The fairy tale "The Shadow"

- A story about the false self

H.C.Andersen’s fairy tale "The Shadow" (1847). Drawing by Vilhelm Pedersen. H.C.Andersens House.

The fairy tale "The Shadow" was one of the results of Andersen's third trip to his beloved Italy in the summer of 1846, during which he particularly stayed in Rome and Naples (Napoli), the two cities, which he had also visited during his first Italian journey in 1833 -34 which was the setting for his first real novel "Improviser" from 1835, and he again visited in 1840-41. The idea for the story "The Shadow" came to him during his stay in Naples in 1846, where he stayed in two stages, first from fourth May to 20 May and later from 29 May to 23 June. The heat was unbearable, about 37 degrees, and it was too much for it after the custom and fashion fully clothed poet who sweated mightily and in between was just about to faint, so that he often had to lie down to rest. At the time he wrote occasionally also on his second autobiography "Das Märchen meines Lebens ohne Dichtung. Eine sketch von Hans Christian Andersen " (" My own adventure without poetry "), as his publisher Carl B. Lorck in Leipzig had ordered for publication along with Andersen at the time" Gesammelte Werke "(" Collected Works ").

1st significance level: the literal action

First of all, here an attempt is made to offer the most succinct summary as possible of the operation or content of the fairy tale "The Shadow" (1847). The scene is set in the hot countries, where the sun burns:

In hot countries the sun can certainly burn! People are quite mahogany brown; yes in the very hottest countries they are burnt to Negroes, but it was only for the hot countries, a learned man had come from the cold, that he thought that he could run about like that at home, but he was soon weaned. He, and all sensible people might be inside, window shutters and doors were closed the whole day, it looked like the whole house was asleep and there was no one at home. The narrow street with the high houses where he lived were also built so that the sun from morning till evening there, it really was not to endure! - The learned man from the cold countries, it was a young man, a wise man, he thought he was sitting in an oven, it took on him, he was quite thin, even his shadow crept in, it was much less than home, the sun had also been at it. - They lived first up in the evening, when the sun was down. (Note 1)

This is so we have also been presented for the fairy tale’s two main characters: The learned man and his shadow. The former had no other employment or pleasure in the strong heat than to sit in his room and observe its shadow. When the candle was brought shining into the room, so shadow stretch itself up the wall and across the ceiling, which seemed the learned man, as if the shadow had his own life.

Only in the evening, when coolness had descended, the learned man dared to get out on the balcony, from which he partly was able to see it awakening and lively street life below him, where people came to the streets and sat at small tables with candles or oil lamps, lots of light, and partly to the large, open and clear starry sky above him. He also saw that in most houses where each window had a balcony, there were people who had come out to get some fresher air and coolness. He also saw that only a single one of the houses next door, there was quite quiet, but someone had to stay there, he thought, for flowers in window boxes were fresh and lush. In the evening the door out to the balcony indeed opened, he could not see by whom. There was quite dark in the front room, but further inland from there came music, as the learned man thought sounded something so wonderful. It felt his landlord in return not, but thought it sounded like someone who was practicing at the same melody piece, without being able to get out of it again. It sounded so in short, like noise to the host.

But the stranger, the learned man who slept for open balcony door had a completely different and more sophisticated understanding of the heard music, and was curious to know who it was who lived behind the unenlightened anteroom:

One night woke the stranger, he slept for open balcony door, the curtain in front rose in the wind, and he thought that there was a strange brilliance from the opposite balcony, all the flowers shone like flames, in the loveliest colors, and in between the flowers stood a slim, lovely maiden, it was as if she also shone; it cut him truly in the eyes, he opened them too terribly much up and came straight from his sleep in a leap he was on the floor, softly he came behind the curtain, but the maid was gone, the gloss was gone, the flowers shone not at all, but was very good, as always, the door was ajar, and deep sound music, soft and beautiful, you could decently fall into sweet thoughts. It was like a magic and who lived there? Where was the actual entrance? The entire ground floor was shopping stores, and people could not always be passing through these.

One evening the foreigner sat on his balcony, inside the room behind him burned light and so it was quite natural that his shadow passed over on the opposite wall; yes there it sat opposite between the flowers on the balcony, and when the stranger moved, his shadow moved also, because it does. - (Note 2)

By observing its shadow’s movements, comes the learned man to imagine that his shadow has its own life and own will, even though he knows that it is a manifestation of his vivid imagination. But he enters the merry jest, and as he gets up to go into his room, he directs at his own movements like the shade into the back resettled house balcony door, so it looks as if the shadow had crept inside the resettled house antechamber.

As the learned man next morning went out to drink coffee and read the daily newspapers, the sun shone again from a high summer sky, but to his own surprise, he finds that he has no shadow: "I have no shadow! so it really did leave me last night and it has not returned; it is very annoying!" In the evening he sat as usual out on the balcony with the lights on behind him in the living room, but that was to his annoyance still no shade. Now there was no longer talking about any enjoyable joke, but a most unfortunate seriousness. He consoled himself, however, that in hot countries grow everything quickly, and sure enough, after eight days, there grew a new shadow on his legs when he walked in the sunshine, and after three weeks was the shade grown so much that he dared to return home to the Nordic country he came from.

Back home in his warm room in the big city in the far North, continues the learned man to write books about the true, the good and the beautiful, for that was what he used to think about and write about, and his critical readers had been accustomed to. He did that for many years, without causing much else. But one night it suddenly and unexpectedly knocked at his door, and outside was standing a very lean, but very well-dressed male person, which to the learned man's astonishment says that he is none other than his former shadow, that in the meantime has been human and have come to wealth, power and honor. Therefore, had the shadow now desire to see how it has gone for its former master. But since the shadow knows that because he left his master, the man have in the meantime had to get an other shade. The old shadow therefore offers to pay any debt for the loss, which the learned man may have had, but he refuses because he would much rather have that his old shadow tells what it had seen, when it came into the resettled house in the hot countries.

