Hinzelmann or Heinzelmann (sometimes called Luring) was a
kobold
A kobold (occasionally cobold) is a mythical sprite. Having spread into Europe with various spellings including "goblin" and "hobgoblin", and later taking root and stemming from Germanic mythology, the concept survived into modern times in Ger ...
in the mythology of northern Germany. He was described as a household spirit of ambivalent nature, similar to
Puck (Robin Goodfellow).
Like Puck, he would provide good luck and perform household tasks, but would become malicious if not appeased.
Descriptions in mythology
Heinzelmann's myth says that he started haunting the castle
Hudemühlen in 1584 after being cast from the forest of Bohemia.
At first he was shy, later he was conversing and jesting openly with all inhabitants of the house, including the master.
He sang verses, the most repeated one said that evil luck would take his place if he was ever chased out.
Heinzelmann usually took the form of a congenial child in red
velvet
Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
.
In one tale he showed his true form to a maid, who fainted; it was that of a small child, around four years of age, stabbed and slashed with two swords.
Some local lore dating back generations puts the Heinzelman in the role of elves, leaving trinkets or candies in the shoes of well-behaved children, when said shoes are left by the door in the days leading up to Christmas.
Popular culture
Hinzelmann appears in the
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
novel ''
American Gods
''American Gods'' (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow.
The book was pub ...
'', where he protects the town of Lakeside, Wisconsin from economic trouble: in return he enjoys the annual sacrifice of a town's child (though residents remain unaware of the matter). His fictional history describes him as being a god to a tribe of nomads living in the
Black Forest
The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...
before its invasion by the Romans. For the
third season of the ''American Gods'' television series, the deity was adapted as Ann-Marie Hinzelmann, the local busybody and shop owner portrayed by
Julia Sweeney
Julia Anne Sweeney (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and author, who gained fame as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1994. She played Mrs. Keeper in the film ''Stuart Little'' and voiced Brittany in ' ...
.
Hinzelmann is the primary antagonist of the short piec
"A Late Symmer Night's Battle"by
Laura Frankos
Laura Frankos-Turtledove is an American author born February 9, 1960. She writes as Laura Frankos.
Biography
Frankos is married to the science fiction author Harry Turtledove and has three daughters: Alison, Rachel, and Rebecca. Her brother is ...
, printed in ''Turn the Other Chick'' (ed.
Esther Friesner
Esther Mona Friesner-Stutzman, née Friesner (born July 16, 1951) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. She is also a poet and playwright. She is best known for her humorous style of writing, both in the titles and the works themsel ...
,
Baen Books
Baen Books () is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher an ...
, 2004). He leads an army of kobolds to invade the English fairy kingdom of
Oberon
Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fair ...
and
Titania, sometime after the events of ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...
''.
See also
*
Heinzelmännchen The Heinzelmännchen () are a mythical race of creatures, appearing in a tale connected with the city of Cologne in Germany akin to gnomes, or elves.
The little house gnomes are said to have done all the work of the citizens of Cologne during t ...
References
External links
*
* {{citation , title= The fairy mythology, Volume 2 , author= Thomas Keightley , publisher= W. H. Ainsworth , year= 1828 , url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qfPxWy2hWnAC&q=Hinzelmann&pg=PA49
Kobolds