“Do you see that figure on the unicycle?” Our guide in Erfurt asked, “Do you know who that is?”
Of course, I do! The man in the jester hat is Till Eulenspiegel, a figure of German storytelling for over 700 years. But who was Till Eulenspiegel? A Jester, a prankster… someone who spoke truth to power. Over the years, the stories mellowed a bit and morphed into children’s tales (similar to the evolution of the Max and Moritz stories). But the core remains. Till Eulenspiegel and his pranks are woven into Germany’s culture.
Who Was Till Eulenspiegel?
According to the stories, Till Euelenspiegel was a Jester who traveled around the Holy Roman Empire in the early 1300s performing pranks. He goes from city to city, putting the wealthy and powerful in their place with word games and scatological tricks. (I love the word scatological. It means that the guy makes a lot of poop jokes and pranks…ick. And indeed, at least fifteen of the pranks have to do with excrement.) His pranks are a way to challenge people to look at their faults. Many criticize social conditions. By playing the fool and taking people specifically at their word, he picks apart what is said and comes out winning.
Till mocks the social norms of his time and plays tricks on those he deems immoral- usually, those in power who set the rules but don’t live by them. However, in the end, those on the receiving end of the prank often seem to admire his clever wit, and many laugh along (although they are happy to see him GO!).
What’s unusual is that the stories about Till Eulenspiegel are so specific, with names and towns, that it’s easy to believe that there was a person behind them all.
Naarenliteratur / Jester Literature
Stories of jesters or fools have been a part of literature for hundreds of years. The idea of Speaking Truth to Power, pointing out that the ‘Emperor has No Clothes’ is a familiar theme. It’s a way of humanizing those at the top and reminding them that they are mortal. This character, the Jester, is the only one who can speak up without fear of reprisal. (Think about tricksters like Loki (Nordic Myth), Ananzi (Africa), Kitsune (Japan), and the Jack tales which came to Appalachia through England from Märchen. That is a thread to pull on another day). That same figure turns up in stories worldwide, and in Germany, his name is Till Eulenspiegel.
Many images of Till show him with an Owl and a Mirror (look! a Rebus!), and by translating his name, you get ‘Owl Mirror’ (Eule- Owl, Spiegel – Mirror.) And so much is written about the name. Does the Owl represent Knowledge or the Devil? Does the Mirror reflect society or Till’s foolishness? (And of course, my personal favorite, is it just a translation of Low German where “Ulen” means “wipe, and “Spegel” means “buttocks”? A definite nod to that scatological humor.)
Let’s leave the scholars to pick apart the names and go on to the fun part. Till Eulenspiegel stories.
Till Eulenspiegel Stories
The first Till Eulenspiegel tale, “How Till Eulenspiegel was Baptized Three Times in One Day,” tells that he was born in the village of Kneitlingen in Saxony to parents Claus Eulenspiegel and Anna Wibeken. The exact date is unknown, but it is presumed to be the early 1300s.
1. Why was Till baptized three times in one day?
The first time by the Priest, the second time when his godmother, who was holding him, fell into a creek, getting them both wet and muddy (apparently, a fine time was had in a tavern, and beer was flowing after the first baptism) and the third time at home, where he was given a warm bath. The moral in the children’s version is that Till learned to keep his head above water by having three baptisms.
The early stories describe his life through childhood and young adulthood, during which time he searches for an occupation. He tries apprenticing to a baker (where he frustrates the baker by baking Monkeys and Owls), works for a Blacksmith (where he melts the tools together), and works at the Tower Bugler (where Till sounds the alarm intentionally at mealtime so he can steal the Count’s dinner).
19. Till apprentices himself to a Baker
In Brunswick, a Baker asked Till what sort of Journeyman he was, and Till responded, “I’m a baker’s boy.” So the baker put him to work. On the second night, the baker told Till to bake all night, and he would return in the morning. Till asked what to bake and was told, “You’re a baker’s boy, and you have to ask? What do you usually bake, Long-tailed Monkeys and Owls!” and with that, he left. Till spent all night baking rolls in the shape of monkeys and owls. When the baker returned in the morning, he was furious and forced Till to pay him for the dough. Till did, then took his monkeys and owls away and sold them in front of the church since it was the night before St Nicholas Day.
Till wanders for much of his life, spending just long enough in places to cause mischief before moving on to the next. He becomes famous for his pranks, which people enjoy, unless, of course, they are the focus of the pranks. Like the people of Bremen invited to dine on a roast that Till basted with his backside, he held butter between the cheeks. (Fortunately, this story doesn’t appear in the children’s versions…)
His travels took him all around the Holy Roman Empire, mostly in northern Germany but also into Bohemia and northern Italy (which was then part of the HRE). Bamberg, Berlin, Erfurt, Nürnberg, Hamburg. He even met the King of Denmark and somehow convinced him to pay for golden shoes for his horse.
23. How the King of Denmark paid for Till Eulenspiegel’s Golden Horseshoes
Till’s pranks pleased the King, who offered to pay for the best shoes for Till’s horse. Till went to the Blacksmith and ordered golden horseshoes with silver nails. The King got the bill and lost his temper. Till responded, “You said the best.” The Danish king realized he’d been bested and paid the bill. Till had the shoes replaced with iron ones, sold the gold ones for cash, and rode off richer for it.
