Baron Munchhausen
Encyclopedia
Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen (ˈmʏnçhaʊzən; 11 May 1720 – 22 February 1797), usually known as Baron Münchhausen in English, was a German nobleman born in Bodenwerder
(Electorate Brunswick-Lüneburg) and a famous recounter of tall tales
.
In his youth, the Baron
was sent to serve as page
to Anthony Ulrich II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and later joined the Russian military. He served until 1750, in particular taking part in two campaigns against the Ottoman Turks
. Returning home, Münchhausen supposedly told a number of outrageously farfetched stories about his adventures. He died in his birthplace of Bodenwerder
.
, Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Münchhausen was page to Anthony Ulrich II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and moved with his employer to the Russian Empire
in 1737/38. He followed Anthony Ulrich as a page
during the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). In 1737 he attended the siege of Turkish Fortress of Ochakiv
.
He was named a cornet
in the Russian cavalry regiment ”Brunswick-Cuirassier
s“ when Anthony Ulrich became Russian generalissimo
in 1739. The next year, he was promoted to lieutenant
. He was stationed in Riga
, but participated in two campaigns against the Turks in 1740 and 1741. When Anthony Ulrich was imprisoned in 1741, Münchhausen remained in the service of the Russian military. In 1750, he was named a Rittmeister
, a cavalry captain.
In 1744, he married Jacobine von Dunten at Pernigel near Dunteshof in Livonia
. After his retirement, he lived with his wife at his manor in Bodenwerder until her death in 1790. Here, he acquired a reputation for his witty and exaggerated tales; at the same time, he was considered an honest man in business affairs. Münchhausen remarried in 1794; this marriage ended in a contested, ruinous divorce. Münchhausen died childless in 1797.
The stories about Münchhausen were first collected and published by an anonymous author in 1781. An English version was published in London in 1785, by Rudolf Erich Raspe
, as Baron Munchhausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia, also called The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchhausen.
In 1786, Gottfried August Bürger
translated Raspe's stories back into German, and extended them. He published them under the title of Wunderbare Reisen zu Wasser und zu Lande: Feldzüge und lustige Abenteuer des Freiherrn von Münchhausen ("Marvellous Travels on Water and Land: Campaigns and Comical Adventures of the Baron of Münchhausen"). Bürger's version is the one best known to German readers today.
In the 19th century, the story had undergone expansions and transformations by many notable authors and had been translated into numerous languages, totaling over 100 various editions. Baron Munchhausen's adventures have also been published in Russia, where they are quite commonly known, especially the versions adapted for children. In 2005 a statue of Münchhausen was erected in the city of Kaliningrad
(Königsberg
).
It is not clear how much of the story material derives from the Baron himself, but it is known that the majority of the stories are based on folktales that have been in circulation for many centuries before Münchhausen's birth.
_-_baron_von_mnchhausen_(1862)_-_009.jpg)
Chapters 1–20: volume 1, chapters 21–34: volume 2.
Raspe's book was adapted into a German language
film Münchhausen directed by Josef von Báky
, with Hans Albers
in the title role and Brigitte Horney
as the empress Katherine the Great, written by Erich Kästner
. This was Germany's fourth full-color motion picture, lushly filmed with amazing effects for the time, and produced at UFA
studios.
The 1958 German film Münchhausen in Afrika
was directed by Werner Jacobs
.
In 1961, the Czech director Karel Zeman
made an 83 minute film "Baron Prášil
" (Baron Munchhausen), using his unique combination of animation and live actors, starring Miloš Kopecký as the Baron. There had been an earlier Baron Prášil film in 1940.
In 1974-5, four short cartoons were made in the Soviet Union (a fifth was made in 1995), called "Münchhausen's Adventures" The cartoons are mostly original content, the use of Raspe's book being limited.
In 1979
Mark Zakharov
shot the Russian film, based on the play written by Grigori Gorin
, The Very Same Munchhausen
, relaying the story of the Baron's life after the adventures portrayed in the book, particularly his struggle to prove himself sane. In the movie, Baron Munchausen is portrayed as multi-dimensional, colorful, non-conformist man living in a gray, plain, dull and conformist society that ultimately tries to destroy him.
In 1983 a French cartoon version was made, called Le Secret des sélénites. It subsequently became available in English under the title Moon Madness.
Terry Gilliam
adapted the stories into the 1988
film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
[sic], shot in Belchite
, Spain, and at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film starred John Neville as the Baron and nine-year-old Sarah Polley
as Sally Salt. Supporting the Baron as his faithful crew were Eric Idle
, Charles McKeown
, Winston Dennis and Jack Purvis
. The film also featured Uma Thurman
, Oliver Reed
, Jonathan Pryce
, Sting and Robin Williams
(credited as Ray D. Tutto).
