Fritz Meyers

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fritz Meyers (born August 26, 1919 in Nieukerk ; † February 27, 1996 in Geldern ) was a German writer , dialect author and legend researcher with a focus on the Lower Rhine region . After a craft apprenticeship, military service and retraining to become an official inspector , Fritz Meyers came to his literary work late. He left 13 book publications and more than 200 articles from various periodicals . For his services to folklore and local history , he was awarded the Rheinlandtaler of the Rhineland Regional Association (LVR) in 1979 .

Life

Fritz Meyers was the son of a master weaver and learned the trade of a hand weaver after attending elementary school. During his apprenticeship, he worked in the culturally active Catholic youth organization Sturmschar in his home region, which had been critical of the regime since the beginning of the Hitler Empire .

In June 1939 he was drafted into the Reich Labor Service and a little later into the military, with deployments in Flanders , France and Russia. With the so-called bookseller letters , a course material for self-study, he began during the war to acquire the basics for his later writing.

Returning home from the war in 1945, he became a district youth worker in Geldern . After training at the administrative school and passing the inspector's examination , he was appointed head of the district youth welfare office in 1957, which he held until the old district was dissolved in 1974.

During this time he began contributing to regional publications. His first book was a collection of dialect songs entitled Nauw loat ons noch ens senge . From 1968 there was a collaboration with the "Institute for Musical Folklore" at the University of Cologne. In 1970 Mensch und Mundart appeared on the Lower Rhine with contributions by Emil Feinendegen, Franz Heckmanns and Paul Therstappen .

In 1974 Fritz Meyers began a professional reorientation that was decisive for his local and folkloric activities: he moved to the district archive (from which he was to leave early in 1979 because of a severe rheumatism).

Create

While working in the district archive, he began to write and publish most of his writings. Over the years 13 book publications and more than 200 articles have been published. The latter are mainly divided into the following periodicals:

  • the Geldrische home calendar. (1959 to 1987 approx. 80 articles)
  • Features of regional newspapers (with over 100 articles)
  • the monthly of the regional association of Rhineland The Lower Rhine. (approx. 20 articles in 14 numbers)
  • the Lower Rhine leaves. (approx. 10 posts)

The textual range of the publications ranges from anecdotes to verses, idioms, poems and stories to extensive articles and his books, which were conceived partly as anthologies, partly as scientific treatises.

Thematically, his works can be seen as follows:

  • Folk custom. with the areas
    • Carnival, fair. as well as chronological treatises
    • ecclesiastical customs. at solemn festivals of the church year, especially Christmas and Epiphany (including with his Lower Rhine Christmas Book )
  • Dialect literature. With numerous text categories such as metaphors, proverbs, farmer's rules and nursery rhymes, also own song texts and poem stanzas; The focus is on the local dialect of his homeland, the "Vogteier Platt", portraits of dialect poets and poetry transcriptions from High German into the dialect of the Lower Rhine.
  • Sayings and folk tales. (Focus on Lower Rhine legends).
    • In his 1980 book Giant and Dwarfs on the Lower Rhine - Your Traces in Sage Fairy Tales, History and Art. he investigates the legends of the Lower Rhine and the origins of their legendary characters. Using the example in the book u. a. treated legendary figure of the Stark helmet (also Sterk helmet or Sterk Hermel ), he illuminates similarities to Arminius (the Cheruscan ), to the Siegfried saga and to the figure of the German god Thor .

Six of his book publications fall into the areas of dialect and folk tale , with three new editions of his Lower Rhine legends .

Fritz Meyers also dealt with children's games on the Lower Rhine , also addressed in the posthumously published book Children's Games - Human Dreams, edited with Willi Fährmann . Old children's games on the Lower Rhine .

Fritz Meyers wrote treatises especially for "musical folklore", especially song research (supplemented with song testimonies in the form of sound recordings), which led to close cooperation with the "Institute for musical folklore of the University of Cologne".

His work lasted until 1996, when he died of cancer on February 27th in Geldern .

Awards

Fritz Meyer received several awards, including a .:

  • 1979 the "Rheinlandtaler" of the Rhineland Regional Association for services to folklore and local history of the Lower Rhine area
  • 1982 the "Orden van et Möökeshüs" of the carnival society "Queekespiere" in Keppeln
  • 1995 (one year before his death) the Straelen "Friedrich Brücker Prize" for outstanding achievements in the service of the dialect of the Lower Rhine

Wilhelm Schepping, head of the “Institute for Musical Folklore at the University of Cologne”, remembered Fritz Meyer's work and the fruitful collaboration with the institute in the series “ad marginem” after the author's death. The memory ends with the sentence: “... that he also enriched the tradition with new things in the traditional dialect of his homeland - partly from his pen - is characteristic of this advocate of a rich folk tradition, open to the present, in words, songs, art, work and custom on the Lower Rhine. "

