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

noblewoman A noblewoman is a female member of the nobility. Noblewomen form a disparate group, which has evolved over time. Ennoblement of women has traditionally been a rare occurrence; the majority of noblewomen were linked to the nobility by either their ...

and

fortune teller Fortune telling is the spiritual practice of predicting information about a person's life. Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115–116. The scope of fortune telling is in principle ...

. 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, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Life

She was born in a noble family in

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

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 A lady's companion was a woman of genteel birth who lived with a woman of rank or wealth as Affinity (medieval), retainer. The term was in use in the United Kingdom from at least the 18th century to the mid-20th century but it is now archaism, arc ...

to a Swedish countess, Amalia Königsmarck, 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 (; 28 April 1676 – 5 April 1751) was List of Swedish monarchs, King of Sweden from 1720 until his death, having been prince consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720, and was also Landgrave of Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Kassel fr ...

: "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 ...

, 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 List of governors of Malmöhus County, Governor of Malmöhus County and Blekinge County Biography In 1734, he was appointed governor of Blekinge ...

, 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 (, ''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 association published ab ...

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 nobility Physiognomists Age of Liberty people Fortune tellers

Life

See also

References