Various shorts are also known to have been made about the Baron's life, including Les Hallucinations de baron de Munchhausen and Les Aventures de baron de Munchhausen
by George Méliès.
a multi-player storytelling
/role-playing game
entitled The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen was produced by James Wallis
of Hogshead Publishing.
Players of the role-playing game assume the role of a noble person and challenge one another to relate an improvised
tale based on an opening line given by another player (for example: "Grand Poobah, please tell our assemblage about the time you singlehandedly defeated the entire Turkish army using only a plate of cheese and a corkscrew!"). Players are able to interject and introduce a limited number of complications to the tall tale at any time ("But, my dear Grand Poobah, is it not true that you have a horrible allergy to cork?"), and eventually all vote for the best storyteller. The game has several adaptations into drinking games.
In 1999 Pyramid
magazine named The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen as one of the Millennium's Best Games. Editor Scott Haring said it "is the roleplaying game that comes closest of them all to pure storytelling. In fact, it disregards so many conventions of 'traditional' RPGs ... that many folks argue it's not a roleplaying game at all. ... But who cares? It's huge fun."
In his 2007 essay, game designer and writer Allen Varney
said that the game "can be beastly in play" since it "requires improvisation worthy of its namesake, and thus you need a particular kind of player and a particular mood for a session to proceed smoothly." However, he also described it as a "strikingly original exercise in competitive storytelling".
The game has been republished in an augmented version by Mongoose Publishing in 2008 as part of its Flaming Cobra line. Two versions were published, hardcover and softcover. The new version adds simplified rules for kids and a 1001 nights addition.
, Russia. With the help of its sister city Bodenwerder, the birthplace of the Baron, the club amassed a number of "historical proofs" of presence of the Baron in Königsberg
: an ancient silver thaler
"returned" to Kaliningrad by Bodenwerder's mayor as a debt for a mug of beer drunk by Munchhausen, Order of Saint Anna issued to the Baron by Paul I of Russia
for his "faultless service", and the skeleton of the whale
in whose belly the Baron was entrapped for a while. On 18 June 2005 there was the grand opening of a monument of the Baron, which was presented to Kaliningrad by Bodenwerder. The monument portrays the Baron's cannonball ride.
A similar monument of the Baron is also installed in his city of birth, as well as a fountain of Munchhausen sitting on the front half of his horse, who is drinking from a trough - with the water falling to the ground behind.
An international tour over the places visited by Baron Munchhausen is established as a joint venture of Germany, Lithuania
, Latvia
, and Kaliningrad.
Bodenwerder
Bodenwerder is a municipality in Holzminden district, Lower Saxony, Germany. It lies on the river Weser, upstream from Hamelin, at a point where the river has carved a gap in the hills...
(Electorate Brunswick-Lüneburg) and a famous recounter of tall tales
Tall Tales
Tall Tales may refer to:* Tall Tales , 2004* Tall Tales , by American band The Hot Club of Cowtown* "Tall Tales" , an episode of the television series Supernatural-See also:...
.
In his youth, the Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
was sent to serve as page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
to Anthony Ulrich II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and later joined the Russian military. He served until 1750, in particular taking part in two campaigns against the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Returning home, Münchhausen supposedly told a number of outrageously farfetched stories about his adventures. He died in his birthplace of Bodenwerder
Bodenwerder
Bodenwerder is a municipality in Holzminden district, Lower Saxony, Germany. It lies on the river Weser, upstream from Hamelin, at a point where the river has carved a gap in the hills...
.
Life
Born in BodenwerderBodenwerder
Bodenwerder is a municipality in Holzminden district, Lower Saxony, Germany. It lies on the river Weser, upstream from Hamelin, at a point where the river has carved a gap in the hills...
, Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Münchhausen was page to Anthony Ulrich II of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and moved with his employer to the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1737/38. He followed Anthony Ulrich as a page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
during the Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739). In 1737 he attended the siege of Turkish Fortress of Ochakiv
Ochakiv
Ochakiv is a city in the Mykolaiv Oblast of southern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Ochakivsky Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast, and is located on a peninsula in the Black Sea, at the entrance to the Dnieper Rivers's estuary,...
.
He was named a cornet
Cornet (military rank)
Cornet was originally the third and lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry troop, after captain and lieutenant. A cornet is a new and junior officer.- Traditional duties :The cornet carried the troop standard, also known as a "cornet"....
in the Russian cavalry regiment ”Brunswick-Cuirassier
Cuirassier
Cuirassiers were mounted cavalry soldiers equipped with armour and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. They were the successors of the medieval armoured knights...
s“ when Anthony Ulrich became Russian generalissimo
Generalissimo
Generalissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...
in 1739. The next year, he was promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. He was stationed in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, but participated in two campaigns against the Turks in 1740 and 1741. When Anthony Ulrich was imprisoned in 1741, Münchhausen remained in the service of the Russian military. In 1750, he was named a Rittmeister
Rittmeister
Rotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
, a cavalry captain.
