Der Wehrwolf
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]
.jpg.webp) 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 |
Plot summary
The Thirty Years' War is at its height and the peasantry suffers under countless marauders, which roam the lands. The protagonist Harm Wulf, a peasant, already lost his family in the first years of war and becomes the defending Wulf (wehrender Wulf) by defending a hill fort and its surrounding carr, where some local peasants hide from the pillaging hordes. Harm Wulf gathers more and more allies until 121 men are in the Alliance of the Wehrwolf. When peace is finally restored Harm Wulf is an old and grim man.
Reception
Although already published in 1910, Der Wehrwolf became a bestseller three decades later in Nazi Germany. It was widely used for the purposes of Nazi propaganda because its content could be interpreted as nationalistic fervor. Near the end of the Second World War, young Luftwaffenhelfers and children in the Hitler Youth were encouraged to read the novel to promote guerrilla warfare against the Allies (to act like a We(h)rwolf[2]). Because of this, the book was indexed for a short time after the war.
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.