Till Eulenspiegel
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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According to the tradition, he was born in Kneitlingen near Brunswick in 1300. He travelled through the Holy Roman Empire, especially Northern Germany, but also the Low Countries, Bohemia, and Italy. While he is likely not a historic person, Eulenspiegel is said to have died in Mölln in 1350, and a gravestone attributed to him is placed there. In the legend, he is presented as a trickster or fool who played practical jokes on his contemporaries. Although craftsmen are featured as the main victims of his pranks, neither the nobility nor the pope are exempt from being fooled by him.
The best known version of the Eulenspiegel story is An entertaining book about Till Eulenspiegel from the land of Brunswick, published anonymously around 1510 in Early New High German. The authorship is attributed to Hermann Bote. Puns that do not work in High German indicate that the book was written in Low German first and translated into High German later in order to find a larger audience.
The literal translation of the High German name gives "owl mirror". However, the original Low German is believed to be ul'n Spegel, meaning "wipe the arse".
The book has been translated into many languages. The storyline was adapted or changed during the process.