In 1744, he married Jacobine von Dunten at Pernigel near Dunteshof in Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
. After his retirement, he lived with his wife at his manor in Bodenwerder until her death in 1790. Here, he acquired a reputation for his witty and exaggerated tales; at the same time, he was considered an honest man in business affairs. Münchhausen remarried in 1794; this marriage ended in a contested, ruinous divorce. Münchhausen died childless in 1797.
Adaptations
Rudolf Erich Raspe
Rudolf Erich Raspe was a German librarian, writer and scientist, called by his biographer John Carswell a "rogue"...
, as Baron Munchhausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia, also called The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchhausen.
In 1786, Gottfried August Bürger
Gottfried August Bürger
Gottfried August Bürger was a German poet. His ballads were very popular in Germany. His most noted ballad, Lenore, found an audience beyond readers of the German language in an English adaptation and a French translation.-Biography:He was born in Molmerswende , Principality of Halberstadt, where...
translated Raspe's stories back into German, and extended them. He published them under the title of Wunderbare Reisen zu Wasser und zu Lande: Feldzüge und lustige Abenteuer des Freiherrn von Münchhausen ("Marvellous Travels on Water and Land: Campaigns and Comical Adventures of the Baron of Münchhausen"). Bürger's version is the one best known to German readers today.
In the 19th century, the story had undergone expansions and transformations by many notable authors and had been translated into numerous languages, totaling over 100 various editions. Baron Munchhausen's adventures have also been published in Russia, where they are quite commonly known, especially the versions adapted for children. In 2005 a statue of Münchhausen was erected in the city of Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
(Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
).
It is not clear how much of the story material derives from the Baron himself, but it is known that the majority of the stories are based on folktales that have been in circulation for many centuries before Münchhausen's birth.
Table of contents of the 1895 edition
.Chapters 1–20: volume 1, chapters 21–34: volume 2.
- Chapter 1: The Baron relates his first travels — The astonishing effects of a storm — Arrives at Ceylon; combats and conquers two extraordinary opponents — Returns to Holland.
- Chapter 2: In which the Baron proves himself a good shot — He loses his horse, and finds a wolf — Makes him draw his sledge — Promises to entertain his company with a relation of such facts as are well deserving their notice
- Chapter 3: An encounter between the Baron's nose and a door-post, with its wonderful effects — Fifty brace of duckDuckDuck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s and other fowl destroyed by one shot — Flogs a foxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
out of his skin — Leads an old sowPigA pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
home in a new way, and vanquishes a wild boarBoarWild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises... - Chapter 4: Reflections on Saint Hubert's stagDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
— Shoots a stag with cherry-stones; the wonderful effects of it — Kills a bearBearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
by extraordinary dexterity; his danger pathetically described — Attacked by a wolf, which he turns inside out — Is assailed by a mad dog, from which he escapes — The Baron's cloak seized with madness, by which his whole wardrobe is thrown into confusion - Chapter 5: The effects of great activity and presence of mind — A favourite hound described, which pups while pursuing a hare; the hare also litters while pursued by the hound — Presented with a famous horse by Count Przobossky, with which he performs many extraordinary feats
- Chapter 6: The Baron is made a prisoner of warPrisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, and sold for a slave — Keeps the Sultan's beeBeeBees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s, which are attacked by two bears — Loses one of his bees; a silver hatchetHatchetA hatchet is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade used to cut and split wood...
, which he throws at the bears, rebounds and flies up to the moon; brings it back by an ingenious invention; falls to the earth on his return, and helps himself out of a pit — Extricates himself from a carriage which meets his in a narrow road, in a manner never before attempted nor practised since — The wonderful effects of the frost upon his servant's French hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player .... - Chapter 7: The Baron relates his adventures on a voyage to North America, which are well worth the reader's attention — Pranks of a whaleWhaleWhale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
— A sea-gull saves a sailor's life — The Baron's head forced into his stomach — A dangerous leak stopped а posteriori - Chapter 8: Bathes in the Mediterranean — Meets an unexpected companion — Arrives unintentionally in the regions of heat and darkness, from which he is extricated by dancing a hornpipeHornpipeThe term hornpipe refers to any of several dance forms played and danced in Britain and elsewhere from the late 17th century until the present day. It is said that hornpipe as a dance began around the 16th century on English sailing vessels...
