It turns out to be the story of Archivist Lindhorst, who in reality is a salamander, the Elemental Spirit of Fire, who has been banished from the Land of Atlantis by Phosphorus, the Prince of Spirits, and must enter mankind's prosaic existence on earth. The more he works with the manuscripts the more familiar he becomes with them, until one day he copies a document that he can understand. Fortunately, Anselmus obtains help from Serpentina and is able to perform his duties impeccably. The Archivist warns him explicitly that he must not spot any of the originals with ink from his pen.

His work consists of making exact copies of Arabic and Coptic texts that he cannot decipher. Full of love for Serpentina, he begins his new job the next day. On what is to be his first day of work, however, the old applemonger appears before him at the Archivist's door, and, consumed with terror, Anselmus falls unconscious and fails to assume his new position.Ī few days later, Anselmus accidentally encounters Lindhorst, who impresses him in extravagant ways with his magic and reveals to him that the green-gold snakes he saw in the elder tree are his three daughters and that the blue-eyed one he fell in love with is his youngest, Serpentina.

He also meets Registrar Heerbrand, who procures for him a job copying old manuscripts for Archivist Lindhorst, an eccentric alchemist and magician. There, he meets Paulmann's blue-eyed daughter, Veronika, who falls in love with him.

When she suddenly disappears, he is beside himself.Īnselmus later chances to meet his friend, Assistant Headmaster Paulmann, who invites him to his home. One of them, who has marvelous blue eyes, stretches herself (snakes are grammatically feminine in German) out towards him, and he instantly falls in love with her. He looks up and beholds three green-gold snakes. There, coming from an elder tree, he hears melodious voices and the sounds of crystal bells. She reviles him prophetically with the words 'Yes, run! Run, you child of Satan! Run into the crystal which will soon be your downfall.' He flees and stops only when he has reached the banks of the River Elbe. The novella, which comprises twelve 'vigils' (chapters), begins with the clumsy student Anselmus running through the Black Gate in Dresden, where he knocks over the basket of wares of a hideous old applemonger, scattering them in all directions. Lange (1982, ix) has written that a 'simple summary becomes entirely inadequate when we attempt to interpret the intricate texture of ambivalence and illusion that spreads lavishly before the reader.' The following synopsis is presented with this limitation in mind.

The golden pot hoffmann