Mara and the fire bringer
Mara and the Fire Bringer is a novel trilogy by the German author and director Tommy Krappweis . The three volumes appeared for the first time between 2009 and 2011 by Franz Schneider Verlag , Cologne:
- Volume 1: Mara and the Fire Bringer (2009)
- Volume 2: Mara and the Fire Bringer - The Death Mark (2010)
- Volume 3: Mara and the Fire Bringer - Götterdämmerung (2011)
The three novels tell a continuous story, the focus of which is 14-year-old Mara Lorbeer, who learns that she is the last Nordic - Germanic seer and has chosen to stop the impending end of the world, the twilight of the gods . Mara has the gift of jumping back and forth between the real world of the present and the world of Nordic-Germanic mythology and meets numerous mythological figures and places in her fight against the mighty fire-bringer. Although the story can be assigned to the fantasy genre, it was important to author Tommy Krappweis that the representation of the mythological world corresponds to the current state of research. That is why he worked closely with the Scandinavian professor Rudolf Simek , who acted as a scientific consultant for all three volumes and wrote a glossary with explanations of names and terms. Adriaan Prent created the illustrations for all three books.
In 2018, Edition Roter Drache published a new edition of the trilogy, expanded and completely revised by the author, as a limited collector's edition (edition: 1000 copies), consisting of the three novels and an extra volume with bonus material on the books and the film, supplemented subject and name index, Essays and a short Mara story.
Volume 1 was made into a film by Tommy Krappweis himself. The fantasy film of the same name was released in 2015.
content
action
Volume 1: Mara and the Fire Bringer
Part 1: Mara Lorbeer is 14 years old, lives in Munich in the Au and wants nothing more than to be completely "normal". Instead, because of her constant daydreams, she is treated as an outsider and crank at school, has a mother who takes her to esoteric seminars and puts her "Celtic Energy Discs TM " in her pillow and a father who has been in Berlin since her parents divorced lives and has little contact with her. Mara has had enough of all of this, feels alone and just wants to be like everyone else. But then everything changes for her when, after a tree-speaking seminar with the Wiccas von der Au , her mother's women's group, she is approached by a speaking branch who is supposed to convey a message from an unknown sender to her. He informs her that she is a Spákona, a Nordic-Germanic seer and chosen to prevent the end of the world ( Ragnarök ). She is immersed in a vision in which she experiences how the demigod Loki is tied to a rock in a cave by the gods as punishment for acts committed. There he is said to remain bound forever, tormented by the poison of a snake that drips on him. Should he ever tear himself away, it would be the end of the world. And that is exactly what it is supposed to prevent. Overwhelmed by the situation and only reluctantly, Mara accepts the task assigned to her and seeks out Professor Reinhold Weissinger, an expert in Germanic mythology and religion who teaches at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich . Weissinger, the somewhat odd but serious scientist, doubts Mara's descriptions and rejects them. Only when the professor discovers a sketch of the Midgard snake drawn by Mara does he become curious and see the girl at home in the meadow. There he also meets her mother Christa Lorbeer and Mara notices with a slight disconcertment that the two are very likeable right away. In order to finally convince Weissinger, she takes him into one of her visions and after the professor witnessed Thor's fishing trip , he decides, enthusiastic about the possibility of being able to experience his subject area, Nordic-Germanic mythology, for himself, Mara with her Support task. He explains to her about Loki, his wife Sigyn , who protects her husband from the snake's poisonous saliva with a magical wooden bowl, and about the Midgard snake, Jörmungandr , who is one of Loki's children.