However, to would tell what there was to see, the shade provide as a condition that the learned man must never tell anyone that it had once been his shadow. In fact, it intended to become engaged, and it will not look good, that it once was serving when it has now been a fine and noble lord. The learned man promise to shut up with his knowledge of who the fine gentleman in reality is, and therefore the former shadow says that what it then got to see over in the mysterious opposite house. On his own distinctive, quirky and humorous way tells Andersen further about what the shade has to say:

"Now I will tell!" said the Shadow, and then put the foot with the polished boots as hard as he could, on the sleeve of the learned man's new shadow, which lay like a poodle at his feet, and it was now either of arrogance or maybe to get it to stick; and the underlying shadow, remained so quiet, for right to listen, it would probably know how to be able to get loose and work its way up to be his own master.

"Do You know who lived in the neighbor's house?" said the Shadow, "it was the most beautiful of all, it was Poetry! I was there for three weeks and it is just acting as if You had lived three thousand years and read everything that was written and told, for I say and it is true. I've seen everything and I know everything! "

"Poetry," cried the learned man! "Yes, yes - she is often hermit in the big cities! Poetry! yes I have seen her for a moment, but sleep weighed down my eyes! She stood on the balcony and shone like the Northern Lights shine! Tell me, tell me! You were on the balcony, you walked inward through the door and then -! "(Note 3)

The old shadow tells then that there was twilight in the ante-room, but could see a number of doors that stood open into various rooms and halls, which were stronger and stronger enlightened and deep down was the maiden, but the shade did not dare thinking to venture closer because it could not bear the strong light, and if it was drawn closer, it would have been killed by the powerful and overwhelming light. The Shadow says of himself that it was too sober and sensible to want to venture farther than the ante-room. But what did the Shade then see would the learned man know, but again make the Shadow a condition before wanting to tell further: It will ask the learned man not to say “you” to him, because that he has grown too enlightened and noble to. The learned man promise for the future respectfully only to would address the Shadow with a “You”.

In the following explains the shadow on the learned man's repeated questions that it has seen everything! Yes, but what of everything? Was it like being in the newly sprouted forest, or in a holy church? Or maybe like a starry sky as seen from the high mountains? It would be the learned man to know, but he only get the answer that the shadow had been in an ante-room to poetry court and seen everything, and therefore he now knew everything:

"But what did You see? Went through the rooms gods of ancient times? Fought that the old heroes? Played cute kids and told their dreams? "

"I tell You, I was there and you understand that I saw everything there was to see! had you gone there, You were not human, but it was I! and also I learned to know my true nature, my inborn kinship, I had to poetry. Yes the time I was with You, I never thought of it, but always, You know, when the sun went up and the sun went down, I was so strangely great; in the moonlight, I was almost about to be clearer than Yourself; I did not understand my nature at that time, in the ante-room it dawned on me! I was human! - Ripe I came out, but You were no longer in the hot countries; I was ashamed as a human being by going as I went, I needed boots, clothes, and the whole human varnish that makes a man is known. - (Note 4)

The Shadow then tells about how it attached to human manners and knowledge of human nature and how it did and behaved as human: It looked wives up in skirts, moonlit evenings ran on the side streets, where it looked in the windows at high as well as low, and saw what no one should and could see, but what everyone wanted to know, it witnessed malicious slander and gossip, and gossip was spread by newspapers. The Shadow could therefore conclude: "It is essentially a mean world" - But the language-equilibrist Hans Christian Andersen could not resist the temptation of immediately after showing his cheerful mood in the following reply, put in the mouth of The Shadow, "and now I say goodbye, here is my card, I live on the sunny side and is always at home when it rains". Then The Shade disappeared and was again away for several years.

Back sat the learned man who had not been wiser as to what it was his old shadow had seen in poetry’s antechamber. But suddenly one day turned his old shadow up again and asked for his former masters condition:

"Ah!" said the learned man, "I write about the true, the good and the beautiful, but no one cares to hear such things, I am quite in despair, for I take it to heart!"

"But I do not," said The Shadow, "I will be bold, and that is what one ought to be! yes You do not understand the world. You are bad at it. You must travel! I'm making a trip this summer, will You go with me? I'd like to have a travel companion! Would You travel with as my shadow? It would give me great pleasure to have You with, I will pay the journey! "

"You are going too far," said the learned man.

"It's like You take it," said The Shadow. "You would have exceedingly well from that trip! will You be my shadow so You should get all free on the journey! "

"It's too bad," said the learned man.

"But that's how the world is," said The Shadow, "and always will be!" And then The Shadow went away.

The learned man had it not good at all, grief and torment followed him, and what he was talking about the true and the good and the beautiful, it was for the most people like roses for a cow! - He was quite ill at last.

"You really look like a shadow!" people said to him, and that shuddered in the learned man, for he thought about it. "(Note 5)

It ends also with the fact that to recover his strength, the learned man accept the offer as a shadow traveling with his new master, and accompany him to a health resort abroad. Their relationship takes on a friendly tone that gives the learned man courage to propose to his master, if not to say “you” to one another. But The Shade rejects this indignantly, and proposes instead that he do say “you” to the learned man, but this must continue to say “You” to The Shadow.

At the health resort, there are many guests, among whom also "a beautiful princess who had the disease that she looked too good and it was now anxiously." This princess began to take an interest in The Shadow, on which it is said that he has taken on health cure for his beard to grow. But she seems clear that the real cause is that the man can not cast a shadow. She introduces therefore herself to him and says bluntly: "Your illness is that You can not cast a shadow."

H.C.Andersen’s adventure "The Shadow" (1847). Drawing by Vilhelm Pedersen. H.C.Andersen’s House.

