Heinzelmännchen

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Heinzelmännchen
Heinzelmännchen

The Heinzelmännchen are a race of fictional creatures appearing in a tale connected with the city of Cologne in western Germany.

The little house gnomes are said to have done all the work of the citizens of Cologne during the night, so that the inhabitants of Cologne could be very lazy during the day. According to the legend, this went on until a tailor's wife got so curious to see the gnomes that she scattered peas onto the floor of the workshop to make the gnomes slip and fall. The gnomes, being infuriated, disappeared and never returned. From that time on, the citizens of Cologne had to do all their work by themselves.

This legend was first written down by the Cologne teacher Ernst Weyden (1805-1869) in 1826.[1] It was translated into English by Thomas Keightley and published 1828 in his book "The Fairy Mythology".[2] In 1836 the painter and poet August Kopisch published a famous poem beginning with the words[3]

Wie war zu Cölln es doch vordem
mit Heinzelmännchen so bequem!
Denn war man faul, ... man legte sich
hin auf die Bank und pflegte sich.
Da kamen bei Nacht, eh' man's gedacht,
die Männlein und schwärmten
und klappten und lärmten
und rupften und zupften
und hüpften und trabten
und putzten und schabten -
und eh ein Faulpelz noch erwacht,
war all sein Tagwerk ... bereits gemacht!...


How was it once upon in Collogne,
so confortable with the heinzelmen!
If you've been lazy... just layed
down to the bench and let things slide.
There came at night, you didn't thought,
those men and swarm
clicked and fussed
plucked and picked
jumped and troted
cleaned and scoured -
and befor the layzy man awoke,
his dayly work was... done!...


In Cologne, a fountain (Heinzelmännchenbrunnen) commemorates the Heinzelmännchen and the tailor's wife.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ernst Weyden: Cöln's Vorzeit. Geschichten, Legenden und Sagen Cöln's, nebst einer Auswahl cölnischer Volkslieder. Schmitz, Köln 1826. p. 200-202: Die Heinzelmännchen.
  2. ^ Google Booksearch: "The Heinzelmaenchen" in the 1833 edition of "The Fairy Mythology"
  3. ^ August Kopisch: Gedichte. Berlin, Duncker und Humblot, 1836, p. 98
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