Part 2: During a ride in the subway, passers-by repeatedly stare at Mara with suddenly shiny black pupils. She recognizes the eyes of Loki, who tries to contact her in this way. Frightened, she escapes and, after falling, ends up in another vision: the volcanic cave of a gigantic fire creature that calls itself Loge, the fire-bringer, and speaks in allied rhymes . In the volcano she hears voices that repeat the same four lines of a poem and make the fire bringer grow and become even more threatening. Loge has kidnapped Sigyn, Loki's wife, and wants to kill Mara, the last seer. Only at the last moment, with Sigyn's help, can Mara save herself. Loki's attempts to contact Mara almost lead to a catastrophe when he "occupies" Mara's classmates at school and, with his desperate screams, tormented by the snake's caustic poison, causes an earthquake. Mara jumps into Loki's cave, where the demigod threatens to free himself from his bonds if he doesn't get his kidnapped wife back. As a support he gives Mara some of his divine power. Since Mara still does not manage to free the chained Sigyn on her own, she decides to get mythological help: Siegfried the dragon slayer from the Nibelungen saga . She jumps with the enthusiastic Weissinger into the Gnitaheide, where, according to legend, Siegfried kills Fafnir the lindworm and becomes invulnerable after a bath in his blood. But before that happens, the two are discovered and attacked by the dragon. When Mara transports herself and the professor back in panic, she accidentally brings Siegfried and the Lindwurm back to her time, right in front of the German Museum , on the Ludwigsbrücke in Munich. Only with difficulty does she manage to transport the angry Lindwurm, Siegfried and Weissinger from there to the volcano of the fire-bringer, where the fight between Loge, Fafnir and Siegfried takes place. The fire bringer is defeated and its magic is broken for the time being. Everything takes back the place where it belongs. Siegfried returns to his time, Sigyn to Loki in the cave and Mara and the professor to Munich. There Mara speaks a spell that makes everyone forget what happened. It is clear to Mara and the professor that the adventure is not over yet and that there is a danger that the fire bringer may return with the help of the mysterious voices that have given him his power.
Volume 2: Mara and the Fire Bringer - The Death Mark
Part 1: The second novel takes place a few weeks after the events in volume 1. To find out what the mysterious verse is all about, which gives the fire-bringer his power and strength, Mara and Professor Weissinger accompany Mara's mother and the Wiccas from the Au to a return seminar to the Mühlthal in Starnberg. The seminar leader is the charming and eloquent Dr. Thurisaz, which its participants by means of the four-line verse from the Ring cycle of Richard Wagner put in a kind of trance. Mara ends up in the realm of the dead of Hel , mistress of the dead and daughter of Loki. Hel only lets her go again on the condition that she deliver a gem to her father, Loki. She draws Mara's arm with the mark of Draupnir and only gives her enough time until all nine rings have appeared on her arm. If the little seer doesn't make it in time, Hel will devour her soul. While trying to jump into Loki's cave, Mara surprisingly meets the re-energized Fire Bringer, who prevents her from reaching Loki.
During her stay in the Mühltal she meets Ratatöskr , the squirrel, and Hugin and Munin , the ravens of Odin , for the first time , and learns from the latter who sent the branch's mysterious message to her. At an old cult place she is given a special task by the three prayers , women who have been venerated in this holy place for centuries. When she passes the test, Mara receives her staff of the seer as a reward, which gives her power over the water. Weissinger explains to her that she is apparently not only a seer (Spákona) but also a sorceress (Seiðkona) and that with her magical powers she can blur the boundaries between the world of reality and the world of myths.
Part 2: Mara and Professor Weissinger develop a plan to finally defeat the Feuerbringer Lodge. They are looking for help from Njörðr , the Nordic-Germanic god of the seas who lives in the ship town of Nóatún . Njörðr locks part of his divine power in a bronze dolphin, which he throws far out into the sea. Should Mara prove to be worthy, the element of water will decide and let the dolphin find the way to her, across times and worlds. And Mara actually finds the bronze dolphin in the present. It is on display in the Kalkriese Museum in the Osnabrück region, the most likely location of the Varus Battle . Weissinger's ex-wife, the archaeologist Stefanie Warnatzsch-Abra, works there and provides Mara with the bronze dolphin. Supported by Njörðr's godly power, Mara and Professor Weissinger have to compete against an army of undead Roman legionaries who were revived by the flames of the fire-bringer and fight the fire-bringer again at the Hermannsdenkmal in the Teutoburg Forest. With the help of the gods they defeat Loge one more time. Mara brings Loki the gem of Hel, the mark disappears and her soul is saved.