But the shadow is certainly clever, so he says that he also knows what the princess fail, but that she may be healed, since she can not see that he is quite unlike her assumption, just a very unusual shade, namely in the form of the learned man he has even equipped with its own shadow. This impress the princess who therefore decide to stay a little longer at the health resort than it was planned. The case was the fact that she had been in love with The Shadow, who had such a wise shadow, as she had understood that the learned man was, and who could answer almost anything, he was asked:

"What it must be for a man who has so wise a shadow!" She thought, "it would be a real blessing to my people and kingdom if I choose him for my consort!; - I do it!"

And they were soon agreed, both the princess and the shadow, but no one would know about it before she came home to her kingdom.

"No one, not even my shadow!" said The Shadow, and this he had his own ideas about.

Then they were in the country where the princess reigned when she was at home.

"Listen my friend," said The Shadow to the learned man, "now I have been so happy and powerful as any can be, and I will do anything particularly for you! you must always stay with me at the palace, drive with me in my royal carriage, and had a hundred thousand dollars a year, but you must let you call the shadow of everyone, you must not say that you have ever been human, and even once a year, when I sit on the balcony in the sunshine and let me see, you shall lie at my feet, like a shadow must! I'll tell you, I marry the princess, tonight the wedding will be. "(Note 6)

This condition filled proposals or bids were nonetheless too much for the learned man, who immediately protested, because it would of course be to betray the country and the king's daughter, and he would not help. He, however, would go directly to the princess and tell all that he was in fact the man and the shadow just an impostor. The Shadow parry by saying that it is what no one will believe, and besides he would even go first to the princess, and the learned man would then be sent directly in the arrest, which was done.

The Shadow went to the princess, who looks worried that her future husband looks very ill, and she asks him why it can be. To this, The Shadow answers slyly:

"I have experienced the most awful, that can happen," said The Shadow, "think you - yes such a poor shadow brain can not hold much; - think you, my shadow has become mad, he thinks he is human and that I - think you just - that I am his shadow! "

"It's terrible," said the princess, "is he locked up?"

"That he is! I'm afraid he will never recover."

"Poor shadow," said the princess, "he is very unhappy, it's a good deed to free him from the little life he has, and when I really think about it, I think it is necessary that it be done of him quietly! "

"It is hard," said The Shadow, for he was a faithful servant!" And he pretended to sigh.

"You are a noble character," said the princess.

In the evening the whole town was illuminated, and cannons fired: bum! and the soldiers presented arms. It was a wedding! The Princess and The Shadow went out on the balcony to show themselves, and receive one more Hurrah!

The learned man heard nothing of all this, for him had they already killed. - (Note 7)

In this way Andersen ends his bitter-ironic tale of how the world wants to be deceived - and gets it. But the story has several more layers, as we shall see below.

2nd significance level: Idea or moral

It is basically a little apprehensive things that would interpret something at all, and especially a not readily accessible fairy tale as "The Shadow". But knowing that there is a risk both for direct misinterpretation and partly more or less defective or inadequate interpretation, I will in the next anyway dare to to cary out the experiment:

Initially said, here will largely seen be drawn from at least two major ideas or morals of the fairy tale "The Shadow", partly 1) the personal idea of Andersen as a man and poet, and partly 2) the more general or universal idea. For the first point, is it about that he in his life as a writer or artist sought to bring himself and his poetry in such close agreement with reality or the truth as possible. It would more accurately say, the experienced or learned truth or reality, and not only the thought and theoretical reality or truth. This theme is also back in several places in Andersen's works, for example in an adventure as "Psyche" (1861). In the tale "The Shadow" it is precisely that "the Shadow" - which in this context include can be interpreted as Andersen's 'alter ego' or 'other I' – that for good reasons do not perceive and know reality or truth, because it's in itself not even real in that sense. It is only a shadow of the learned man or of reality. (Note 8)

But as the learned man and his shadow - Andersen spoke even about "the story of my shadow" - so to speak, are two sides of the same person, namely the conscious self or ego and the unconscious I or alter ego, as is the plot of the fairy tale " The Shadow" on the division between the two egos, which in reality means the dispute - in some cases even conflict - between the conscious and the subconscious or the unconscious. The conscious self (the cultivated I) believe or want one thing, the unconscious I (the instinctive operating I) think and want something different. This conflict was intensified in the Andersen case of an internal split between his masculine mind and his feminine mind, why he as the learned man did not even seek the beautiful maiden over in the mysterious opposite house, but leaves it to his shadow, his unconscious I, to find out what or who is hiding behind the ante-room of the mysterious house. The learned man alias Andersen will therefore only to be told that it is poetry in the guise of the maiden who lives in the house and that it was not possible for The Shadow to get close to her because she was enlightened of such a bright light that it would have obliterated the shadow. (Note 9)

The conflict between what the psychologist C.G. Jung respectively called the masculine mind (animus) and the feminine mind (anima) in the same individual, was and remained by and large, an unresolved problem for the man and poet Hans Christian Andersen, because he did not had the ability - or dare? – to experience and live it out in the real world, but contented himself with merely theoretical considerations about what in the best case gave itself poetic as well as prosaic expression in his writing. Therefore, he had to end the fairy tale The Shadow so the Shadow got the princess - not the fairy tale princess or poetry’s virgin, but a princess who was practical and mundane and expression of a detached observation, passive empathy and sober, profane lucidity. The Shadow thus got half of the profane kingdom and went away with the victory, while the learned man with his not experienced wisdom were killed. (Note 10)

Also later in life came Andersen out for more spiritual and - especially - artistic crises, during which he saw the muse of poetry or inspiration had left him, so he had difficulty finding topics he felt it was worth writing about. Such a situation he described, for example, in its glorious adventure "The will-o'-the-wispers are in town, said the Marsh Woman" (1865). But every time it appeared that the inspiration came back sooner or later, and that he still had some good years back, in which to create poems and write. (Note 11)

