Lokis

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Lokis is a novella by the French writer Prosper Mérimée , which appeared in 1869 in the magazine " Revue des Deux Mondes ".

The Lithuanians call the bear Michael or Lokis . On a trip through Russia and the Baltic States , the author was inspired by a Lithuanian legend .

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Summer 1866 in the province Žemaitėjė in northwestern Lithuania : The scholar Witt Embach, a Konigsberg professor of comparative linguistics , directs and supervises on behalf of a Bible Society publishing the Gospel of Matthew in Samogitisch . The professor - he acts as a first-person narrator - is happy to accept the amiable invitation of the young Count Michael Szemioth to his castle Medintiltas. According to a linguist from the University of Dorpat, the castle library houses valuable sources on the Schmudic language, as Samogitic - spoken by the Lithuanian farmers there - is called.

It also happens as the Dorpater colleague promised Professor Wittembach. Only, the scholar cannot devote himself to his studies all day, but is often distracted by the Szemioths. For example, the master's mother's mind is disturbed. The old Countess Szemioth has to be tamed by three strong Lithuanian peasant women. The family doctor Dr. Fröber from Memel puts the perplexed professor in the picture about an event that happened more than 27 years ago. Shortly after their wedding, the countess went hunting with the men and was promptly attacked by a bear and taken away. By then the countess was already pregnant. Wittembach can only wonder about the friendly young count. At night Michael Szemioth climbs a tree directly in front of the guest's window and watches the guest with a piercing look.

Polite and reserved - as the Königsberg guest appears in every situation - he accepts the Count's invitation to ride through the forest to the Countess von Dowgielly's castle. The unmarried Michael Szemioth visits Miss Julka Iwinska, a niece of the castle mistress. The mischievous beautiful girl calls herself a Lithuanian Rusalka . Stories are told in Dowgielly Castle, which is visited several times. The professor tells how he survived in the pampas of Uruguay . Like the Indians there, he occasionally tapped blood from his horse. The count is very interested in the details. The story with the Count in the Tree is not the only pathological occurrence. The professor repeatedly observed the strange fear that Michael instilled in the animals. And once Wittembach is staying overnight at Dowgielly Castle together with Michael Szemioth in a room. In his sleep, the Count roars so loudly and brutally that he wakes up to his own noise. On his return to Medintiltas, the professor speaks to Dr. Frober on that abnormal sleep behavior of Michael. The doctor has an explanation at hand. The countess's madness was transmitted to her son through the blood. Dr. Fröber would like to see it in that context when the count finally married, because the young man with the athletic stature needs a “derivative”.

In a conversation with Wittembach Michael admires the blood under the skin of the coquettish Julka, but never wants to see the young lady again. About two months later, the professor has long been outside Samogiti, he is invited to the wedding by the Count by letter. Michael Szemioth and Julka Iwinska are getting married after all. Julka, who calls herself the muse of Lithuania, adds a few lines in Schmudisch to the invitation.

Professor Wittembach always behaves as it should be. He accepts the invitation. When Michael fetches the bride home in the carriage, the first incident occurs at the wedding. The groom's mother enters the steps of Medintiltas Castle. Apparently she has overcome her three guards. The old Countess Szemioth shouts: “The bear! ... kill him! Shoot! ”Some superstitious guests need to be reassured and the unsuspecting need to be informed. The second and final occurrence comes to light on the morning after the wedding night. Julka is found horribly torn in the bridal chamber. Michael has disappeared. He was never heard from again.

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One serious subject - insanity - is treated in an exemplary manner. The master's novella captivates at the beginning - before it finally ends very bloodthirsty - with its subliminally cheerful narrative style. Thanks to the extraordinary artistry of the author, the “unheard-of occurrence” ( Goethe 1827 ) only penetrates the reader's consciousness with force on the very last page of the text.

Linguistic and historical are not neglected. Gedimin is named. In addition, Mérimée describes the summery, sometimes swampy Lithuanian forest wilderness in a memorable way. A witch - actually a beggar - appears in it with a trained snake on her body. The strange woman threatens the two riders with the god Pirkuns .

Adaptations

  • In 1924, Lunacharsky wrote the play "Bear Wedding".
  • Janusz Majewski filmed the novella in 1970.

German editions

Used edition

Web links

  • Lokis , online text at Gutenberg.de in the transmission by Paul Hansmann, Südbayerische Verlagsanstalt, Munich 1922
  • Lokis , online text in the French WikiSource

Individual evidence

Partly in French, Russian and Polish

  1. ↑ Edition used, p. 460, 7th Zvu
  2. ↑ French Lokis
  3. ↑ Edition used, p. 456, 10. Zvo
  4. ↑ Edition used, p. 435 middle
  5. ↑ Russian bear wedding
  6. ↑ Russian Медвежья свадьба
  7. ^ Polish Janusz Majewski
  8. ↑ Polish Lokis (film)
  9. ↑ Lokis in the Internet Movie Database (English)