Volume 3: Mara and the Fire Bringer - Götterdämmerung
Part 1: The third novel begins a few hours after the events at the Hermannsdenkmal in Detmold. Mara and Professor Weissinger, exhausted from the fight against the fire bringer, make their way back to Kalkriese. Mara is frustrated by the realization that she can apparently only accomplish all these miracles if the gods support her and demands Hugin and Munin to finally explain to her where their changing powers come from. The two ravens convey a memory to her: a vision of Asgard , the once magnificent home of the Nordic-Germanic gods, which is now in ruins. Mara and Weissinger witness how Heimdall , the guardian of the gods, wakes up from his long sleep and calls the gods together with the Gjallarhorn . They are only powerless shadows because people no longer believe in them and are full of fear that Loki might break free. They decide to seek help: a person who is to serve as a vessel for their few remaining strengths to prevent the end of the world.
Arrived in Kalkriese, Mara Weissinger's ex-wife Stefanie decides to tell the truth and takes her to Valhalla , Odin's hall of the fallen. When the two are discovered and have to flee hastily, Mara accidentally transports a young warrior to Kalkriese instead of the archaeologist. It turns out that Thumelicus , a 16-year-old Teuton, is the son of Arminius kidnapped by the Romans , who was killed as a gladiator in the arena and brought to Valhalla by a Valkyrie . Since her strength is not enough to bring two people back to Valhalla, Mara jumps alone and eats from the Idun's apples to replenish her dwindling strength . To her horror, she finds out that their magical effects make her an eight-year-old child. Back in Kalkriese, Weissinger, Stefanie and the rejuvenated Mara Thumelicus decide to take them to Munich, where Dr. Thurisaz wants to hold regression seminars. Odin's ravens guide the four to the Hotel Bayerischer Hof , where Thurisaz has taken a room. There Mara, now 14 years old again, overhears a quarrel between him and the squirrel Ratatöskr and learns that Thurisaz has also been given power. He nourishes Loge, the fire-bringer, but loses control over him more and more. Confronted with Mara, the angry Thurisaz, who can create flames with his power, attacks the young seer and her friends. In order not to endanger the lives of the others, she transports herself with Thurisaz, Ratatöskr and Thumelicus to the world tree Yggdrasil . There Thumelicus is killed by Thurisaz.
Part 2: Back at the hotel, Thurisaz and Ratatöskr escape. While fleeing from the arriving police, Mara is overwhelmed by a vision of the fire bringer: she sees a burning Munich darkened by ash clouds, frightened people and a dead Professor Weissinger. In the evening, Mara, Weissinger and Steffi go to the Odeon Square , where in general the basement a seminar by Dr. Thurisaz takes place, in which Mara's mother and the Wiccas von der Au take part. While Steffi infiltrates the seminar as a participant, Mara is charged with new divine power. Filled with berserk rage and worried about her mother, she storms into the lecture room, where the seminar participants were put to sleep by Thurisaz and their souls were transported as hostages into the volcano of the fire-bringer. When a fight breaks out, Mara jumps into the ruins of Asgard with the increasingly violent Thurisaz, his companion Ratatöskr and Weissinger, where she can overpower Thurisaz. Attacked by Ratatöskr, she transports him and herself to Loki's cave, where the demigod kills the squirrel and reveals its true form: the dragon Nidhöggr , the enemy of the world ash. Since she can need any help, Mara decides to trust Loki, frees him from his bonds and returns to Asgard with him and Sigyn. There, in the cloud fog around the old seat of the gods, countless flames gather, which combine to form a gigantic fire bringer. Thurisaz has transferred all his power to Loge, who finally wants to destroy everything. With every step he takes, he sets fire to large areas of the earth. While Loki distracts the fire bringer, Mara and Weissinger jump into Loge's volcanic cave to free the seminar participants. Back in Asgard, to everyone's astonishment, it turns out that