Subject
Wordplay 'Peacock-herl",
"alder" and Goethe's lines "bist du nicht willig..." from the
Erlkoenig - correction
"alder" and Goethe's lines "bist du nicht willig..." from the
Erlkoenig - correction
From
Date
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A particular play of sounds, images, signifiers related to Nabokovs several
references, in PALE FIRE, to Goethes ballad The Erlkoenig, to the Elf
King and the alders has been misleading me for years. Thanks to R.Boyles
retake, I suddenly realized another connection (that other VN-readers may
have already puzzled out) related to The peacock-herl is the body of a
certain sort of artificial fly also called "alder."] Until now, alder-fly
fishing and anglers in CKs notes and index had always seemed to be a
gratuitous indication towards the other Alderking references by C.Kinbote,
nothing more
Usually PF readers wonder if the Erlkoenig images follow Goethes suggestion
(related to the hallucinations of a sick boy being taken to the doctor by
his father through dark woods, or else, a story about evil spirits and a
violent paedophilic rape present in a few verses by Goethe # ), Danish
folklore (Erle as Elf), the Alder tree (in French, Aulnes and Roi des
aulnes), insects, fishing As in the items in CKs notes to Line 662:
Who rides so late in the night and the wind : This line, and indeed the
whole passage (lines 653-664), allude to the well-known poem by Goethe about
the erlking, hoary enchanter of the elf-haunted alderwood, who falls in love
with the delicate little boy of a belated traveler.
Or in note to line 275 (not by coincidence, on J.Shades marriage to
Sybil):
As in the case of some of his predecessors, rough alderkings who burned for
boys, the clergy blandly ignored our young bachelors pagan habits, but
wanted him to do what an earlier and even more reluctant Charles had done:
take a night off and lawfully engender an heir. Smug alderkings looked at
him from the ruby-and-amethyst windows
or in note to line 874: "Strange, strange," said the German visitor, who by
some quirk of alderwood ancestry had been alone to catch the eerie note that
had throbbed by and was gone.
I had been tied to the visual images related to the peacock-herl, not to its
sound when the h is mute. Now I wonder if, in his references to fishing,
Nabokov hadnt been enjoying the coincidence of the strictly verbal links of
the sounds herl/alder, repeated in relation to the Alder/ Erlkoenigs
Erl, to reverberate the alderfly bait*. In that case, the little angler
boy would be another confirmation of C.Ks inclinations (outside of Zembla)
and of the link between a king and a rapist (as registered in the
controversial verses by Goethe #). Curiously, originally this ballad is
sung by a fisherwoman.***
Btw:The alderfly insects develop from the nymph (larvae) into adults.**
.
# - Da einige Verse, wie Du liebes Kind, komm geh mit mir! oder Ich liebe
dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt; / Und bist du nicht willig, so
brauch ich Gewalt, an
<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexueller_Missbrauch_von_Kindern>
Missbrauchsfälle von Kindern erinnern, neigen einige Interpreten zu der
Auffassung, das Gedicht handele von einer Vergewaltigung. Diese Auffassung
teilt auch der <http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soziologie> Soziologe
<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%BCdiger_Lautmann> Rüdiger Lautmann, der
den Erlkönig nicht als <http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A4dophilie>
pädophilen Mann, sondern als Vergewaltiger bewertet.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig_%28Ballade%29
Translation: You dear child, come along with me! or I love you; I'm
charmed by your beautiful form; And if you're not willing, then I'll use
force. http://german.about.com/library/blerlking.htm
.
* collected Google entries related to Erlkoenig, le roi des Aulnes,
Alderfly, Alder
Erlkönig ist eine <http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballade> Ballade von
<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe> Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe, die er im Jahre 1782 schrieb.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig_%28Ballade%29 Der Stoff der
Ballade stammt aus dem Dänischen, dort heißt der Erlkönig Ellerkonge, also
<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfen> Elfenkönig. Die Ballade wurde
ursprünglich von <http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Gottfried_Herder>
Johann Gottfried Herder übersetzt.