The more general or universal current basic idea of the fairy tale "The Shadow", is the co-and counter play between spirit and matter, which respectively are represented by the learned man and his shadow. After a longer period, where under the shadow gradually gets the power over the learned man, that it become leading and gets a foothold in the highest cultural and social circles. The Shadow even get a reward in the form of marriage with the princess, and allying himself thus with the highest social authority. The Shadow is therefore apparently the victorious. The matter has thus triumphed over the spirit that has been shadow of matter, such as is the case in the materialistic life and world view, which of course seems to have triumphed over the idealistic life and worldview. The ordinary human society does not seem to need the latter, yes, the leading experts and authorities dismiss even this as an expression of illusory error thinking. But the learned man is obviously not happy with that the shade takes supremacy why he protested vigorously, but only leads to him being imprisoned, sentenced to death and eventually executed, and thus silenced. (Note 12)

When that happens, as is the case in the course of the action in the story "The Shadow" that are away on several occasions and thus temporarily left the learned man, I would like to interpret this as that the materialistic life and world view in periods did not have quite the same impact on culture and society and therefore nor in the learned man (Andersen), as in other periods of time. The materialistic life and world view had for example not such as widely dissemination in one part of the Enlightenment and especially not in the Romantic movement.

However, the above process is basically the process that over time occurred between the idealistic life and worldview, which claims the spirit has power over matter, and the materialistic life and worldview, as opposed claims that matter has power over the spirit, as is only seen as a product of, or accompanying phenomenon to matter. A perception that in recent times seems increasingly to be confirmed by modern science, not least of brain research, which only sees the consciousness and spiritual phenomena as products of physiological processes in the brain. It is believed in short, that psychology can and must be explained with reference to physiology. (Note 13)

In addition the schism between faith and knowledge, between religion and science, which was also a topic that Andersen had worked with and written about since his grammar school days in Slagelse and Elsinore. Here is his own view clearly expressed in his essay "Faith and Science (Sermon in nature)" (1851), in which he under the influence of H.C. Ørsted’s thinking towers over opposing thesis and antithesis and to add synthesis in the form of what he calls “the omnipotence, which reveals itself in universal love, the creature, in which, after human expression - mind and heart are one." So a higher expression of the union of mind and feeling, is what in Martinus' language are described as "highintellectuality". (Note 14)

3rd significance level: the autobiographical content

Seen under the perspective of the third interpretive level, one can immediately see that the fairy tale "The Shadow" in the highest degree contains autobiographical elements. The tale's protagonist is quite unmistakably Andersen himself, while his 'shadow' is particularly expressed in his friend Edvard Collin. A shadow is well known characteristic in that it owes its 'object' its existence, however, in the latter's interaction with a light source, outdoors in the form of sun and indoors in the form of other light sources, such as candles, gaslight or electric light. 'Light source' was in this context, audience and perhaps especially the literary establishment's eye. And one might with some very well afford to say that Edvard Collin followed Andersen and his career as a 'shadow', which also had its own will and opinion, and as a subsequent implication he became famous worldwide with his poetical friend. The two, Andersen and Edvard Collin, will always be just as inseparable in the aftermath, as the case was, is and will remain with the fairytale’s learned man and his shadow.

The inspiration for the story "The Shadow" did Andersen as mentioned get during his Italian journey in 1846-47, particularly during his stay in the summery overheated city of Napoli (also called Naples), as evidenced by his diary entries from September 8th-21. of June 1846. These include some descriptions which Andersen more or less directly took advantage of, when he wrote his fairy tale. Andersen lodged at that time at the Ferraris Hotel in Piazza dei Fiori, and according to his custom he usually daily commited his almost impressionistic experiences and impressions on paper, just as he said the same in his letters to friends back home in Denmark. When he some years later, in 1855, wrote his second major autobiography “The Fairy Tale of My Life”, he told therein the following about his stay in Naples:

"I came here and moved into a hotel in the city center, near the Toledostreet; I had earlier in the winter, lived here, now I got Naples in all its summer heat and in all the noise, something so beyond all limits terrible I had not thought me! The sun was shining with its burning rays down into the narrow street, in through all the windows and doors; everything had to be closed, not even a airing was felt Every little corner, every spot in the street, which fell shadow, was crowded with workers gossiping merrily and loud; carriages rolled past, exclamations are cried stronger than it was to endure, people noise in the streets roared like a rough sea, church bells rang without rest! my neighbor, God knows who it was played from morning to evening scale, it was to be angry about! Scirocco blew its boiling air, I was devastated. In St. Lucia, in my old lodgings, all rooms were busy, I therefore had to stay where I was. Seabathing gave no refrigeration, they seemed more to weaken than to strengthen, what I got out of all this – a fairy tale! I wrote this story of The Shadow, but I was so indolent, so dull that I first home in the North brought it on paper! "(Note 15)

It was not quite true that Andersen first wrote the fairy tale "The Shadow" at home in Copenhagen, in diaries I, 9^th of June 1846, where he still stayed in Naples, he notes: "Written in the evening at the history of my shadow". However, it is true that he wrote the fairytale finish up at home in Copenhagen, as evidenced by the following notes in his almanac: 22 February 1847: "Dinner with Mrs. von der Maase, yesterday ended the tale of The Shadow". - 24 February 1847: "With Ørsted’s. Written The Shadow ". The last words sounds just a little contradictory, but the explanation for this is probably that Andersen – true to his customary habits - have read it previously writtened for the family Ørsted, including having been aware that there were places in the history that should be changed. This change has he made after coming home to himself. (Note 16)

In his "Notes to the fairy tale The Shadow" tells H.Topsøe-Jensen, inter alia, that Andersen seems to have made several corrections in his manuscript to the fairy tale "The Shadow", and mentions that particular the ending of the fairy tale apparently caused him some difficulty. Two days after the visit to Ørsted, where Andersen usually also liked to eat for dinner on Wednesdays, he was visiting his friend, the composer I.P.E. Hartmann, and as late as the fifth of March same year with his mother-in-law Mrs Margaret Zinn, widow of agent J.F. Zinn, and here he has again been reading his new fairy tale. Present for the occasion was also a good friend of Hartmann and Edvard Collin, namely Judge Ernst Weiss, who the day after sent the following letter to Andersen:

"I'm sending you hereby Kierkegaard's book. Withal I recommend for now after twice hearing "The Shadow", if not the word "beheaded" at the end could be avoided. It seems to me something specific to draw attention to execution mode, thereby bringing the audience to dwell on ideas that lead them away from the fairy tale and thereby weaken its total impression. I would propose an inference about the following:
But the learned man did not see anything of oll the stuff. He died that night in prison. There was talk about that the arm of justice had finally reached him, but no one knew quite what he had sinned and why was it so well for him that he left this world.

on 6th March 47^th. Yours Ernst Weiss." (Note 17)

Andersen has taken Ernst Weiss' objection seriously, but not found its form in his own narrative style, why he in short corrected the tale’s ending text: "The learned man heard nothing of all this, for him had they already killed".