— Frightens his deliverers, and returns on shore - Chapter 9: Adventures in TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and upon the river NileNileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
— Sees a balloon over ConstantinopleConstantinopleConstantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
; shoots at, and brings it down; finds a French experimental philosopher suspended from it — Goes on an embassy to Grand CairoCairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, and returns upon the Nile, where he is thrown into an unexpected situation, and detained six weeks - Chapter 10: Pays a visit during the siege of GibraltarGibraltarGibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to his old friend General ElliotGeorge Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron HeathfieldGeorge Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, KB was a British Army officer who took served in three major wars during the eighteenth century. He rose to distinction during the Seven Years War when he fought in Germany and participated in the British attacks on Belle Île and Cuba...
— Sinks a Spanish man-of-war — Wakes an old woman on the African coast — Destroys all the enemy's cannon; frightens the Count d'Artois, and sends him to Paris — Saves the lives of two English spies with the identical slingSling (weapon)A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone or lead "sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling....
that killed Goliath; and raises the siege - Chapter 11: An interesting account of the Baron's ancestors — A quarrel relative to the spot where NoahNoahNoah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
built his ark — The history of the sling, and its properties — A favourite poet introduced upon no very reputable occasion — Queen ElizabethElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
's abstinence — The Baron's father crosses from England to Holland upon a marine horse, which he sells for seven hundred ducatDucatThe ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
s - Chapter 12: The frolic; its consequences — Windsor CastleWindsor CastleWindsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
— St. Paul'sSt Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
— College of PhysiciansRoyal College of PhysiciansThe Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
— Undertakers, sextons, &c., almost ruined — Industry of the apothecaries - Chapter 13: The Baron sails with Captain Phipps, attacks two large bears, and has a very narrow escape — Gains the confidence of these animals, and then destroys thousands of them; loads the ship with their hams and skins; makes presents of the former, and obtains a general invitation to all city feasts — A dispute between the Captain and the Baron, in which, from motives of politeness, the Captain is suffered to gain his point — The Baron declines the offer of a throne, and an empress into the bargain
- Chapter 14: Our Baron excels Baron Tott beyond all comparison, yet fails in part of his attempt — Gets into disgrace with the Grand Seignior, who orders his head to be cut off — Escapes, and gets on board a vessel, in which he is carried to VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
— Baron Tott's origin, with some account of that great man's parents — Pope GanganelliPope Clement XIVPope Clement XIV , born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was Pope from 1769 to 1774. At the time of his election, he was the only Franciscan friar in the College of Cardinals.-Early life:...
's amour — His Holiness fond of shell-fish - Chapter 15: A further account of the journey from HarwichHarwichHarwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
to Helvoetsluys — Description of a number of marine objects never mentioned by any traveller before — Rocks seen in this passage equal to the AlpsAlpsThe Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
in magnitude; lobsterLobsterClawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
s, crabCrabTrue crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s, &c., of an extraordinary magnitude — A woman's life saved — The cause of her falling into the sea — Dr. Hawes' directions followed with success - Chapter 16: This is a very short chapter, but contains a fact for which the Baron's memory ought to be dear to every Englishman, especially those who may hereafter have the misfortune of being made prisoners of war
- Chapter 17: Voyage eastward — The Baron introduces a friend who never deceived him: wins a hundred guineas by pinning his faith upon that friend's nose — Game started at sea — Some other circumstances which will, it is hoped, afford the reader no small degree of amusement
- Chapter 18: A second visit (but an accidental one) to the moon — The ship driven by a whirlwind a thousand leagues above the surface of the water, where a new atmosphere meets them and carries them into a capacious harbour in the moon — A description of the inhabitants, and their manner of coming into the lunarian world — Animals, customs, weapons of war, wine, vegetables, &c
- Chapter 19: The Baron crosses the Thames without the assistance of a bridge, ship, boat, balloon, or even his own will: rouses himself after a long nap, and destroys a monster who lived upon the destruction of others
- Chapter 20: The Baron slips through the world: after paying a visit to Mount EtnaMount EtnaMount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
he finds himself in the South SeaPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
; visits Vulcan in his passage; gets on board a Dutchman; arrives at an island of cheese, surrounded by a sea of milk; describes some very extraordinary objects — Lose their compass; their ship slips between the teeth of a fish unknown in this part of the world; their difficulty in escaping from thence; arrive in the Caspian SeaCaspian SeaThe Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
— Starves a bear to death — A few waistcoat anecdotes — In this chapter, which is the longest, the Baron moralises upon the virtue of veracity - Chapter 21: The Baron insists on the veracity of his former Memoirs — Forms a design of making discoveries in the interior parts of Africa — His discourse with Hilaro Frosticos about it — His conversation with Lady Fragrantia — The Baron goes, with other persons of distinction, to Court; relates an anecdote of the Marquis de Bellecourt
- Chapter 22: Preparations for the Baron's expedition into Africa — Description of his chariotChariotThe chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
; the beauties of its interior decorations; the animals that drew it, and the mechanism of the wheels - Chapter 23: The Baron proceeds on his voyage — Convoys a squadron to Gibraltar — Declines the acceptance of the island of Candia — His chariot damaged by Pompey's Pillar and Cleopatra's NeedleCleopatra's NeedleCleopatra's Needle is the popular name for each of three Ancient Egyptian obelisks re-erected in London, Paris, and New York City during the nineteenth century. The London and New York ones are a pair, while the Paris one comes from a different original site where its twin remains...
