Household Spirits of German Folklore
Hausgeister!
Enter the world of ancient Germany where household spirits once held sway and linger within the tales that we know and love today.
The household spirits of German folklore inhabit the pages of this book just as they settled the homesteads of ancient Germany. Belief in these creatures was ubiquitous and shaped daily life for the German people for centuries. The legends of these creatures, first shared orally and later written down and compiled, most famously by the Brothers Grimm, has shifted and changed through the tides of time. Now, in the 21st century, a team of three German creators have set themselves the mission of bringing these creatures back from oblivious references and foggy recollections to the international public. Domestic dragons and wild women, Kobolds and Wichtel are portrayed through the lens of narrative and mythological research showing their regional peculiarities within German folktales. Each creature is brought to life as a detailed sculpture in original size, based on historical descriptions and beautifully photographed in Germany, in the landscape that these creatures might once have walked. A new, spectacular approach that combines both art and cultural studies in an innovative way.
Hausgeister!: Household spirits of German Folklore is now available as part of Eye of Newt’s specialty series, Wool of Bat, which is focused on the preservation and promotion of folklore and oral history from around the world. Freshly translated into English this book presents an authentic compilation of the knowledge and nature of the mysterious creatures that one (and perhaps still do) roam houses, castles, and farms in German-speaking countries. Original quotes from regional legends and guest contributions from various academic researchers complement this extraordinary compilation, which will delight both lovers of fairy tales and those interested in mythology and cultural history.
Casebound, 200 pages, table of contents, bibliography, illustration notes, and much more.
The Book will be released on July 25 2023!
Voices
“This book is the most important ever published on British and Irish house spirits. ‘But’, says the confused reader, ‘isn’t this about German and Central European Hausgeister?’ Yes, it is. If you want to read about British house-spirits the parallels with the house-spirits of the Germanic world are striking. It might be written about a different territory, but the lessons, the stories and the experiences are fundamentally the same. Haugeister is the model of how to put together a supernatural bestiary. (…)”
Simon Young, Folklore Historian
“Hausgeister! is as creepy as it is beautiful. Informative and fascinating, I thoroughly enjoyed this little gem.“
BROM, Artist