Christa Lorbeer is not simply a crazy esoteric, but also a seer, descendant of Veleda and the first seer Gullveig . Mara inherited her gift of seers from her mother, just like the daughters of all seers before her for many generations, but she has no powers of her own. When mother and daughter Lorbeer jointly exercise their power over the water and a violent thunderstorm rises over the fire bringer, Loge divides into many smaller fire bringer, who sit in the volcanoes of Iceland and make Mara's horror vision come true: volcanic eruptions make the earth shake and Ash rain darkens the sky. Only when they give the forgotten gods new strength and shape by calling out all their names that have survived to this day in our language, in everyday life and customs - in days of the week , place names, brand names - they can together with Heimdall, Thor , Odin, Tyr , Frigg , Freyja , Njörðr and other gods finally defeat the Fire Bringers. All gods, even Loki, give their last strength and go out. Thumelicus, too, can be brought back from the dead with the power of Walhall and returns to Munich together with Mara, who is in love with him, Sigyn, who was left behind, and everyone else.
main characters
The real world
Mara Lorbeer: The 14-year-old girl is the title heroine of the book. She learns that she is a Nordic-Germanic seer - a Spákona, or Völva - and that she is chosen to prevent the end of the world (Ragnarök). Her parents are divorced, she lives with her mother in Munich and is considered a dreamer and outsider at school. In the course of the story, the quiet, inconspicuous Mara becomes a self-confident young girl.
Professor Reinhold Weissinger: Professor of Germanic Mythology and Religion at the Ludwig Maximilians University. After initial doubts, the quick-witted and humorous scientist supports Mara on her adventure and becomes her companion, advisor and ultimately fatherly friend. From the beginning, he had great sympathy for Mara's mother, despite the differences between the two.
Christa Lorbeer: Mara's single mother. As a member of the Wiccas von der Au , a feminist-esoteric women's group, she spends a lot of time in esoteric seminars and firmly believes that she has a special, spiritual talent. The relationship with her daughter is difficult, both feel that the other does not understand them. Only in the course of history do they both learn to understand each other better. She has as much sympathy for Professor Weissinger as he does for her.
The Nordic-Germanic world of myths
Lodge, the fire-bringer: The mighty fire-being consists of many small flames that form its body and can also act independently of it. His power grows with the help of voices that repeat a four-line verse from Richard Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen like a mantra. He wants to trigger the end of the world and kill Mara because she is a seer and a danger to him. The name Loge also comes from Wagner's operas and is based on the fire giant Logi from Germanic mythology.
Loki: The demigod is named in Nordic-Germanic mythology as an enemy and friend of the gods. He was condemned by the gods to be forever tied to a rock in a cave, tortured by the dripping venom of a snake. Should he ever break free, that would trigger the Götterdämmerung. Loki is considered cunning, scheming and dangerous, but genuinely loves his wife Sigyn and is always friendly towards Mara. Mara has an ambivalent relationship with him. She feels sympathy, but also doesn't trust his words.
Sigyn: Loki's courageous and patient wife, who always watches by his side to catch the snake's caustic saliva with a magical wooden bowl. She genuinely loves Loki, despite his previous infidelity to her. Mara trusts Sigyn after saving her life.
Short stories
Tommy Krappweis has written two short stories about Mara Lorbeer, both of which have been published in anthologies .
- Kampf dem Bampf takes place at the time of the novel trilogy and was first published in 2010 in the anthology Die Köche. Bite to Lunch , edited by Ulrich Burger.
- Token Mambo takes place about two years after the events in the novels and appeared in the anthology Die kleine Köche in 2015 . The infinite dishes , edited by Ann-Kathrin Karschnick and Diana Kinne.