In its detailed and fine "Notes to the fairy tale The Shadow" points H.Topsøe-Jensen to that this fairy tale has a literary model in Andersen's good friend and translator, the Franco-German poet and naturalist Adalbert von Chamisso’s adventure "Peter Schlemihls wunderbare Geschichte" (1814), which is about the man who sold his shadow to the devil. Andersen, however, had already used the shadow motif in his travel book "Shadow Pictures" (1831). With this title believed Andersen However, in this case the then very popular Schattenspiel, shadow play, under which persons or things were placed between a light source and a suspended, stretched sheet, so that the silhouettes accounted sharply on the white surface. Sometimes listed them all the shadow comedies, and Andersen had even participated in such antics while staying at the manor Hofmansgave in the summer of the 1830^th. But one can also interpret the book's title as an expression of memory’s magic lantern, the slide apparatus, laterna magica, which throws pictures up on the screen of the mind, that shadow images of the original experiences and events. "Shadow Pictures" was the book that - along with "Walking Tour" (1829) – a prediction on future coming fairy tales, a genre that Andersen, however, had already delivered a test in and of with the fairy tale " The Ghost," which was printed in his "Poems 1830". (Note 18)

The fairy tale "The Shadow" was printed for the first time in New Fairy Tales. Second Volume. First Collection, which was released sixth of April 1847, two days after Andersen's 42th birthday. The book also included tales of The Old Street Lamp, Neighboring Families, Darning Needle and Little Tuck. But curiously the fairy tale "The Shadow" is not referred to in Andersen's correspondence with Edvard Collin before in a letter from the former to the latter, dated London, 27th of June 1847^th. Andersen was then on his first trip to England, which ranged from June 23 to 3rd of September 1847^th. The poet and his works were already at the time familiar with the reading English audience, and Andersen was during his stay in England, therefore, the subject of some buzz. In the letter to Edvard Collin Andersen writes among other things the following:

"Dearest friend!

You see the little letter I have written to Your Jette, You also see what is on the sheet where my image is that I am "one of the most remarkable and interesting man of his day," and yet, You are too noble to would say thou to me - ugh! - I could almost be vain to once again say: Eduard we should say thou and You answer, as I have let my shadow reply. Yes You have noticed that evil apply to You. You will now play Diogenes when I'm Alexander! You see I am what Ingeborg would call a modest ass. But I have now been in the great world, hu! Last night I made my first appearance in the highest circle, [...] (Note 19)

The point in the story "The Shadow" as Andersen specially aim at in the above-quoted letter, is where the learned man proposes The Shadow, that they should be familiar, and how this gives the following answer:

"They say something!" said the Shadow, who was now the real master. "It is very straightforward and well-intentioned said, I will be as well-meaning and straightforward. You are a learned man, and know how wonderful nature is. Sometimes people could not bear to touch gray paper, they get hurt, others it goes through all the limbs, when you let a nail rubbing against a pane of glass; I have a similar kind of feeling when I hear You say thou to me, I feel myself pressed to the ground as in my first position with You. You see that it is a feeling, it is not pride, I can not allow You to say thou to me, but I should like to say it to you, then it is half done! "(Note 20)

It supposedly famous letter wherein Andersen suggests, yes, almost is asking or begging, that Edvard Collin and he should be "familiar" and say “thou” to each other, is dated Hamburg, 19 May 1831, and the request is made in the following passage from the letter:

”Of all people, You are the one I in all respects regard as my true friend, always be my dear Collin, I really need an open heart, but my friend, who I can love, as such, must have spirit, I must in this respect, esteem him, and it lacks basically the few others I quite like, only You, are of the same age, which I right can feel bound to. I also have a prayer, You may laugh, but will You once quite make me happy, quite give me proof of your esteem - when I deserve it - so - yes Do not be angry! – Say Thou to me! orally, I will never ask You to do so, it must happen now, now while I'm gone, do You have something against that, talk not to me about it, I will, of course, never express it more! In Your first letter I now get, I will see if You wanted to make me happy, and I then drink Your toast and that right out of my heart. - Are You angry? – You can not believe, with which beating heart I write this, even though You are not here. But now no more thereof. - (Note 21)

In the following days Andersen was anxiously waiting for a letter from Edvard Collin, and naturally hoped for a positive response. The letter came just over a week after and was dated Copenhagen on 28th of May 1831, and therein refers Collin to Andersen's request that the two should be "familiar", and after a lengthy discussion of why Collin categorically rejects the request, he concludes his letter with the following lines:

[...] - My Thou-acquaintances accounts for most of my boyhood, partly from such light-hearted moments that not leave time for reflection, partly also from the fact that I have bothered me to beg to be excused, but exactly thus I show You my sincerity to You, as I, rather than to hide myself for You, discharges me, for You as I have done here, where I can so easily be misunderstood. But no Andersen! You will not misunderstand me! And why this change in our relationship? Is it to give others a sign of our friendly relations? It would be superfluous and both of us unimportant, and is not now our relationship as comfortable and both of us so useful? why then start it under a changed form, a form which, it in itself is a little thing, but I, as I said, have an uncomfortable feeling for, I confess I am a Sonderling in this regard. But just as certain as it has saddened me that this matter should be raised, as it is certain that the ratio may be as You wish, if it is not more than a mere idea of You, to offend You, by God, it would I not do. But once again Andersen! why should we make such a change. Let's not talk more about it, I hope we both wanted to forget this mutual communication, when You get home, I'm in Jutland; I'll see You then not until the winter. - To be angry for Your request to do so could talk never be; I do not misunderstand You, I wish You did not have misunderstand me. [...] Farewell! Your friend E. Collin (Note 22)