— The Baron out-does Alexander — Breaks his chariot, and splits a great rock at the Cape of Good HopeCape of Good HopeThe Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the... - Chapter 24: The Baron secures his chariot, &c., at the Cape and takes his passage for England in a homeward-bound Indiaman — Wrecked upon an island of ice, near the coast of GuineaGuineaGuinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
— Escapes from the wreck, and rears a variety of vegetables upon the island — Meets some vessels belonging to the negroes bringing white slaves from Europe, in retaliation, to work upon their plantations in a cold climate near the South PoleSouth PoleThe South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
— Arrives in England, and lays an account of his expedition before the Privy CouncilPrivy councilA privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
— Great preparations for a new expedition — The SphinxSphinxA sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
, Gog and MagogGog and MagogGog and Magog are names that appear primarily in various Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures, as well as numerous subsequent references in other works. Their context can be either genealogical or eschatological and apocalyptic, as in Ezekiel and Revelation...
, and a great company attend him — The ideas of Hilaro Frosticos respecting the interior parts of Africa - Chapter 25: Count Gosamer thrown by Sphinx into the snow on the top of TeneriffeTenerifeTenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
— Gog and Magog conduct Sphinx for the rest of the voyage — The Baron arrives at the Cape, and unites his former chariot, &c., to his new retinue — Passes into Africa, proceeding from the Cape northwards — Defeats a host of lionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s by a curious stratagem — Travels through an immense desert — His whole company, chariot, &c., overwhelmed by a whirlwind of sand — Extricates them, and arrives in a fertile country - Chapter 26: A feast on live bulls and kava — The inhabitants admire the European adventurers — The Emperor comes to meet the Baron, and pays him great compliments — The inhabitants of the centre of Africa descended from the people of the moon proved by an inscription in Africa, and by the analogy of their language, which is also the same with that of the ancient Scythians — The Baron is declared sovereign of the interior of Africa on the decease of the Emperor — He endeavours to abolish the custom of eating live bulls, which excites much discontent — The advice of Hilaro Frosticos upon the occasion — The Baron makes a speech to an Assembly of the states, which only excites greater murmurs — He consults with Hilaro Frosticos
- Chapter 27: A proclamation by the Baron — Excessive curiosity of the people to know what fudgeFudgeFudge is a type of Western confectionery which is usually very sweet, and extremely rich. It is made by mixing sugar, butter, and milk and heating it to the soft-ball stage at , and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency...
was — The people in a general ferment about it — They break open all the granaries in the empire — The affections of the people conciliated — An ode performed in honour of the Baron — His discourse with Fragrantia on the excellence of the music - Chapter 28: The Baron sets all the people of the empire to work to build a bridge from their country to Great Britain — His contrivance to render the arch secure — Orders an inscription to be engraved on the bridge — Returns with all his company, chariot, etc., to England — Surveys the kingdoms and nations under him from the middle of the bridge
- Chapter 29: The Baron's retinue is opposed in a heroic style by Don Quixote, who in his turn is attacked by Gog and Magog — Lord Whittington, with the Lord Mayor's ShowLord Mayor's ShowThe Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1535. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London, the historic centre of London that is now the metropolis's financial district, informally known as the Square Mile...
, comes to the assistance of Don Quixote — Gog and Magog assail his Lordship — Lord Whittington makes a speech, and deludes Gog and Magog to his party — A general scene of uproar and battle among the company, until the Baron, with great presence of mind, appeases the tumult - Chapter 30: The Baron arrives in England — the Colossus of RhodesColossus of RhodesThe Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek Titan Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 BC. It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was constructed to celebrate Rhodes' victory over the ruler of...
comes to congratulate him — Great rejoicings on the Baron's return, and a tremendous concert — The Baron's discourse with Fragrantia, and her opinion of the Tour to the HebridesHebridesThe Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive... - Chapter 31: A litigated contention between Don Quixote, Gog, Magog, &c. — A grand court assembled upon it — The appearance of the company — The matrons, judges, &c. — The method of writing, and the use of the fashionable amusement quizzes — Wauwau arrives from the country of Prester JohnPrester JohnThe legends of Prester John were popular in Europe from the 12th through the 17th centuries, and told of a Christian patriarch and king said to rule over a Christian nation lost amidst the Muslims and pagans in the Orient. Written accounts of this kingdom are variegated collections of medieval...
