Review Detail

HAUSGEISTER! HOUSEHOLD SPIRITS OF GERMAN FOLKLORE by Florian Schäfer, Janin Pisarek, and Hannah Gritsch, translation by Joanna Scudamore-Trezek, is a non-fiction, historical look at the relationship Germans have had with the supernatural, particularly the unique creatures said to help with chores and tasks in and around the home. HAUSGEISTER introduces the audience to the Kobold, the Wichtel, the Drak, the Holzfräulein, and the Geldmännlein, and explores how belief in them has changed and shifted over the years, indicating both anthropological and political cues about each period.

This book is a thoroughly researched, academic look at mythical beings and legends from the area of Germany, dating back to medieval times. While the style of writing is more scholarly than fantastical, it is interesting to analyze where the foundations of many modern fairy tales have come from, and more importantly, why this thinking may have existed. Going through this book, I constantly found myself imagining how nice it would be to have helpful spirits in the house who cleaned my stove, baked my bread, and brought me money— all for a small exchange of some food and leaving them alone. To be honest, it sounds amazing, and I can relate to wanting it to be true. I also found a lot of parallels in how people in power may have used the threat of angering one of these creatures as a way to keep people “behaving properly,” and the tactics those in power today use in an attempt to control people. From that perspective, HAUSGEISTER is quite fascinating.

Aside from the written text, the visual presentation of this book is absolutely gorgeous. Each spirit has a corresponding sculpture created to showcase what they could have looked like. Once created, these sculptures got photographed, and then those photos got arranged for the book’s pages in a stunning, full-color layout, giving the audience more fuel for our imaginations. The physical book is made with fantastic quality, and it’s therefore, a great gift for someone who may be interested in this subject matter.

Overall, HAUSGEISTER is a great read for anyone who enjoys history, is pursuing or is interested in pursuing similar career paths as the authors, or storytellers who are looking for help in depicting an accurate portrayal of a bygone time.