Now it was the turn of Edvard Collin, who had anxiously awaited Andersen's reaction to his rejection of the thou-request, and this came also with a letter, dated Berlin, 11 of June 1831. But the reaction was - at least initially - surprisingly positive, yes, almost rollicking and humble, which should be clear from the following quote:

”Last night I came here, and immediately today I went to visit Freund, where I to my great joy found Your dear, dear letter, yes I love You as a brother, thank You for each line! - No, I do not misunderstand You, I can not even be sad, so honestly You unfold your heart for me, I wish I had Your character, Your whole I, oh, I feel enough how much I in many respects is under You! but make me always, whatever You are, my true, perhaps, most honest friend, I truly need it. I want no secrets have on You; [...]” (Note 23)

Then Andersen in the letter continue to reveal what he saw as the cause of the depression, which since the summer of 1830 occasionally came over him, especially when he was alone. It was supposedly his unhappy love affair in Riborg Voigt, who had the character of a dual-infatuation, as Andersen simultaneously was captivated by her brother, Christian Voigt, a topic that is discussed in the section on Hans Christian Andersen's personality and sexuality. However, the "thou-story" was consealed, but certainly not forgotten, at least not by Andersen, in rested in the subconscious mind, just like the glowing lava in the volcano's interior lay simmering until further notice. But already in a birthday letter of the Second November 1831 to his friend, turns Andersen again back to it. The situation would be that Andersen increasingly came to feel erotic emphasized feelings for Edvard Collin, feelings that would soon be reinforced by his love for the latters sister, Louise Collin:

My heartfelt dear Eduard!

Today is Your birthday! I've thought so much about it, but I can not make You any right pleasure, even how much as I would like. Write You a verse is basically antics, what would it be enjoyable to You? No, I will even tell You that I love You so dearly much, maybe more than You think, with my whole soul I hangs on to You, I wish You right could feel it! I wish You could have confidence to me, brotherly familiarity, fear not, I am outspoken, except in my own cases! I wish I right could let You read in my heart, You win on that day right for me! How often have I not, since You came home with the most fraternal sentiments wanted to approach You, but - I do not even when You do not start, I can not, You have not told me a word about what I so intense very much would have talked to You about, what I only in a letter has dared to confide in you, of what the total claims the most in my life, or should be, and we can not speak of it? You once wrote when I was too familiar that the people who would say you to You did You get an inexplicable cold feeling against; You know it was a heart outbreaks of me, a long cherished wish I came up with it, can not have done that You now feel something in You that makes You can not meet me as I would? Tell me only! I have nothing in the world my heart now right is to stick to, even poetry is not so dear and sacred to me, for its own sake, as it should be me, You may be able to reconcile myself something with the world, always be my friend! feel how sincere I love You! no one can this day ask our Lord warmer for You than I! Could I only right tell You all, God bless You dear, dear Collin. /

Andersen. (Note 24)

In the following period was Andersen's letters to Edvard Collin increasingly emotional and erotic, and several times, he also returned to the thou-story, in its letter of July 3,1832, in a letter dated December 11,1832, letter of March 7,1833, letter of April 24, 1833. letter of September 24, 1833, letter of November 21, 1833, letter of July 16, 1835, August 28, 1835, June 24, 1836. Edvard Collin answered in rule all Andersen's letters to him, but only in its letter of June 28, 1836 he touched the thou-story again, but in a cheerful, trivializing tone. Andersen continued to touch the subject in his letters to Edvard Collin, so in a letter dated August 11, 1837, in letters of 1st and 17th of November 1840, and also in the following letters: July 2, 1844, April 26, 1846 by Edvard responded to the letter of May 15, 1846. Andersen again toched the thou-story in a letter to Collin of August 25, 1846 and in the letter of June 27, 1847, the latter quoted earlier above.

Many things had happened to the Andersen in that period of time as the above mentioned letters spans. First of all, he had been quite productive as a writer and eventually got published numerous poems, several novels, dramatic works and vaudevilles, and - not least – his debut as a writer of fairy tales, and published several fairy tale booklets and later on fairy tale books. Then the two hapless double- infatuation stories: the one with Christian Voigt and his sister RiborgVoigt, and the other with Edvard Collin and his sister Louise Collin. In addition Andersen's little special infatuation with singer Jenny Lind, a history of its own. But all three were important for Andersen and his future poetry. The same was the case with the thou-story, which pursued him all the way into the late age, which may be seen by a letter concept of October 3, 1865 to Mrs Henriette Collin, Edward Collin’s wife. Andersen stayed then in Stockholm, where for example, there was given a great dinner party for him by the poet Beskow. On this subject, Andersen wrote among others, the following:

When I sixteen years [ago] were last here, said the old highranking gentleman with the many orders on [the poet Beskow], Andersen, we must say thou to each other, I was further embarrassed, but had to agree. I had a fear for this, You know that Your husband refused me when I in youthful affection for him prayed for it, and then I saw it as a lifetime moment! he would not, but drank at the same time thou with the very reputable broker Wanscher, I have never forgotten it - that I even now still write it down, should flatter him; just tonight I have come to think of it, in the sense that Beskov put in his and my fraternal relationship and how much different is it between Your husband and me, although we do not say thou. He is so dear to me yet, as when I in him saw a son of the mighty Collin and I was the poor Andersen they all dared to kick, spit on! Why am I now writing this! and to You, as I did not want to say anything unkind to You I honor and esteem highly! but when I am lifted really high, carried up between men to notice, then comes the past so strange forward, until I feel where nothing I am without God, but I feel also how often that people not here will recognize God's grace for me, and then it flares up in me. - A quite exquisite circle had Beskov gathered together today ... (Note 25)

