The Ferryman and the two Will-o'-wisps
In his little Hut, by the great River, which a heavy rain had swoln to overflowing, lay the ancient Ferryman, asleep, wearied by the toil of the day. In the middle of the night, loud voices awoke him; he heard that it was travellers wishing to be carried over.
Stepping out, he saw two large Will-o'-wisps, hovering to and fro on his boat, which lay moored: they said, they were in violent haste, and should have been already on the other side. The old Ferryman made no loitering; pushed off, and steered with his usual skill obliquely through the stream; while two strangers whiffled and hissed together, in an unknown very rapid tongue, and every now and then broke out in loud laughter, hopping about, at one time on the gunwale and the seats, at another on the bottom of the boat.
"The boat is healing!" cried the old Man; "if you don't be quiet, it will overset; be seated, gentlemen of the wisp!"
At this advice they burst into a fit of laughter, mocked the old Man and were more unquiet than ever. He bore their mischief with patience, and soon reached the farther shore.
"Here is for your labour!" cried the travellers; and as they shook themselves, a heap of glittering gold-pieces jingled down into the wet boat.
"For heaven's sake, what are you about?" cried the old Man "you will ruin me forever! Had a single piece of gold got into the water, the stream, which cannot suffer gold, would have risen in horrid waves, and swallowed both my skiff and me; and who knows how it might have fared with you in that case? Here, take back your gold."
The Ferryman said to the Will-o'-wisps, "You must know that I am only to be paid in fruits of the earth."
The Will-o'-wisps replied, "Fruits of the earth? We despise them, and have never tasted them."
The Ferryman said, "And yet I cannot let you go, till you have promised that you will deliver me three cabbages, three artichokes, and three large onions."
The Will-o'-wisps were making-off with jests; but they felt themselves, in some inexplicable manner, fastened to the ground: it was the unpleasantest feeling they had ever had. They engaged to pay him his demand as soon as possible: he let them go and pushed away.
Further down the River he found a monstrous chasm between two high crags and shook the gold pieces into it and then steered back to his cottage.
Bold Italic represents the speeches by the Characters
Ordinary Italic represents the actual text by Goethe
Ordinary Font represents paraphrasing of the text
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Goethe defined "fairy tales" as stories narrating impossible events happening in reality.
This Fairy Tale - The Green Snake and The Beautiful Lily - the first scene of which is above, has been described as one of the most enigmatic and ambiguous prose texts in world literature. (Hofig)
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Recommended Action!
Read the above text, then speak it out loud. Feel our way into the context, the scene, live the imaginative words. For example: the great River swoln (note the spelling) to overflowing; the boat "healing"; the Ferryman being given gold coins that he cannot take to give to the River; and the Will-o'-wisps themselves suddenly being "fastened to the ground - such an unpleasant feeling."
If there are three or four people together, three can take the role of the characters, one a Ferryman, two being Will-o'-wisps and entering into their characteristics and key gestures speak what they say, how and to whom they say it, enacting the scene. The fourth individual can be a narrator and facilitator to what is going on.
At the end, and part way through if it is wished, stop and be quiet for a minute or so to enable each person to reflect quietly to themselves, not feeling they have to share their thoughts and feelings with others, what it felt like to be a particular character in this scene.
Individually or collectively discover what question(s) may arise as a result of this way of exploring the scene. Hold this discovery. Further ones may follow over time. These discoveries and questions lead our individual further research into this Fairy Tale as a whole.
Goethe said, "Exercise of imagination should be voluntary. It can affect nothing by compulsion, it must wait for the moment of inspiration. The imagination should not deal in facts, nor be employed to establish facts. It's proper province is art and there its influence should operate like sweet music."
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This Post is for Study Purposes only
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I have made an audio recording of this scene on www.tgsatbl.blogspot.com
It is Post 1
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Goethe defined "fairy tales" as stories narrating impossible events happening in reality.
This Fairy Tale - The Green Snake and The Beautiful Lily - the first scene of which is above, has been described as one of the most enigmatic and ambiguous prose texts in world literature. (Hofig)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recommended Action!
Read the above text, then speak it out loud. Feel our way into the context, the scene, live the imaginative words. For example: the great River swoln (note the spelling) to overflowing; the boat "healing"; the Ferryman being given gold coins that he cannot take to give to the River; and the Will-o'-wisps themselves suddenly being "fastened to the ground - such an unpleasant feeling."
If there are three or four people together, three can take the role of the characters, one a Ferryman, two being Will-o'-wisps and entering into their characteristics and key gestures speak what they say, how and to whom they say it, enacting the scene. The fourth individual can be a narrator and facilitator to what is going on.
At the end, and part way through if it is wished, stop and be quiet for a minute or so to enable each person to reflect quietly to themselves, not feeling they have to share their thoughts and feelings with others, what it felt like to be a particular character in this scene.
Individually or collectively discover what question(s) may arise as a result of this way of exploring the scene. Hold this discovery. Further ones may follow over time. These discoveries and questions lead our individual further research into this Fairy Tale as a whole.
Goethe said, "Exercise of imagination should be voluntary. It can affect nothing by compulsion, it must wait for the moment of inspiration. The imagination should not deal in facts, nor be employed to establish facts. It's proper province is art and there its influence should operate like sweet music."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Post is for Study Purposes only
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have made an audio recording of this scene on www.tgsatbl.blogspot.com
It is Post 1
