Rübezahls Hochzeit (1916)

This is the tale of a classic from the world of German legends and myths: the Rübezahl legend. Rübezahl, a powerful, rough-mannered, blustering mountain spirit from the Giant Mountains, falls in love with a delicate elven princess. She, however, is not in the least interested in the oaf, but rather in the refined young tutor who works at the nearby count’s castle. So the elf transforms herself into a governess and takes up a post at the castle—all so she can finally be close to the man she loves. Rübezahl is beside himself with rage and tries everything he can to get “his” elf after all. For example, he sabotages a picnic hosted by the count, peering over the forest with his enormous head and spewing out great quantities of water, giving the picnickers a cold shower. He also blows fiercely, sending the old governess’s hat flying and leaving her hair in disarray, until the little picnic party even gets lost in the forest. Now Rübezahl really gets going. His giant fist comes down from above on the forester working at the estate, grabs the struggling man by the scruff of the neck, and carries him high over meadows, forests, and the mountains. Then the mountain spirit takes his place, so he can unobtrusively get close to the elf he loves. Rübezahl wouldn’t be Rübezahl if he didn’t also play his crude tricks at the count’s dinner table. When a roast pike is served, the stone-dead fish suddenly comes back to life beneath Rübezahl’s hand, rears up on its tail, and snaps at the count’s nose. Terrified by these uncanny events, the dinner guests leap up and scatter. Only the elven princess, disguised as a governess, stays behind and holds Rübezahl fast. She, too, has a few tricks up her sleeve. Just when the boorish mountain spirit thinks he has achieved his dream, the elf turns into a white dove and flutters away. But Rübezahl’s flying skills are not one jot inferior to those of his beloved, and so the two race over mountains and valleys into the distance. At last, the elf deliberately admits defeat, turns into a butterfly, and lets Rübezahl catch her.