, and leads the whole Assembly a wild-goose chase to the top of Plinlimmon, and thence to VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
— The Baron meets a floating islandFloating island (fiction)A floating island is a fictitious or possibly real landmass that either floats in a body of water or floats in the sky...
in his voyage to America — Pursues Wauwau with his whole company through the deserts of North America — His curious contrivance to seize Wauwau in a morass - Chapter 32: The Baron harangues the company, and they continue the pursuit — The Baron, wandering from his retinue, is taken by the savages, scalped, and tied to a stake to be roasted; but he contrives to extricate himself, and kills the savages — The Baron travels overland through the forests of North America, to the confines of Russia — Arrives at the castle of the Nareskin Rowskimowmowsky, and gallops into the kingdom of Loggerheads — A battle, in which the Baron fights the Nareskin in single combat, and generously gives him his life — Arrives at the Friendly Islands, and discourses with Omai — The Baron, with all his attendants, goes from Otaheite to the isthmus of DarienDarienDarien is a masculine name; variants include Darian and Darion. Darien may refer to:-Panama:*Darién Gap, border area between Panama and Colombia*Darién National Park*Darién Province*Gulf of Darién*Santa María la Antigua del Darién, town founded in 1510...
, and having cut a canal across the isthmus, returns to England - Chapter 33: On his way to Petersburgh a snow storm arrives and covers the entire landscape, the Baron succeeds to tie his horse to the single post outstanding in the landscape. On the next morning the snow has melted and he realizes that his horse is tied to a steepletop high above in the air. Arriving in Russia the Baron converses with the EmpressCatherine II of RussiaCatherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
— Persuades the Russians and Turks to cease cutting one another's throats, and in concert cut a canalSuez CanalThe Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
across the Isthmus of SuezSuezSuez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
— The Baron discovers the Alexandrine Library, and meets with Hermes TrismegistusHermes TrismegistusHermes Trismegistus is the eponymous author of the Hermetic Corpus, a sacred text belonging to the genre of divine revelation.-Origin and identity:...
— Besieges Seringapatam, and challenges Tippoo Sahib to single combat — They fight — The Baron receives some wounds to his face, but at last vanquishes the tyrant — The Baron returns to Europe, and raises the hull of the "Royal GeorgeHMS Royal George (1756)HMS Royal George was a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, built at Woolwich Dockyard and launched on 18 February 1756...
" - Chapter 34: The Baron makes a speech to the National AssemblyNational Assembly (French Revolution)During the French Revolution, the National Assembly , which existed from June 17 to July 9, 1789, was a transitional body between the Estates-General and the National Constituent Assembly.-Background:...
, and drives out all the members — Routs the fishwomen and the National GuardsNational Guard (France)The National Guard was the name given at the time of the French Revolution to the militias formed in each city, in imitation of the National Guard created in Paris. It was a military force separate from the regular army...
— Pursues the whole rout into a Church, where he defeats the National Assembly, &c., with Rousseau, VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, and BeelzebubBeelzebubBeelzebub -Religious meaning:Ba‘al Zəbûb is variously understood to mean "lord of flies", or "lord of the dwelling". Originally the name of a Philistine god, Beelzebub is also identified in the New Testament as Satan, the "prince of the demons". In Arabic the name is retained as Ba‘al dhubaab /...
at their head, and liberates Marie AntoinetteMarie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
and the Royal Family
Films
In 19431943 in film
The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
Raspe's book was adapted into a German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
film Münchhausen directed by Josef von Báky
Josef von Baky
Josef von Báky was a Hungarian filmmaker. He was also known as Josef v. Baky and József Baky. He was born in the town of Zombor in the Kingdom of Hungary in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, since 1920 Sombor in Yugoslavia., . He worked as an assistant to Geza von Bolvary.He worked as director or...
, with Hans Albers
Hans Albers
Hans Philipp August Albers was a German actor and singer. He was the single biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1945 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century.- Life and work :...
in the title role and Brigitte Horney
Brigitte Horney
Brigitte Horney was a German theatre and film actress. Best remembered was her role as Empress Katherine the Great in the 1943 version of the UFA film version of Baron Munchhausen, directed by Josef von Báky, with Hans Albers in the title role.-Life and work:Brigitte Horney was the daughter of...
as the empress Katherine the Great, written by Erich Kästner
Erich Kästner
Emil Erich Kästner was a German author, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known for his humorous, socially astute poetry and children's literature.-Dresden 1899–1919:...