<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig_%28Ballade%29#cite_note-1> [1]
Dabei entstand der Begriff Erlkönig angeblich aus der falschen Übersetzung
des Wortes Eller als <http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlen_(Botanik)> Erle,
das er dann mit König kombinierte. Goethe schuf die Ballade als Einlage zu
dem Singspiel
<http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Die_Fischerin&action=edit&redlink
=1> Die Fischerin, in dem die Darstellerin die Ballade bei der Arbeit
singt.// Zum Erlkönig inspiriert worden sein soll Goethe während seines
Aufenthaltes in Jena durch eine Nachricht, nach der ein Bauer aus dem nahen
Dorf <http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunitz_(Jena)> Kunitz mit seinem kranken
Kind zum Arzt an der
<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich-Schiller-Universit%C3%A4t_Jena>
Universität ritt. Zur Erinnerung daran wurde bereits im 19. Jahrhundert ein
<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig_(Jena)> Erlkönig-Denkmal
zwischen den heutigen Jenaer Stadtteilen Kunitz und
<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenigenjena> Wenigenjena errichtet.
............................................................................
...
L'Erlkönig (Roi des <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aulne> aulnes) est un
personnage représenté dans un certain nombre de
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po%C3%A8me> poèmes et
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballade> ballades allemands comme une créature
maléfique qui hante les forêts et entraîne les voyageurs vers leur mort. La
créature a été rendue populaire par le poème de
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe> Goethe
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Roi_des_aulnes_(po%C3%A8me)> Der Erlkönig
(« Le Roi des aulnes »), et par le
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_romantique> lied qua composé dessus
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Schubert> Schubert.//En tant que
personnage littéraire, lErlkönig tient ses origines dans un
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personnage_type> archétype européen commun :
la <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9e> fée ou la
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir%C3%A8ne_(mythologie)> sirène, créature
séduisante mais mortelle (que lon peut comparer à
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Belle_Dame_sans_merci_(po%C3%A8me)> La
Belle Dame sans merci et à la <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixe> Nixe)
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig_%28cr%C3%A9ature%29#cite_note-1>
1.Dans sa forme originale présente dans le
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore_scandinave> folklore scandinave, la
créature féminine légendaire est la « fille du roi des elfes » (Ellerkongens
datter) <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aide:Citation_n%C3%A9cessaire>
[citation nécessaire]. On retrouve des histoires semblables dans de
nombreuses ballades <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavie> scandinaves
où une ellerkone (« femelle elfe ») a été chargée dattraper des humains
pour satisfaire leur désir, la jalousie et la soif de vengeance
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig_%28cr%C3%A9ature%29#cite_note-By
rne-2> 2. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlk%C3%B6nig_%28cr%C3%A9ature%29
............................................................................
...
The story of the Erlkönig derives from the traditional Danish ballad
Elveskud: Goethe's poem was inspired by Johann Gottfried Herder's
translation of a variant of the ballad (Danmarks gamle Folkeviser 47B, from
Peter Syv's 1695 edition) into German as "Erlkönigs Tochter" ("The
Erl-king's Daughter") in his collection of folk songs, Stimmen der Völker in
Liedern (published 1778). Goethe's poem then took on a life of its own,
inspiring the Romantic concept of the Erlking. Niels Gade's cantata
Elverskud opus 30 (1854, text by Chr. K. F. Molbech) was published in
translation as Erlkönigs Tochter.
