The Satanic Mill
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[edit] General
'The Satanic Mill' is a German novel by Otfried Preußler. It was first published in 1969.
[edit] Content
The book deals primarily with Black Magic and the fight between good and evil. Other recurring themes include love and death.
Set in the 18th century, the story follows the life of Krabat, a 14-year old beggar boy. For three consecutive nights, he is called through a dream to a watermill in a nearby village. Upon heeding the call and arriving at the mill, he begins his apprenticeship as a miller's man. He soon joins the secret brotherhood, comprising of journeymen, and discovers that the skill he is meant to learn through this apprenticeship is Black Magic. Other peculiarities of this watermill include the lack of any outside visitors, including farmers who would have brought corn. The only visitor to the mill is one Goodman, who is in essence Satan himself.
Tonda, Krabat's best friend and older brother figure, dies ostensibly of an accident on New Year's Eve in Krabat's first year at the mill. Krabat's suspicions of foul play are further reinforced when another journeyman and friend, Michal, dies the following New Year's Eve. He soon realizes that the master is bound in a pact to the the Goodman: the master must sacrifice one journeyman every year on New Year's Eve, in exchange for his powers.
Wishing to take revenge for his friends, Krabat secretly trains to increase his magical strength so he could fight the master. His quest is aided by a girl from the nearby village, whose name is never mentioned. Her task is to distinguish Krabat from the rest of the journeymen, all dressed identically and standing motionless in a lineup. Ultimately, she rescues Krabat from death and both escape the mill, along with the journeymen. The master is left to die in the burning mill on New Year's Eve.
[edit] Characters
The characters of this novel provide a stark distinction between good and evil. Krabat, his love interest, Tonda, and Michal stand for the side of the good, whereas the master of the mill, the Goodman, the crows and the one journeyman who betrays his brothers stand for the bad. There are, however, a few journeymen who are indifferent or ambiguous to the ongoing struggle, and who neither support nor oppose the master.