. This was Germany's fourth full-color motion picture, lushly filmed with amazing effects for the time, and produced at UFA
Universum Film AG
Universum Film AG, better known as UFA or Ufa, is a film company that was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic and through World War II, and a major force in world cinema from 1917 to 1945...
studios.
The 1958 German film Münchhausen in Afrika
Münchhausen in Afrika
Münchhausen in Afrika is a 1958 German musical comedy film directed by Werner Jacobs and starring Peter Alexander, Gunther Philipp and Anita Gutwell. Baron Münchhausen goes to Africa where he has numerous adventures.-Cast:...
was directed by Werner Jacobs
Werner Jacobs
-Selected filmography:* Gitarren der Liebe * André and Ursula * San Salvatore * Santa Lucia * The Count of Luxemburg * Münchhausen in Afrika * Here I Am, Here I Stay...
.
In 1961, the Czech director Karel Zeman
Karel Zeman
Karel Zeman was a Czech film director, artist, production designer and animator. Because of his creative use of special effects and animation in his films, he has often been called the "Czech Méliès."-Life:...
made an 83 minute film "Baron Prášil
Baron Prášil
Baron Prášil is the Czech name for the historical and literary character Baron Münchhausen.The name may also refer to:* Baron Prášil , a comedy film starring Vlasta Burian* Baron Prášil , a film by Karel Zeman...
" (Baron Munchhausen), using his unique combination of animation and live actors, starring Miloš Kopecký as the Baron. There had been an earlier Baron Prášil film in 1940.
In 1974-5, four short cartoons were made in the Soviet Union (a fifth was made in 1995), called "Münchhausen's Adventures" The cartoons are mostly original content, the use of Raspe's book being limited.
In 1979
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
Mark Zakharov
Mark Zakharov
Mark Anatolyevich Zakharov is a Soviet and Russian theatrical director and playwright. He was also a professor of the Moscow Theatre Institute ....
shot the Russian film, based on the play written by Grigori Gorin
Grigori Gorin
Grigori Israelevich Gorin was a Soviet/Russian dramatist and a prose writer.-Biography:Graduated from the Sechenov 1st Moscow Medical Institute in 1963, worked as an ambulanceman for some time....
, The Very Same Munchhausen
The Very Same Munchhausen
The Very Same Munchausen is a 1979 Soviet television movie directed by Mark Zakharov, based on a script by Grigoriy Gorin. The film relays the story of the baron's life after the adventures portrayed in the book, particularly his struggle to prove himself sane...
, relaying the story of the Baron's life after the adventures portrayed in the book, particularly his struggle to prove himself sane. In the movie, Baron Munchausen is portrayed as multi-dimensional, colorful, non-conformist man living in a gray, plain, dull and conformist society that ultimately tries to destroy him.
In 1983 a French cartoon version was made, called Le Secret des sélénites. It subsequently became available in English under the title Moon Madness.
Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
adapted the stories into the 1988
1988 in film
-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a 1988 British adventure comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring John Neville, Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, and Robin Williams.-Plot:...
[sic], shot in Belchite
Belchite
Belchite is a village in the province of Zaragoza, Spain, about 40 km southeast of Zaragoza. It is the capital of Campo de Belchite comarca and is located in a plain surrounded by low hills, the highest of which is Lobo...
, Spain, and at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome. The film starred John Neville as the Baron and nine-year-old Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley is a Canadian actress, singer, film director, and screenwriter. Polley first attained notice in her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series, Road to Avonlea...
as Sally Salt. Supporting the Baron as his faithful crew were Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
, Charles McKeown
Charles McKeown
Charles McKeown is a British actor and writer, perhaps best known for his collaborations with Terry Gilliam. The two met while shooting Monty Python's Life of Brian, while McKeown was doing bit parts in the film.-Screenwriting career:...
, Winston Dennis and Jack Purvis
Jack Purvis (actor)
Jack Purvis was a British film actor. Purvis was a dwarf, and thus was mainly cast in roles requiring actors of short stature...
. The film also featured Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
, Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
, Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
, Sting and Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
(credited as Ray D. Tutto).
Various shorts are also known to have been made about the Baron's life, including Les Hallucinations de baron de Munchhausen and Les Aventures de baron de Munchhausen
Les Aventures de baron de Munchhausen
Les Aventures de baron de Munchhausen is a French film released in November 1911 based on a book by Gottfried August Bürger. It was one of the last films from early 20th century French filmmaker Georges Méliès...
by George Méliès.
Role-playing game
In 19981998 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1998. For video and console games, see 1998 in video gaming.-Game awards given in 1998:* Spiel des Jahres: Elfenland - Alan R...
a multi-player storytelling
Storytelling game
A storytelling game is a game where two or more persons collaborate on telling a spontaneous story. Usually, each player takes care of one or more characters in the developing story...
