibliographical list and an abstract of a talk
presented in Dutch.  The last item may provide more information as to the Low
Saxon texts.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

***

Dukes, Ashley, _ Ulenspiegel: a legend in seven scenes_. New York, N.Y. : S.
French, c1931
_Ein kurzweilig lesen von Dil Ulenspiegel_, facsimile issue of the copy held
in the British Museum, London; Leipzig, 1911.
Servais Kruffter; Berlin, 1865
Honegger, Peter, _Ulenspiegel: ein Beitrag zur Druckgeschichte und zur
Verfasserfrage [in Verb. mit d. Freundeskreis Till Eulenspiegels e.V.,
Schöppenstedt]. Neumünster : Wachholtz, 1973
Kleukens, Christian Heinrich, ed., _Ein kurzweilig lesen von Dil Ulenspiegel_.
Leipzig, 1938
Klinkenberg, Jean-Marie, _Style et archaïsme dans la "Légende d'Ulenspiegel"
de Charles De Coster_, Brussels: Palais des Académies, 1973
Lindow, Wolfgang, ed. _Ein kurzweilig lesen von Dil Ulenspiegel_, nach den
Drucken von 1515. Stuttgart, 1966
_Tyel Ulenspiegel in niedersächsischer Mundart_, based on the oldest extant
prints by Wunderlich, Werner, ed., _Dyl Ulenspiegel: in Abbildung des Drucks
von 1515 (S 1515)_, Göppingen [Germany]: Kümmerle Verlag, 1982

***

http://www.kbg.be/activiteiten/seniorenacademie/mechelen.htm
===start quote===
14/01/2002 "Wie was Tijl Uilenspiegel?" - spreker : Jozef JANSSENS
Iedere rechtgeaarde Vlaming kent Uilenspiegel als een schelm, een fratsenmaker
en een vrijheidsheld die ten strijde trekt tegen de Inquisitie en de Spaanse
verdrukkers. Hij wordt dan omringd door de tere Nele en de goedgeluimde
Bourgondiër Lamme Goedzak. Dit beeld is evenwel van recente datum. De
oorspronkelijke Uilenspiegel zag er totaal anders uit: vulgair, schurkachtig,
een gevaarlijk egoïst. De betekenis van deze oorspronkelijk Nederduitse figuur
en de vele verschuivingen van het Uilenspiegelsbeeld zullen tijdens de lezing
centraal staan.
===end quote===

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