Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang v. Goethe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Listen to the Pronunciation of Goethe's name. 

A gentleman who loved to learn and who was not swayed by the establishment elite that were all over even at this time centuries ago.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfurt Germany to a wealthy family.  Frankfurt was an imperial free city under the Holy Roman Empire at that time that Goethe's father married Goethe's mother.  Only himself and his sister Christina survived, it was a difficult times raising live children, their others siblings all passed away from various ailments.

Goethe's father  gave Goethe lessons in all the common subjects of their time, especially languages (Latin, Greek, French, Italian, English and Hebrew). He also had private tutors in various subjects. He also received lessons in dancing, riding and fencing.  He was afforded all the opportunities. 

Goethe had a persistent dislike for the Catholic Church. He said it was a hodgepodge of fallacy and violence".  He loved puppet shows and often had these shows at his home.  He loved the Marionettes.

He loved to Draw.  He loved to study History and Religion despite his dislike of the church.
He wrote an awesomely famous poem called the Sorcerers Apprentice.    The following is from Wiki.

The poem begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving his apprentice with chores to perform. Tired of fetching water by pail, the apprentice enchants a broom to do the work for him – using magic in which he is not yet fully trained.

The floor is soon awash with water, and the apprentice realizes that he cannot stop the broom because he does not know how.  The apprentice splits the broom in two with an axe, but each of the pieces becomes a whole new broom and takes up a pail and continues fetching water, now at twice the speed.

When all seems lost, the old sorcerer returns, quickly breaks the spell and saves the day. The poem finishes with the old sorcerer's statement that powerful spirits should only be called by the master himself.

“As long as you do not know how to die and come to life again, you are but a sorry traveler on this dark earth.” 

Those are  famous words in the well known work of Goethe - "Faust".  Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend. He is a scholar who is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, so he makes a pact with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures.

Images @ Eminpee Fotography