/role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
entitled The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen was produced by James Wallis
James Wallis (games designer)
James Wallis is a designer and publisher of tabletop and role-playing games. In 1994 he founded Hogshead Publishing, a now-defunct company specialising in role-playing and storytelling games, and ran it until its sale in 2003...
of Hogshead Publishing.
Players of the role-playing game assume the role of a noble person and challenge one another to relate an improvised
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
tale based on an opening line given by another player (for example: "Grand Poobah, please tell our assemblage about the time you singlehandedly defeated the entire Turkish army using only a plate of cheese and a corkscrew!"). Players are able to interject and introduce a limited number of complications to the tall tale at any time ("But, my dear Grand Poobah, is it not true that you have a horrible allergy to cork?"), and eventually all vote for the best storyteller. The game has several adaptations into drinking games.
In 1999 Pyramid
Pyramid (magazine)
Pyramid is a gaming magazine, publishing articles primarily on role-playing games, but including board games, card games, and other sorts of games. It began life in 1993 as a print publication of Steve Jackson Games for its first 30 issues, though it has been published on the Internet since March...
magazine named The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen as one of the Millennium's Best Games. Editor Scott Haring said it "is the roleplaying game that comes closest of them all to pure storytelling. In fact, it disregards so many conventions of 'traditional' RPGs ... that many folks argue it's not a roleplaying game at all. ... But who cares? It's huge fun."
In his 2007 essay, game designer and writer Allen Varney
Allen Varney
Allen Varney is an American writer and game designer born in St. Louis, Missouri. He has a dual B.A. in English and History from the University of Nevada, Reno....
said that the game "can be beastly in play" since it "requires improvisation worthy of its namesake, and thus you need a particular kind of player and a particular mood for a session to proceed smoothly." However, he also described it as a "strikingly original exercise in competitive storytelling".
The game has been republished in an augmented version by Mongoose Publishing in 2008 as part of its Flaming Cobra line. Two versions were published, hardcover and softcover. The new version adds simplified rules for kids and a 1001 nights addition.
Fandom
There is a club "Munchhausen's Grandchildren" (Внучата Мюнхаузена) in KaliningradKaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia. With the help of its sister city Bodenwerder, the birthplace of the Baron, the club amassed a number of "historical proofs" of presence of the Baron in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
: an ancient silver thaler
Thaler
The Thaler was a silver coin used throughout Europe for almost four hundred years. Its name lives on in various currencies as the dollar or tolar. Etymologically, "Thaler" is an abbreviation of "Joachimsthaler", a coin type from the city of Joachimsthal in Bohemia, where some of the first such...
"returned" to Kaliningrad by Bodenwerder's mayor as a debt for a mug of beer drunk by Munchhausen, Order of Saint Anna issued to the Baron by Paul I of Russia
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
for his "faultless service", and the skeleton of the whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
in whose belly the Baron was entrapped for a while. On 18 June 2005 there was the grand opening of a monument of the Baron, which was presented to Kaliningrad by Bodenwerder. The monument portrays the Baron's cannonball ride.
A similar monument of the Baron is also installed in his city of birth, as well as a fountain of Munchhausen sitting on the front half of his horse, who is drinking from a trough - with the water falling to the ground behind.
An international tour over the places visited by Baron Munchhausen is established as a joint venture of Germany, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, and Kaliningrad.
See also
- Mr. MunchausenMr. MunchausenMr. Munchausen: Being a True Account of Some of the Recent Adventures Beyond the Styx of the Late Hieronymus Carl Friedrich, Sometime Baron Munchausen of Bodenwerder, as originally reported for the Sunday Edition of the Gehenna Gazette by its special interviewer the late Mr. Ananias formerly of...
- Münchhausen Trilemma
- Münchausen syndromeMunchausen syndromeMünchausen syndrome is a psychiatric factitious disorder wherein those affected feign disease, illness, or psychological trauma to draw attention or sympathy to themselves. It is also sometimes known as hospital addiction syndrome or hospital hopper syndrome...
and Münchausen syndrome by proxyMunchausen syndrome by proxyMünchausen syndrome by proxy is a label for a pattern of behavior in which care-givers deliberately exaggerate, fabricate, and/or induce physical, psychological, behavioral, and/or mental health problems in others. Other experts classified MSbP as a mental illness...
External links
- Munchausen-Library
- Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
e-text of The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen - Bürger's Adventures of Münchhausen at Project Gutenberg
- The Children's Munchausen - illustrations with captions from the book
- Baron Münchausen.net - A Surprise Symphony - Online Graphic Novel
- The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen on Board Game Geek