Equally interesting in the whole context is that Edvard Collin in his reply letter dated July 3, 1847 did not comment on Andersen's comments about "The Shadow" with so much as a word. He focused instead on the first manuscript sheet to the verse drama "Ahasverus" as Andersen recently had written and left him for review and Edvard predominantly liked, but with a few criticisms. But what Edvard apparently neglected, it caught up with his dear wife, Jette Collin, who always had a warm, almost sisterly sympathy for the distinctive poet, who liked to call himself a "brother", though he actually never really achieved this status of the Collin family. Even though family father, Jonas Collin, occasionally expressed himself that the lonely migratory bird Andersen felt as though he had especially at home in the Collin family, "Home of Homes," as he called it in his dedication in his novel "The Improviser", 1835. (Note 26)

But as I said, Jette Collin showed regard for Andersen feelings, as she made a comment on his fairy tale "The Shadow", but it was not until many years later, in a letter dated "Aalsgaard 21st Septbr. 1869 ", in which she writes:

I have the great pleasure reading what Brandes wrote about You in the Illustrated Journal, and might want to talk to him about it if I also wanted to talk to him, what I however do not want - He is a wonderful gifted and creepy man, it's like an angel and a devil fought for him, when the angel reigns I get an almost motherly feelings for him, but when the devil sits on the throne I get upset by the things he can say. - What he wrote about your adventure "The Shadow" was delighted special, I have always found it excellent and it's never been appreciated on merit - (Note 27)

But to be in the biographical or autobiographical, so it is quite natural that Andersen let the adventure "The Shadow" initiate action in sunny Naples in Italy, which for him was identical with the primary objective for his longing to go abroad and his desire for travelling. Here he was, when he was then 28-29 years, already during his first big Italy Travel in 1833-34 experienced a spiritual breakthrough, probably a large cosmic glimpse, which confirmed him in that life or life itself is the greater, divine fairy tale in which we live and participate in. But this experience and perception can be difficult to maintain in everyday life, not least because the reductionism of material experience continues to apply, which can be interpreted as the "shadow" more or less taken over or usurped power over the individual or personality. And when The Shadow first has captured the personality, so that you believe in or can not see through its in reality false material values, then the individual becomes a prisoner or a shadow of itself. Thus runs the shadow of with the victory and marries "the princess", which means that shadow, naturalism or realism in poetry, gets access and foothold even in the highest circles of intellectual life and society. Thus matter has triumphed over and in a way dethroned or reduced spirit to be his companion. Or to talk scientifically, the spirit is reduced to be an accompanying phenomenon of the physical matter, and as such subject to the physical and chemical laws and forces. As we have seen in other articles on this website, so was the schism between spirit and matter just a recurring problematic issue in Andersen's philosophy of life and in his writing.

At the individual or personal level, it is my opinion or interpretation of the fairy tale "The Shadow" that in and of its action primarily is a quirky interplay between Andersen and Edvard Collin, respectively, between the learned man and the shadow. Edvard Collin was in the family (see Rigmor Stampe) well known as an excellent and competent occasional poet, and in particular of the more cheerful and more satirical poems, aa the non-literary family members and friends admired and applauded. To a certain disappointment for Andersen, who felt - and knew - that he was considerably more poet than his well-meaning and skilful writer-friend who had only been visiting 'poetry’s antechamber'. The background is that the Shadow has tried to find out what was hidden behind the veil of the opposite house, from which the learned man (Andersen) a night had seen a breathtaking sight:

One night woke the stranger, he slept for open balcony door, the curtain in front of rose in the wind, and he thought that was a strange brilliance from the opposite balcony, all the flowers shone like flames in the most beautiful colors, and in between the flowers stood a slender, adorable virgin, it was as if she also shone; it cut him really in the eyes, he opened them too terribly much up and came straight out of sleep, in one leap he was on the floor, softly he came behind the curtain, but the maid was gone, the gloss was gone, the flowers shone not at all, but was very good, as always; the door was ajar, and deep inside sounded music, soft and beautiful, one could almost fall into sweet thoughts. It was like a magic and who lived there? Where was the actual entrance? The entire ground floor was shopping shopping store by shopping store, and there people could not always be passing through. (Note 28)

How can the content of this quote now be interpreted? - Yes, as if the stranger, the learned man (poet Andersen) have experienced a glimpse of intuition or inspiration, which, however, was lost when he would study the phenomenon in detail. From one of the great architects, Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll (1800-56), part of the Collin family circle, was known an expression when something was missing simplicity, originality and spontaneity: "Virgo missing!" This term, Andersen apparently thought was a good concept of the spontaneity of intuition and inspiration glimpse, why he allowed himself to use it, knowing that at least some of the Collin family would recognize it.

However, The Shadow was also curious to know what is hiding behind the balcony door and ante-room of the opposite house, and by mutual agreement The Shadow dared indeed to go over and inside. But The Shadow took the opportunity to make himself invisible, and turned not immediately back, but was, and remained away. A shadow has also the weakness that it can not tolerate light, because thereby it disappear, so to speak by itself. As the shadow thus was not immediately apparent, the learned man lost patience and therefore he left and returned to his home in the chilly North and began subsequent to write "books about what was true in the world and what was good and what was beautiful, and it took days and it took years, it took many years." With inspiration or visits of “the virgin" or "muse" it was so and so. He had to study and think about the big questions of life, to be able to write about them, but even if he had the ability to express themselves in wise words and phrases, so lacked the personal experience and comprehension, which should give poetry nerve and vigor.

