The Legend of Eulenspiegel


Sh. De Coster
The Legend of Eulenspiegel
The book is preceded by the “Foreword of the Owl”, which gives a double interpretation of the name “Ulenspiegel”. According to one version it means “I am your mirror”, on the other – “an owl and a mirror”. The action of the legend takes place in Flanders in the 16th century. In the city of Damme in the family of coal miner Klaas born son – Til Eulenspiegel. He grows up as a cheerful and mischievous guy, and often his leprosy is far from harmless. Once in the company, Eulenspiegel states that funeral prayers are beneficial only to the priests, and one of those present informs him and accuses him of heresy. Eulenspiegel is expelled from Flanders for three years, during which he must make a pilgrimage to Rome and receive from the pope the remission of sins. In Damme there are sad parents, Klaas and Sootkin. But most of all, Til’s girlfriend, Nele, daughter of the kind

sorceress Katlina, is sad. Born at the same time as Ulenspiegel, King Philip II grows painful, pampered and cruel. Seeing that Philip burned his tame monkey at the stake, Emperor Charles wants to punish his son, but the archbishop intervenes: “His Highness will one day become a great burner of heretics.” And indeed, on the blossoming land of Flanders, one by one, fires are lit, with the help of which the church protects its purity from heretics. Katlina is accused of having caused damage to a neighbor’s cow (in fact, Katlina simply could not cure her). It is subjected to torture, from which it is damaged in the mind. Eulenspiegel, after spending a fixed period in exile, having tried a lot of lessons, cunning and cheating, receives absolution and returns to Damme. On the eve of his return, Klaas was imprisoned on charges of heresy. He was informed by the neighbor, the foreman of fishermen Yost Grapestuver, after having pozaryvshis on the money sent to Klaas. Klaas burned at the stake. After his death, Sootkin and Ulenspiegel come to the place of execution and take a little ash – from where, on the
place of the heart, the flame was burned by a deep hole. Sootkin sews a bag of red and black silk, and Eulenspiegel has since worn it around his neck, from time to time repeating: “Ashes of Claasa beats against my chest.” The widow and the son of the executed are tortured to find out where the money is hidden, but they are silent. and Eulenspiegel has since worn it on his neck, from time to time repeating: “Ashes of Klaas is beating against my chest.” The widow and the son of the executed are tortured to find out where the money is hidden, but they are silent. and Eulenspiegel has since worn it on his neck, from time to time repeating: “Ashes of Klaas is beating against my chest.” The widow and the son of the executed are tortured to find out where the money is hidden, but they are silent.
Katlina, smeared with a miraculous ointment, opens a vision: coal miner Klaas and Emperor Charles appear before Christ, who sits on the throne star. The Mother of God lifts the soul of the toiler of Klas to the highest of the mountain monasteries, and there, washed by angels, he becomes young and beautiful. And the soul of Emperor Charles, cruel despot and tyrant, destroyer of his country, goes to hell.
Katlina is visited at night by a lover, a “black demon”, as she calls him. He proclaims his parish by shouting the eagle. The devil extorts Katlina money, and one day she says to him that the money Sootkin and Ulenshpigel are hidden at the well. The same night, after watering Catulin sleeping pills, a lover kills a dog and steals money. From grief, Sootkin falls ill and dies. Eulenspiegel wants revenge on the fishfish, but when he meets him, seeing how miserable and pitiful he is, throws him into the canal. Eulenspiegel comes to Katlina for advice. “The ashes of Klaas are beating against my chest, I want to save the land of Flanders,” says Thiel, “I asked the Creator of heaven and earth, but he did not answer me.” Katlina promises to help him, but on the condition that the girl who loves him will take him with her to the sabbath of spring spirits, “for Easter juices of the earth.” Having drunk a miracle liquid, Nele and Eulenspiegel are present at the spring festival of spirits. Spirits reveal mortals and throw them to one another, until they face the throne before the throne. Eulenspiegel finds in himself the composure and courage to tell what led him here to save his tormented edge. In response, the couple and the queen of spirits, and after them all the others begin to sing, and from their song it follows that Eulenspiegel “in death, in blood, in ruin, in tears,” should seek the Seven. Eulenspiegel and Nele can not understand the meaning of the song, and the merciless hand of one of the spirits dumps them into the abyss. Til comes to himself and sees Nela lying next to him. Eulenspiegel finds in himself the composure and courage to tell what led him here to save his tormented edge. In response, the couple and the queen of spirits, and after them all the others begin to sing, and from their song it follows that Eulenspiegel “in death, in blood, in ruin, in tears,” should seek the Seven. Eulenspiegel and Nele can not understand the meaning of the song, and the merciless hand of one of the spirits dumps them into the abyss. Til comes to himself and sees Nela lying next to him. Eulenspiegel finds in himself the composure and courage to tell what led him here to save his tormented edge. In response, the couple and the queen of spirits, and after them all the others begin to sing, and from their song it follows that Eulenspiegel “in death, in blood, in ruin, in tears,” should seek the Seven. Eulenspiegel and Nele can not understand the meaning of the song, and the merciless hand of one of the spirits dumps them into the abyss. Til comes to himself and sees Nela lying next to him.
Eulenspiegel goes to look for the Seven. A good-natured fat man, a lover of good food and a drink, Lamme Gudzak, who is looking for the wife who left him, becomes his companion. Nele escorts Ulenspiegel and can not part with him.