The story that the Erfurt guide shared with us about how Till fooled the city leaders into thinking he could teach a donkey to read
Image from Till Eulenspiegel:His Adventures Translation and Introduction by Paul Oppenheimer
29. How Till Eulenspiegel Taught a Donkey to Read
Till put up a notice at the University of Erfurt that he could teach anyone to read. The Lord of the University had heard of his previous tricks and thought they could best him. So they called him in and asked if he could teach a donkey to read. Till said he could, but it would take 20 years, and they must pay him 500 Groschen in advance. They did, thinking they would get the money back. He took the donkey to a private stall and put oats between the pages of a Psalter. The donkey learned to expect them and flipped the pages to look for them. When he couldn’t find the oats, he brayed “Eee-aaaa”. Till called the Rector in to show the donkey’s progress. When the hungry donkey couldn’t find oats between the pages, he called out “EEe-aaa“. Till explained, “See, he’s already learned two vowels, “e” and “a.” I’m sure he will learn more soon.” The Rector went away amazed, and Till took the money and left town.
The last stories of Till Eulenspiegel describe how it fell ill and died. Even on his deathbed, he played pranks, including pooping in a pharmacist’s medical book.
After death, he caused mayhem among people wondering where his ‘vast fortune’ was buried.
92. How Till Eulenspiegel divided his fortune into Three Parts. One part for his friends, one for the Council of Mölln, and one for the priest there.
On his deathbed, Till wrote his final Will and Testament, leaving his fortune in three parts: for friends, for the council, and for the priest, with the stipulation that he be buried on hallowed ground with a full Christian ceremony. After four weeks, they could unlock the treasure-filled chest and divide it. All agreed. Four weeks after they buried Till (standing up… but that’s story 94), they opened the chest and found rocks. Each group accused the other of cheating and stealing the treasure. They fought, then decided to dig up Till… but he stank so horribly that they buried him again. Giving Till Euelenspiegel the last laugh.
According to the stories, Till Eulenspiegel died in 1350 from the plague. Don’t believe he was real? His dated gravestone is on the St Nicolai Church tower wall in Mölln Schleswig Holstein.
_in_M%C3%B6lln.JPG)
Memorial Stone to Till Eulenspiegel in a Niche on the outside of the Mölln St Nicholai Church
Stories Change and Meaning Changes
Over the years, stories about Till Eulenspiegel were rewritten or adjusted. Much like the original Grimm’s Fairy Tales, which were rewritten for children in the 1800s, the stories were sanitized to make them more suitable for young ears. (Ironically, this meant that most mentions of poop were removed… odd, since most kids I know LOVE a good poop story). These are the stories I grew up hearing. Till Walking a Tightrope and Stealing Shoes, Till Hiding in a Beehive. These stories are all in the original tales, but now the illustrations are more colorful, and the language is more child-friendly.
But it’s also around this time that Till’s adventures were adopted by authors who inserted him into new settings. Charles de Coster, a Belgian author, writes Till Eulenspiegel in a Protestant Revolution setting in his The Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak. Till is burned at the stake by Spanish oppressors and becomes a hero of Flemish resistance.
Recently, I stumbled across Tyll, which is by Daniel Kehlmann. This is another book that placed our favorite Jester in the Thirty Year’s War. It’s Till’s (Tyll’s) life, with many events from the original Till stories (like the tightrope walking), but set 150 years after his death. Along the way, he interacts with real people of the war, including Frederick V, King of Bohemia (The Winter King). You can read this award-winning book in English or German. (I highly recommend it)
Stories are even “borrowed” and put into a new context. The Max und Moritz story about catching the chickens is lifted straight from Till Eulenspiegel’s pranks (it’s #8 How Euelnspiegel made the stingy householder’s chickens play tug-of-war over bait)
Till Eulenspiegel turns up in music. There are a few Operas, and even a Strauss “Tone Poem” based on his adventures (note- a Tone Poem is an orchestral piece that tells a story. It’s as if you can hear the characters tell the tale. Think “Peter and the Wolf”). You’ll find him in films, comic books, television programs, and even a ballet. And there are THREE Till Eulenspiegel museums! Two are in Germany and another in Belgium. The Till Eulenspiegel-Museum Schöppenstedt and Till Eulenspiegel Museum are in Mölln.
The jester, Till Eulenspiegel, gets the last laugh, knowing that he and his adventures still make people laugh after over 750 years.
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Cheats, and Devices: The Earliest Version of the Classic Legend
Merry Pranks of Till Eulenspiegel (minedition Classic)Till Eulenspiegel: Alle 96 Streiche (German Edition)
References
World’s Classics Till Eulenspiegel – Translated by Paul Oppenheimer
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks – Heinz Janisch & Lisbeth Zwerger
Till Eulenspiegel – Encyclopedia Britannica
European Blog Studies “Till Eulenspiegel: A Fool For all Seasons”