The Erlkönig's nature has been the subject of some debate. The name
translates literally from the German as "Alder King" rather than it
s common English translation, "Elf King" (which would be rendered as
Elfenkönig in German). It has often been suggested thatErlkönig is a
mistranslation from the original Danish elverkonge, which does mean "king of
the elves." In the original Scandinavian version of the tale, the antagonist
was the Erlkönig's daughter rather than the Erlkönig himself; the female
elves or elvermøer sought to ensnare human beings to satisfy their desire,
jealousy and lust for revenge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Erlk%C3%B6nig
Erlking (from Elf-king or Herla-king; German: Erlkönig, literally
Elder-king) is a name from Danish and German folklore for the figure of a
spirit or "king of the fairies". While early stories feature the Erlking's
daughter as a malevolent figure, Goethe's poem "Der Erlkönig" and those
following it have the Erlking himself prey on small children. Further
information: Herla, Harlequin and Alichino (devil) Further information:
Alberich, Oberon and Elegast
According to Jacob Grimm, the term originates with a Scandinavian (Danish)
word, ellekonge "king of the elves",[1] or for a female spirit elverkongens
datter "the elven king's daughter", who is responsible for ensnaring human
beings to satisfy her desire, jealousy or lust for revenge.[2][3] The New
Oxford American Dictionary follows this explanation, describing the Erlking
as "a bearded giant or goblin who lures little children to the land of
death", mistranslated as Erlkönig in the late 18th century from
ellerkonge.[4]
Alternatively, the term may derive not from "elf-king" but from the name of
Herla king, a figure in medieval English folklore, adapted as Herlequin,
Hellequin in medieval French, in origin the leader of the Wild Hunt, in
French known as maisnie Hellequin "household of Hellequin" (and as such
ultimately identical with Woden), but re-cast as a generic "devil" in the
course of the Middle Ages (and incidentally, in the 16th century also the
origin of the Harlequin character). Sometimes also associated is the
character of Herrequin, a 9th-century count of Boulogne of proverbial
wickedness.[5]
The derivation from either eller- or herla- has not been resolved.
Alternative suggestions have also been made, Halling (1836) suggested a
connection with a Mongolian god of death or psychopomp, known as Erlik
Chan.[6]
English Herla is cast in the role of a king of the Britons who ends up
spending two centuries in the realm of the elves (and thus missing the
Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain in Walter Map's De nugis curialium (12th
century).
The origin of the name Herla would be erilaz ("earl", Old Saxon erl), also
found in the name of the Heruli (so that German erl-könig would literally
correspond to earl-king)
In German, the name was re-interpreted and associated with Erle, the name of
the alder-tree (suggesting a spirit haunting the forest). This form is now
primarily known due to the 1782 ballad by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (and
Schubert's musical adaptation), "Der Erlkönig". In this context, the term is
also sometimes rendered in English as Erl-king.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlking
............................................................................
.......
Alder is the common name of a <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genus> genus of
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowering_plant> flowering plants (Alnus)
belonging to the birch <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(biology)>
family <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betulaceae> Betulaceae. The genus
comprises about 30 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species> species of
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_sexual_morphology> monoecious
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree> trees and
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrub> shrubs, a few reaching a large size,
distributed throughout the <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperate_climate>
north temperate zone with a few species extending into
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_America> Central America and the
northern <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes> Andes.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alder#cite_note-ffffffff-1> [1] The common
name "alder" evolved from Old English "alor", which in turn is derived from
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Germanic> Proto-Germanic root
<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=alder&allowed_in_frame=0> [1]
aliso. The generic name Alnus is the equivalent
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin> Latin name. Both the Latin and the
Germanic words derive from the
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-Indo-European_language>
Proto-Indo-European root el-, meaning "red" or "brown", which is also a root
for the English words " <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk_(disambiguation)>
elk" and another tree: " <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elm> elm", a tree
distantly related to the alders.
<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=elk&allowed_in_frame=0> [2].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alder
............................................................................
...........
**Alderflies are <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaloptera> megalopteran
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect> insects of the
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_(biology)> family Sialidae. They are
closely related to the <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobsonflies>
dobsonflies and <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishflies> fishflies as well
as to the <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric> prehistoric
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Euchauliodidae&action=edit&redlin
k=1> Euchauliodidae. All living alderflies - about 66
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species> species altogether
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alderfly#cite_note-GandE2007-1> [1] - are part
of the <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subfamily> subfamily Sialinae, which
contains between one and seven extant <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genera>
genera according to different scientists' views. But in most
classifications, all or almost all of these are treated as
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subgenera> subgenera of
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sialis> Sialis.Sialinae have a body length of
less than 25 mm (1 inch), long filamentous
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antenna_(biology)> antennae and four large
dark <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_wings> wings of which the
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterior> anterior pair is slightly longer
than the posterior. They lack <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocellus> ocelli
and their fourth <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_leg> tarsal segment
is dilated and deeply bilobed. Dead alderfly larvae are used as bait in
fishing. The females lay a vast number of eggs upon grass stems near water.
