The Nußkaspar traditional narrative
W one hen from Nuremberg looks north, it faces the eye the famous garlic country dar. There are several charming villages that are visited by the citizens of Nuremberg eagerly.
I n one of these villages lived many years ago a peasant, 'Nußkaspar' called because its trees grew on the most nuts. He drove like its neighbors, gardening, and devoted himself chiefly to the cultivation of garlic. Alone, the good man failed almost everything he undertook. Soon he was brought by significant losses in debt, now stolen by the neighbors, then wind and rain destroyed his garden and crops, or bad guys he brought the nuts from the trees.
D ieses lasting misfortune finally annoyed the farmers and took the joy that plague is also required, especially as he noticed that flourished at the neighbors all in the best and their wealth increased daily. Therefore, he was gradually in the exercise his business casual swearing, more than he prayed, and arose last to drink, so that it most often when he had gone with garlic and other vegetables to the city, to easy money, but it came back with a heavy head home. By this way of life not only his body but his fortune was so shaken that he had to repeatedly borrow money, after all of its creditors hard pressed and was to their satisfaction last soon a lot, soon to sell anything to do in his household was coerced.
W Every once the Nußkaspar was on the last Day of the year, as so often stayed up late at night in the city, had a capable noise drunk and stumbled up the castle path now. Far from the place where Christ is depicted on the Mount of Olives, he sat down on a snow-covered boulder to rest, and fell asleep. The caricatures of disappointed hopes and vast desert him in dreams, so he started up and uttered often horrible curses. Eben was the bell from the nearby Sebaldusturm the entry of the witching hour, when he once more into the air started and in a state between sleeping and waking, teeth chattering muttered to himself: "Will not save me God, I have to help the devil!"
M it these words he awoke, rubbed his eyes and tried to get up, but a huge fright threw him back to his cold seat, before him stood a man in hunter's garb, spoke to him: "Why, old fellow, what are you doing here in the frosty winter night? "
K Aspar asked, yawning, "Where am I, Lord, and what do you want from me?"
D arauf said the hunter: "I heard in passing that you need help, and I will do it if it is in my power . Is, but - I want to be asked of you about "
K described Aspar now under constant curses his sad situation, fell to his knees and cried out in incomprehensible anguish," I beseech you to his knees help me, help me, if ye are the evil itself, the same to me, if I only helped;. for God has left me without this "
" N un well, "replied the stranger "if you promise not your wife yet another person tell a syllable of it, so I will be your protector and help you. Return home safely, pluck from the large walnut tree that stands in the left corner of your garden, as many nuts as you please and this will turn into gold and set up repair to not only pay your debts, but without the effort and work to live well. But know, only one word comes to my offer on your lips, you sink back in your former poverty, become a prey to despair and you shall find no rest in the grave. You have then in every New Year's Eve emerge from your grave and sale here on this golden nuts hold, yes, you will also go down even more with others to destruction, and your soul is forfeit to me "
.
M these words, it disappeared the mysterious phenomenon.
D ate as a faithful guide to the Evil One was incarnate, is easy to guess.
Kaspar was therefore dropped in very bad hands. He stumbled still half drunk with shaking knees home. His wife, who was in any event for the variety of people who are scolding and grumbling has become second nature, received him from the bed with angry words. He remained calm and thought, "just cry, you vixen, all you want, I have once the golden nuts, then you will already otherwise sing "He took a lantern lit the light and crept out into the garden. Here he stood before the designated tree and squinted up to see if the nuts were really gold. At last he climbed the trembling tree, attacked by a trembling of the fruit, filled as soon as possible so that all bags, and behold, the nuts were pure, glittering gold. Then he hid his treasure in the barn and went to bed.
B an dawn stole the incredibly wealthy husband, whose conscience was now put to sleep already, quietly away as a gift of the hunter's hellish, to put it partially in the nearby town into cash. He then paid his debts and lived gloriously and joyfully.
A about this happiness did not last long, for the good Nußkaspar forgot in the frenzy of debauchery only too soon that he had promised to the devil. In an intimate hour he confessed to his wife, who had reconciled completely through the unexpected wealth with him the whole story of the case. But when he did the next morning fetch his money, there was the bag lightweight and contained only coins instead of hard coal dust, and instead of the gold is only natural and mostly worm-eaten nuts found in the closet. hurled down So by the amount of happiness in the most bitter misery, Kaspar was the life an intolerable burden.
D devil he was better than Kaspar word, for it was all true what he had predicted for the case of the word break. As the New Year's evening came back was really at midnight a small peasant in the costume of garlic dealer with a basket on the Mount of Olives and groaned in desperate hand-wringing: "Buy nuts, bought nuts!"
V everal years after the event were New Year's Eve several people close to the Mount of Olives in the guest house for over a mug burgraves wheat beer. Among them was a talkative Zinngießermeister, who stood in great esteem for his wisdom. The conversation turned to the old legend of Nußkaspar of Olives. "Superstition, pagan darkness!" strove to master tinsmith, the spokesman. "Who will be so stupid to believe in the devil and ghosts?"
"W as, neighbor?" it was a well-read compass-maker in the speech, "you have not read because that Dr. Martin Luther the Devil has the ink nachgeworfen? If you do not know that Satan Jesus led into temptation? "
is D as something else," interrupted the tinsmith, and was about to say more than he sounded on the clock the twelfth hour. Smote the master of indignation the table and shouted: "But that you see that on the whole affair is nothing and everyone is a fool that such senseless things believe we will go to the Mount of Olives, to convince us that the Nußkaspar who holds in his true nuts. My belongings sit, I mind that I will laugh at you. "
H ierauf he took his fur cap and hurried to the door, but from the other guests had no desire to accompany him. It was pitch dark, and only the shimmering snow lit up the surroundings. Since the tinsmith it truly felt as if he were in the vicinity of the Mount of Olives perceive the figure of a man, and he stopped. It shivered him, but the idea of being ridiculed by friends when he came back empty-handed, inspired him with courage, and he wanted to go to the bottom.
A lso the tinsmith slowly walked closer and said in a loud voice: "Who's there" - No answer! - Suddenly there was a small weird creatures close in front of him stared at him with grave eyes and pointing with the index finger of his right hand into the basket in front of him. Our pewter stood rooted to the ground and screamed with barely intelligible sounds: "All good spirits praise the Lord" Almost unconsciously he then attacked the basket and took from it what he could come with his ten fingers, and fell in a faint.
A ls he came back to his senses, he looked around.
A over he saw no creature, neither before nor behind. Now he took courage and was ashamed of his terror. But what surprise took the place of fear, as he looked at the snow-covered ground, and he entgegenfunkelte shiny gold! He quickly gathered up the golden things and hastened to the castle count. The company welcomed him as if he had risen from the dead, and was very curious to hear what he had experienced. And the master told his adventure, as he took to prove some golden nuts from his pocket and hinrollte on the table.
D a was silenced at once all the bluster, for not without secret horror saw the shining evidence before our eyes. The tinsmith but soon moved away and looked drunk with joy on his bed. But the sleep fled from him these and many other night, because he was haunted by the future plans and concerns about the proliferation of pernicious money. With his good fortune at the same time the accident had moved into his home. Satisfied from the Master a grumpy sourpuss had become. By unwise ventures he lost many a beautiful capital, and after a few years, proved true to him saying: win, vanished Sun But when he was getting poorer, making the plight of his miserable life to an end.
U nd it came true prediction of the devil, the Nußkaspar will also consider any other in the ruin.