Germelshausen
Encyclopedia
Germelshausen is a story by Friedrich Gerstäcker
concerning a cursed village that sank into the earth long ago and is permitted to appear for only one day every century. The protagonist is a young artist (Arnold) who happens to traverse the locale at the time for the town's appearance. He encounters, and becomes smitten with, a young woman (Gertrud) from Germelshausen. The romantic tale ends with his leaving the vicinity just in time to avoid being entombed with the village and its denizens, but thereby being sundered from his love forever.
The basic concept is an old German motif that appears in works of Mueller
, Heine
, Uhland
and others. The curse may affect a town, a castle, or even a single house, but the narratable content remains largely unchanged. Germelshausen is noteworthy for the affecting nature of the story, and because it is widely credited as having inspired the musical Brigadoon.
Friedrich Gerstäcker
Friedrich Gerstäcker was a German traveler and novelist.-Biography:He was the son of Friedrich Gerstäcker , a celebrated opera singer. After being apprenticed to a commercial house, he learnt farming in Saxony...
concerning a cursed village that sank into the earth long ago and is permitted to appear for only one day every century. The protagonist is a young artist (Arnold) who happens to traverse the locale at the time for the town's appearance. He encounters, and becomes smitten with, a young woman (Gertrud) from Germelshausen. The romantic tale ends with his leaving the vicinity just in time to avoid being entombed with the village and its denizens, but thereby being sundered from his love forever.
The basic concept is an old German motif that appears in works of Mueller
Mueller
Mueller is a spelling variant of the German surname Müller . In German, the letter "ü" can be replaced with "ue". It may refer to:-People:*Armin Mueller-Stahl , German actor*Barbara R...
, Heine
Heine
Heine is a German family name. The name comes from "Heinrich" or the Hebrew "Chayyim" . When mentioned without a first name it usually refers ti the poet Heinrich Heine...
, Uhland
Ludwig Uhland
Johann Ludwig Uhland , was a German poet, philologist and literary historian.-Biography:He was born in Tübingen, then Duchy of Württemberg, and studied jurisprudence at the university there, but also took an interest in medieval literature, especially old German and French poetry...
and others. The curse may affect a town, a castle, or even a single house, but the narratable content remains largely unchanged. Germelshausen is noteworthy for the affecting nature of the story, and because it is widely credited as having inspired the musical Brigadoon.