The <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larva> larvae are aquatic, active, armed
with strong sharp mandibles, and breathe by means of seven pairs of
abdominal <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gill> branchial filaments. When
full sized, which takes between one and two years, they leave the water and
spend a quiescent <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pupa> pupal stage on the
land before <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphosis> metamorphosis into
the sexually mature insect. Adult alderflies stay near to the water, in
which they had lived in when they were younger.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alderfly
Alderflies Scientific Name: order Megaloptera, family Sialidae Your first
impression of an adult alderfly may be, "Wow! That's one big black caddis!"
Look a little closer, though, and you'll become aware that something is
missing: there are no hairs on the wings. And that absence is the only
reason this bug is important to fly anglers. You see, it's the hairy wings
that make caddis float, and the lack of them makes alderflies imitate the
Titanic. When an alderfly falls onto the water from an overhanging tree, it
slowly sinks. And because alderflies are large enough to make a good snack
for a hungry trout, they usually don't sink very far before they're eaten.
It's a happy coincidence of favorable events: first, alderflies are a spring
hatch; second, it's a time of year when the water is high and into the
trees; third, trout are especially hungry after a winter menu of midges and
blue-winged olives.So a good spring strategy is to look for overhanging
trees (such as alders) either on a lake or a very slow part of a stream.
Then cast a large black
<http://www.west-fly-fishing.com/fly-pattern-recipe/wet/softhackle.shtml>
Soft Hackle into the water below the tree; let the fly make a loud "plop"
when it hits the water. And sit there quietly, maybe giving your fly an
occasional small twitch. Hang on tight, because strikes can be aggressive!
Also, you might want to bump up your tippet size since you'll have to
manhandle your fish out from under all those branches. Alderfly larvae
prefer slow water or lakes. They crawl around in plant debris and eat other
insects. When ready to pupate, they larvae leave the water; pupation and
adult happen out of the water. The adults then hang around in the trees
looking for mates. Thus the only stage worth imitating is the adults.
Dobsonflies are similar to alderflies, except they are bigger. They are more
common east of the Rockies, where larval imitations can be productive.
However, their significance to western fly anglers is very limited.
http://www.west-fly-fishing.com/entomology/others/alderflies.shtml
.
***- Goethe's Erlkönig was always intended to be sung, and it occurs in
his play Die Fischerin (The Fisherwoman, 1782). The stage direction reads:
Scattered under tall alder trees at the edge of the river are several
fishermen's huts. It is a quiet night. Round a small fire are pots, nets and
fishing-tackle. Dortchen sings at her work: Wer reitet so spat
(Quoted in Fischer-Dieskau, 1976, pp. 489)Goethe's Erlkönig was always
intended to be sung, and it occurs in his play Die Fischerin (The
Fisherwoman, 1782). The stage direction reads:Scattered under tall alder
trees at the edge of the river are several fishermen's huts. It is a quiet
night. Round a small fire are pots, nets and fishing-tackle. Dortchen sings
at her work: Wer reitet so spat (Quoted in Fischer-Dieskau, 1976, pp.
489)
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/history-art/schuberts
-lieder-settings-goethes-poems/content-section-4.4
Erlkönig (The Erl-King). Ballad by Goethe, the Erl-King being a King of all
the spirits who appears to a child and entices him to death. Poem comes from
Goethe's ballad-opera Die Fischerin (1782) and first mus. setting was an
8-bar melody written by Corona Schröter, actress who played the fisherwoman
at the f.p. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-Erlknig.html
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