Johnny Appleseed

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johnny Appleseed, Harper's Magazine , 1871
US postage stamp from 1966

Johnny Appleseed (born September 26, 1774 in Leominster , Massachusetts , † March 11, 1847 in Fort Wayne , Indiana ; actually John Chapman ) was a follower of Emanuel Swedenborg and an ecological pioneer who became a well-known figure in American folklore. In some parts of the United States, Johnny Appleseed Day is celebrated on the birthday, but more often on the man's death . In German-speaking countries it is known as Johnny Apfelkern , Hänschen Apfelkern or Hans Apfelkern .

Act

John Chapman was the second child of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Chapman, b. Simonds. His nickname "Appleseed" comes from the fact that he raised apple trees all over the Midwest , which were sown from the kernels produced during pressing . So he did not plant orchards , but pure nursery gardens full of random seedlings , the fruits of which were after all quite suitable for the production of cider . He then left these nursery gardens to local partners to look after while he moved on. According to legend, after the death of his fiancée, he spent the rest of his life traveling through the country as a missionary of the New Church , carrying a saucepan on his head and his trouser pockets full of apple seeds. He taught the Bible and made friends with Indians , wild animals, and settlers.

The particular importance of the apple trees was that cider was the easiest alcohol to produce for pioneers. There was no need for distillation as with grain brandy , no grapevines that were laborious to cultivate or hops for brewing beer . Appleseed thus became the "American Dionysus "; he was the man who brought the stuff to the frontier .

reception

Walt Disney filmed the legendary life story of the pioneer as a segment of the animated film Music, Dance and Rhythm ( Melody Time , 1948), in which Dennis Day lent his voice to Johnny Appleseed . The American punk band NOFX released a song called Johnny Appleseed on their album White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean in 1992 .

literature

  • Aliki: The story of Hans Apfelkern. (Original title: Johnny Appleseed ). German by James Krüss . Betz, Munich 1963.

Web links

Commons : Johnny Appleseed  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Michael Pollan: Botany of Desire. Claassen Verlag, 2002, ISBN 3-546-00309-8 .
  2. a b Interview with Michael Pollan , National Public Radio, June 5, 2001.