Both anthologies were published by UlrichBurger-Verlag and contain short stories as well as cooking recipes by the participating authors.
Audio book
In August 2014, the first volume, Mara and the Fire Bringer, was published in an authorized reading version by Argon Verlag . The speaker is Christoph Maria Herbst , who plays the role of the demigod Loki in the film.
Adaptations
Movie
The first novel for the cinema was filmed in the summer of 2013. The script was written by book author Tommy Krappweis, who also took over the direction. The film adaptation differs from the novel in some places for dramaturgical and technical reasons. The title role of Mara Lorbeer is played by Lilian Prent . Professor Weissinger is played by Jan Josef Liefers , demigod Loki by Christoph Maria Herbst , Mara's mother, Christa Lorbeer, by Esther Schweins . It was released on April 2, 2015.
Live radio play
In coordination with author Tommy Krappweis, the Wetter Koffertheater developed a live radio play on the first volume of the trilogy. Actors from the Koffertheater read selected passages in different roles, accompanied by atmospheric music, sounds and lighting.
Card game
In 2015 Mara and the Fire Bringer - Das Kartenspiel was published by Heidelberger Spieleverlag . The game was developed by Fabian Dittmann, based on the novel trilogy. The cards were designed by Adriaan Prent, who already illustrated the novels with his pen drawings.
expenditure
- Mara and the fire bringer. SchneiderBook Egmont, Cologne 2009, ISBN 978-3-505-12646-8 .
- Mara and the Fire Bringer - The Death Mark. SchneiderBook Egmont, Cologne 2010, ISBN 978-3-505-12786-1 .
- Mara and the Fire Bringer - Götterdämmerung. SchneiderBook Egmont, Cologne 2011, ISBN 978-3-505-12648-2 .
- Mara and the fire bringer. Tailor's book Egmont, Cologne 2015, ISBN 978-3-505-13521-7 (new edition with photos from the film)
- Mara and the fire bringer. Extended Collectors Edition. Edition Roter Drache, Remda-Teichel 2018, ISBN 978-3-946425-50-2 (expanded and revised new edition in four volumes in a slipcase)
Audio book:
- Mara and the fire bringer. Argon Verlag, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-8398-4058-0 (authorized reading version, 4 CDs, 298 min., Speaker: Christoph Maria Herbst)
literature
- Andrea Sieber: Time travel to the Nibelungen myth . Thoughts on Mara and the fire bringer trilogy by Tommy Krappweis. In: Nathanael Busch, Hans Rudolf Velten (Hrsg.): The literature of the Middle Ages in fantasy novels (= Siegen series. Contributions to literary, linguistic and media studies . Volume 176 ). Universitätsverlag Winter, Heidelberg 2018, ISBN 978-3-8253-6803-6 , p. 181-203 .
- Laura Thiel: The relevance of modern, German youth literature in the field of fantasy for German lessons in secondary schools . An analysis using the example of the book series Mara and the Fire Bringer by Tommy Krappweis. BoD, Norderstedt 2017, ISBN 978-3-7448-8190-6 .
Web links
- Official website of the novel series
- Review on Phantastik-Couch.de
- Gerlinde Knoller: Danish swords and talking trees . In: Augsburger Allgemeine. September 22, 2010 (report on author reading)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mara and the Fire Bringer. Mythology. In: Official site of the fantasy trilogy. Retrieved December 19, 2016 .
- ↑ Stefan Holzhauer: Tommy Krappweis' MARA UND DER FEUERBRINGER as an unabridged luxury edition. PhantaNews, April 26, 2018, accessed December 5, 2018 .
- ^ Press booklet Mara and the Fire Bringer . 2015, p. 8, 16 f .
- ↑ Mara and the Fire Bringer. Live radio play. In: Official site of the fantasy trilogy. Retrieved December 23, 1016 .
- ↑ Mara the card game