Höffern, von Höffer or von Hoeffer (''fl.'' 1722), was a German

noblewoman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

and fortune teller. She became famous in Sweden during the first half of the 18th century, where she has been called the first famous fortune teller in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Life

She was born in a noble family in

Pomerania Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...

in Germany named von Hoeffer, but in Sweden, her name was to be spelled von Höffer or simply Höffern. She moved to Sweden as a Lady's companion to a Swedish countess,

Amalia Königsmarck Amalia may refer to: People *Amalia (given name), feminine given name (includes a list of people so named) *Princess Amalia (disambiguation), several princesses with this name Films and television series * ''Amalia'' (1914 film), the first ...

, who lived in Germany for many years but moved back to Sweden in 1722. In Stockholm, she became an appreciated part of the aristocratic society of the Swedish capital: "This woman never made a fuss over her enlightenment, was very polite and well mannered and very loved and cherished by everyone." Höffern was not a professional fortune teller, but she became famous for her predictions in high society, which she made of people by use of the physiognomy or by reading signs in the hands. She made several predictions which attracted attention. Among them was a prediction to King

Frederick I of Sweden Frederick I ( sv, Fredrik I; 28 April 1676 – 5 April 1751) was prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and King of Sweden from 1720 until his death and (as ''Frederick I'') also Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730. He ascended the throne f ...

: "She predicted to the late King Fridric, that he would make the greatest and highest luck in the world through a woman". In Hamburg, she happened to see the hand of an officer and cried out: "Oh my, what is this hand of a poor wretch!" When the officer apologized, she replied: "You have in no way offended me, but you will soon have a great misfortune." Some weeks later, his corpse was found outside the city, apparently killed by highway robbers. During a game of

Hazard (game) Hazard is an early English game played with two dice; it was mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''Canterbury Tales'' in the 14th century. Despite its complicated rules, hazard was very popular in the 17th and 18th centuries and was often played fo ...

, she warned countess Ascheberg of a dangerous fall: "She was as careful as ever, but still she fell in a garden upon a spot of ice and broke her hip, from which she was affected for the rest of her life; she held on to a miss Sass, but still fell and dragged her along with her." She warned

Charles Emil Lewenhaupt Charles Emil Lewenhaupt the Elder (28 March 1691 – 4 August 1743) was a Swedish general. Biography Lewenhaupt was born to Count Carl Gustaf Löwenhaupt and Countess Amalia Königsmarck. At the age of 16, he entered Dutch service where he ...

for hunting and rifles. Shortly afterward, he accidentally shot a hunter he mistook for a hare: "Not long after this, he created his own greatest misfortune and lost his head": Lewenhaupt was executed in 1743. Upon meeting countess Beata Elisabet Stenbock, whom she had never before met nor had been informed of, she predicted that Stenbock: "would be very lucky with sailors".Carl Forsstrand (1913). Spåkvinnor och trollkarlar. Minne och anteckningar från Gustav III:s Stockholm (Andra upplagan). Stockholm: Hugo Gebers Förlag. page. 12-14. ISBN The spouse of Stenbock,

Carl Georg Siöblad Carl Georg Siöblad (2 November 1683 – 1 September 1754) was a Swedish naval officer who served as Governor of Malmöhus County and Blekinge County Biography He was born in Södermanland to Baron Erik Carlsson Sjöblad (1647-1725) and Charl ...

, was made admiral in 1741 and high admiral in 1747. Höffern and her predictions were described by Johan Wellander and kept at the

National Library of Sweden The National Library of Sweden ( sv, Kungliga biblioteket, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedish ...

References

* Carl Forsstrand (1913). Spåkvinnor och trollkarlar. Minne och anteckningar från Gustav III:s Stockholm (Andra upplagan). ortune tellers and magicians. Memory and notes from the Stockholm of Gustav IIIStockholm: Hugo Gebers Förlag. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffern (fortune teller) 18th-century German people 18th-century Swedish people Physiognomists Age of Liberty people Fortune tellers

Life

See also

References