Works

Fritz Meyers: The most beautiful sagas from the Lower Rhine. 1985.
  • Fritz Meyers: Nauw loat ons noch ens senge. Dialect songs from Gelderland . Collected and edited by Fritz Meyers. Volksbank Geldern, Geldern 1959.
  • Fritz Meyers, Emil Feinendegen: People and dialects on the Lower Rhine. (Contributions by Emil Feinendegen, Franz Heckmanns and Paul Therstappen as well as poetry and prose from Lower Rhine dialect.) Mercator Verlag, Duisburg 1970, ISBN 3-87463-082-X .
  • Fritz Meyers: Tösche Kirkture on Appelemboom. Verses and prose from the Geldern district . Kreissparkasse Geldern, Geldern 1974.
  • Fritz Meyers: The baroness in the protective cloak. Emilie von Loe in the resistance against National Socialism . Publication of the historical association for Geldern and the surrounding area. Verlag Butzon and Bercker, Kevelaer 1975, ISBN 3-7666-8898-7 .
  • Fritz Meyers, Emil Feinendegen: People and dialects on the Lower Rhine . Extended Edition. with contributions by Emil Feinendegen as well as poetry and prose from Lower Rhine dialect poets. Mercator-Verlag, Duisburg 1980, ISBN 3-87463-082-X .
  • Fritz Meyers: Giants and dwarfs on the Lower Rhine. Their traces in legend, fairy tales, history and art . Mercator Verlag, Duisburg 1980, ISBN 3-87463-083-8 .
  • Fritz Meyers (arrangement): Lower Rhine Christmas Book. For the time from the 1st Advent to the Three Kings . Mercator-Verlag, Duisburg 1981, ISBN 3-87463-102-8 .
  • Fritz Meyers: Friedrich van Hoffs. A poet from Gelderland (with: Gäldersche Lidjes än Döntjes ). Verlag des Historisches Verein für Geldern, 1983, ISBN 3-921760-11-9 .
  • Fritz Meyers (compilation and editing): The year of the Lower Rhine. A house book for every month . Mercator-Verlag, Duisburg 1983, ISBN 3-87463-111-7 .
  • Fritz Meyers (compilation and editing): Niederrheinisches Weihnachtsbuch. A house treasure for the period from the 1st of Advent until the three wise men . Mercator Verlag, Duisburg 1985, ISBN 3-87463-102-8 .
  • Fritz Meyers (Ed.): The most beautiful sagas from the Lower Rhine. Sagas, legends and stories . Verlag Peter Pomp, Essen 1985, ISBN 3-89355-026-7 .
  • Fritz Meyers: Leprosy on the Lower Rhine - Cultural and historical heritage as a current task . DAHW, Würzburg 1985.
  • Fritz Meyers: That's how it was on the Lower Rhine - life, dialect, customs reflected in the handcraft professions . (Country and people between the Rhine and Maas; Volume 4). Butzon & Bercker, Kevelaer 1990, ISBN 3-7666-9602-5 .
  • Fritz Meyers (Ed.): The most beautiful sagas from the Lower Rhine - sagas, legends and stories . New edition, Pomp & Sobkowiak, Essen 1991, ISBN 3-922693-55-5 .
  • Fritz Meyers, Willi Fährmann, Jupp Sieben: Children's games - human dreams, old children's games on the Lower Rhine . Brendow Verlag, Moers 1996, ISBN 3-87067-638-8 .

literature

  • Wilhelm Schepping: In Memoriam Fritz Meyers. In: ad marginem. Side notes on musical folklore . Institute for Musical Folklore at the University of Cologne, ISSN  0001-7965 , 69/1996. (Full text) (PDF; 87 kB)

Web links

credentials

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Wilhelm Schepping: In Memoriam Fritz Meyers. In: ad marginem. Side notes on musical folklore . Institute for Musical Folklore at the University of Cologne, ISSN  0001-7965 , 69/1996. (Full text) (PDF; 87 kB)
  2. ↑ Fritz Meyers: Nauw float ons still ens senge (dialect songs from the Gelderland). collected and edited by Fritz Meyers. Edited by Volksbank Geldern. 1959.
  3. ^ Fritz Meyers, Emil Feinendegen: Man and dialect on the Lower Rhine. Mercator Verlag, Gert Wohlfahrt, Duisburg / Munich 1970, ISBN 3-87463-082-X .
  4. ↑ a b c Fritz Meyers: Giants and dwarfs on the Lower Rhine - their traces in legend, fairy tales, history and art. Chapter: Strength Helmet. Mercator Verlag, Duisburg 1980, ISBN 3-87463-083-8 , pp. 79-93.
  5. ↑ a b Fritz Meyers (ed.): The most beautiful sagas from the Lower Rhine. Chapter: Strong Helmes from the Meuse. Verlag Peter Pomp, Essen 1985 / ISBN 3-89355-026-7 , pp. 12-18.
  6. ^ Fritz Meyers, Willi Fährmann, Jupp Sieben: Children's games - human dreams / old children's games on the Lower Rhine. Brendow Verlag, Moers 1996, ISBN 3-87067-638-8 .
personal data
SURNAME Meyers, Fritz
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German writer, dialect author and legend researcher
DATE OF BIRTH August 26, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Nieukerk
DATE OF DEATH February 27, 1996
Place of death Funds