King Philip establishes the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands. Throughout the country, the fire of popular anger is engaged. The insurgents call themselves “gazes,” that is, beggars. Eulenspiegel and Lamme join the geese. Eulenspiegel everywhere, wherever it can, sows a storm and raises the people against the executioners torturing their homeland. The Duke of Alba with his troops lyutuet. Earl Egmont and Earl of Horn have already been executed. Prince of Orange, nicknamed Silent, picks up an army. Eulenspiegel recruits soldiers for him. Walking past the ruins, everywhere seeing blood and tears, he is lost in conjecture, who will save his homeland. But Philip does not find a place for himself from anguish and anger. He is not comforted even by the thought of those times when he will concentrate power in his hands over the whole of Europe. He is straightened out with his son, with his wife, with the court, without experiencing either joy or sorrow.
Eulenspiegel shares with the army of Silent victory and defeat. Once he says of himself: “I come from beautiful Flanders, I am a painter and a peasant, I am a nobleman, I am a sculptor, and I wander in the wide world, glorifying everything good and beautiful, and laughing stupidly until I fall.” But Eulenspiegel also interferes in the course of events, punishing the villains and helping the offended. He brings to the clean water the corrupt Spell, who killed many people, including the brother of the girl Boyolkin, Mikhilkin. Thoughts of Eulenspiegel often return to Nela and to his hometown of Damme. At this time in the vicinity of the town appears a werewolf, a wolf-killer. Once from him barely escaped Katlina. Once in Damme, Ulenspiegel decides to catch the werewolf and puts a trap on it. The killer, who has robbed his victims, is the same fisherman, Jost Greystiuver, who once killed Klaas. He “snacked” the neck to those he could lie in, using a waffle iron with long sharp teeth on the sides. Rybnik is tried and sentenced to burning. King Philip has fun playing the harpsichord, a box with cats. When the king struck the key, she pricked the cat, and the animal mewed and squeaked with pain. But the king did not laugh, as he did not laugh and sending assassins, as he did not laugh, satisfying his voluptuousness.
Till Eulenspiegel and Lamme Gudzak begin to serve on the ship of Admiral Slobodyazov. And in Damme Katlin recognizes his beloved, “black demon”, in the retinue of the new governor of the city. He renounces it, but Nele tells publicly of the connection between Katlina and Hans, as his poor madman calls him, and that he killed his friend Gilbert near the gates. The governor detains Joos Dammann, he is Hans, he is the beloved demon Catlina. Katlina, thinking that she was helping Hans, finds a buried body. She is also imprisoned and, like Damman, tortured. Nele brings to court the letter of Damman Katlina found by her, and another of his letters is found in the bag of the late Gilbert. Dammana is found guilty – in witchcraft, and in murder. It is burned at the stake. Katlina is subjected to a water test in the canal. She is drowning, that is, it turns out not to be a witch, but after her without feeling, stiffened, dragged out of the water, can not recover and on the third day dies. Orphaned Nela moves to Holland.
Eulenspiegel becomes a skilled gunner and an excellent warrior. He is unruffled and untiring. “I do not have a body, I only have a spirit,” Till replies, “and my friend Nele looks like me.” “The spirit of Flanders, the Love of Flanders – we will never die.” Eulenspiegel intercedes for the monks, who were to be released after they surrendered, but were not released. “The soldier’s word is the law,” he says and stands on his own, although intercession almost costs him his life. From the gallows Ulenspiegel rescues Nela, announcing that he takes him to his husbands – according to local customs this is possible. She becomes a peephole on the ship, where she serves Eulenspiegel. Ges suffer a series of setbacks. Nelle, Ulenspiegel and Lamme are taken prisoner and together with others are imprisoned in a former monastery. But the prisoners are released, and Ulenspiegel with Nele and Lamme return to the ship. Lamme is made a ship’s cocoon. Eulenspiegel appointed captain of the ship. Victory again smiles at the gazes. In one of the skirmishes, the gazes are captured by a fat monk. Lamme begins to fatten the monk, who soon becomes thicker than himself. Lamme was wounded in the hip. And then his wife, whom he had been looking for, visited him and bandaged his wound. She explains that she left Lamme, listening to the appeals of a monk who inclined women to celibacy. This is the same monk that Lamme fatten. Lamma, with Kalleken returning to him, say goodbye to the gazes and leave the ship. which he had been looking for so long. She explains that she left Lamme, listening to the appeals of a monk who inclined women to celibacy. This is the same monk that Lamme fatten. Lamma, with Kalleken returning to him, say goodbye to the gazes and leave the ship. which he had been looking for so long. She explains that she left Lamme, listening to the appeals of a monk who inclined women to celibacy. This is the same monk that Lamme fatten. Lamma, with Kalleken returning to him, say goodbye to the gazes and leave the ship.
The General States convened in The Hague deposed King Philip. The Netherlands becomes free. And soon the hired assassin slips three bullets into the chest of Prince Orange. Eulenspiegel and Nele leave the fleet. They have not lost any youth, no strength, no beauty, for the love and spirit of Flanders do not age. Eulenspiegel becomes a watchman and the head of the tower Vere. Once, Nele and Ulenspiegel are again reeked of a magic potion and see the transformed Seven. Pride became Noble pride, Miserliness was transformed into Thrift, Anger into Life, Gluttony in Appetite, Envy in Competition, Sloth in the Dream of poets and wise men. And the Lust that sat on the goat turned into Love. Waking up, Nele sees in horror that Eulenspiegel does not come to his senses. The burgomaster and the priest, who were nearby, shouted joyfully: “Praise God, the Great Gez is dead!” – Thiele’s burial ground rushes. The grave is covered, the priest reads a funeral prayer, but suddenly the sand moves and Uolshpigel gets up from the grave.
“No one will be able to bury Eulenspiegel, the spirit of our Flanders, and Nele, her heart!” Flanders can also fall asleep, but she will never die, let’s go, Nela! ” – With these words Ulenshpigel, embracing Nela, leaves.


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The Legend of Eulenspiegel