Der Wehrwolf
 First edition, 1910 | |
| Author | Hermann Löns |
|---|---|
| Original title | Der Wehrwolf |
| Translator | Robert Kvinnesland |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Subject | Harm Wulf |
| Genre | novel |
Publication date | 1910 |
Der Wehrwolf (English: Werewolf; a portmanteau combining the words for "defence" and "wolf" to Wehrwolf in the German language - c.f. Werwolf, "werewolf", usually translated into English as Warwolf) is a novel by journalist Hermann Löns, first published in 1910.[1]
Plot summary[]
The Thirty Years' War is at its height while the peasantry suffers under countless marauders. The protagonist Harm Wulf, a peasant, lost his family in the first years of war; he becomes the defending Wulf (wehrender Wulf) by defending a hill fort and its surrounding carr, with peasants hiding from the pillaging hordes. Harm Wulf gathers allies until 121 men are in the Alliance of the Wehrwolf. After peace is restored, Harm Wulf is a grim old man.
Reception[]
Published in 1910, Der Wehrwolf became a bestseller in Germany with its nationalist content. Near the end of the Second World War, young Luftwaffenhelfers and children were encouraged to read the novel to promote guerrilla warfare against the Allies (to act like a We(h)rwolf[2]). The novel was indexed after the Allies took power.
References[]
- ^ Hermann Löns, Robert Kvinnesland (Translation) (2006). The Warwolf: A Peasant Chronicle of the Thirty Years War. Goodreads. Westholme Publishing. ISBN 1594160260. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
The first English translation of one of Germany's enduring works of historical fiction, originally published in 1910.
- ^ Beevor, Antony (2002). The Fall of Berlin 1945. Penguin. p. 173. ISBN 0-14-200280-1.
- 20th-century German novels
- 1910 German-language novels
- Thirty Years' War in popular culture