Several years later, when the learned man were sitting at home in his cozy living room and thought about life and people, as he wanted to write something wise and good about, a night it suddenly and unexpectedly was knocking at his door:

"Come in," he says, but no one came, He opened the door and there stood before him an extraordinarily lean man, so he was quite weird. For the rest was the man very well dressed, and looked like a gentleman.

"Whom have I the honor of speaking to?" Said the learne man.

"Yes, I thought so!" said the gentleman, "You do not know me! I have so much body, I've got proper condition and clothing. You have probably never expected to see me in such a condition. Do You not recognize your old shadow? Yes You have not thought that I come home again. I have fared very well since I was last with You, I'm in all respects become very wealthy! should I buy my freedom from service, so can I!" and then he rattled with a very costly trinkets which hung by the clock, and he stuck his hand into the thick gold chain he wore around his neck, no, where all fingers sparkled with Diamond rings! and it was all real.

"No, I can not be myself," said the learned man, "what does all this mean?"

"Yes, something commonly it is not," said The Shadow, "but You are Yourself not to the general, and I know very well, has from childhood followed in Your footsteps. Once they found that I was mature enough to go out alone into the world, I went my own way, I am in the most brillant circumstances, but there was a kind of longing for me after sometime to see You before You die, You have to die! I would also like to see these places again, for there is always the fatherland. - I know You have got another shadow again, do I have something to pay for it or You? You will just be so good to say it. "

"No, it's really you!" Said the learned man, "it is very strange! Never had I imagined that one's old shadow could become a man! "(Note 29)

But the scholar dismisses The Shadow's offer and would much rather know what Shadow had seen over at neighbor opposite in the hot southern country Italy, as for the learned man alias Andersen was identical with the source of inspiration and life joy, and he therefore question his former companion out for the further details:

"Yes, I will tell You," said The Shadow and sat down, "but then You must promise me that You never to anyone in this town, where You may meet me, saying that I have been your shadow! I intend to get married, for I can feed more than one family! "-

"Never fear," said the learned man, "I will not tell anyone who you really are, here's my hand! I promise and a man a word! "

"A word is a shadow!" said The Shadow, and thus it might have to say. (Note 30)

In terms of skills as a writer, one must probably be allowed to say that Edvard Collin stood in the shadow of Andersen, which he Collin, as also with time itself was quite aware. It is also a bit of a mischievous ingenuity when Andersen leaves The Shadow to ask the learned man not to tell anyone that it has been his shadow or "mimic". It has probably also amused Andersen, letting the learned man say "You" to the Shadow in “The fairy tale The Shadow", because he could not free himself to think that the form of address "You" was a little ridiculous between men even of the same age who for so many years and from the time of youth had been close to each other, both personally and in co-operation, as was the case between him and Edvard Collin. But The Shadow - which we then read as an alias Edvard Collin - is eager to tell Andersen, who lived in the inner chambers of the opposite house, understood to tell him what poetry is:

"Do You know who lived in the neighbor's house?" said The Shadow, "it was the most beautiful of all, it was Poetry itself! I was there for three weeks and it is just acting as if you lived for three thousand years and read everything that was written and told, for I say and it is true. I've seen everything and I know everything.

"Poetry!" cried the learned man! "Yes, yes - she is often hermit in the big cities! Poetry! yes I've seen her a very short moment, but sleep weighed down my eyes! She stood on the balcony and shone like the Northern Lights shine! Tell me, you were on the balcony, you walked in the door and then -! "

"Then I went into the ante-room," said The Shadow. "You always sat opposite to the ante-room. There was no light, there was a sort of twilight, but one door was open in front of the other in a variety of rooms and halls and there was lit up, I would have been killed by the light, if I had approached too near the Virgo, but I was sober-minded, I gave myself time and it must be done! "

"And what did you see?" asked the learned man.

"I saw everything, and I will tell You this, but - it is no pride of me, but - as free and with the knowledge I have, not to mention my good position, my excellent circumstances - so I wanted like You would say You to me! "

"I beg your pardon!" said the learned man, "it is an old habit that stuck! - You are quite right! and I will remember it! But now tell me everything You saw! "- (Note 31)

So what did the Shadow see as it was in the neighbor's mysterious house? Well, it saw everything says it, but it was in the ante-room, where there was twilight, as it like could hide in. "[...] I saw everything and I know everything! I have been in poetry court’s ante-room." Shadow continues with a lengthy discussion of what it looked over in poetry’s antechamber, and that there came to the realization of its own innate inner nature, which it believes is related to poetry, the dark softly said and unclear thought. Shadow was human, but without the attributes that make humans human, namely the "human-varnish" in the form of everyday culture that makes a man is known. Shadow saw what no man may see and know, but every so wanted to know: the shadow sides with men, what gossip and slander featured: imperfection, amoral, narrow-mindedness, indelicacy, meanness, etc. "It is a bad world! I would not be human if it now were not even considered that it was something to be it! "

"- And so I became the man I am! and now I say goodbye, here's my card, I live on the sunny side and is always at home in the rain! "and then went the Shadow. (Note 32)

And there was then some time before the Shadow came back again. It happened suddenly and unexpectedly, since there one evening was a knock on the learned man's door and it turned out to his surprise that the visitor was his former shadow that had come to honor and dignity, so that this therefore now leads the confidently forward as a wealthy man who even going to marry another rich princess.

"Listen, my friend," said the Shadow to the learned man, "now that I am as happy and as powerful as any can be, and I will do anything particularly for you! You must always stay with me at the palace, drive with me in my royal carriage, and have a hundred thousand dollars a year, but you must let you call the shadow by one and all, you must not say that you have ever been human, and even once a year when I sit on the balcony in the sunshine and let me see, you must lie at my feet, like a shadow to be, I can tell you, I marry the princess! tonight wedding will be hold."

"No, that is too bad," said the learned man, "I will not, I do not, it is to deceive the whole country and the princess with! I say everything! I am man, and you are shade, you're just dressed! "

"Nobody would believe you," said the the shadow, "be reasonable, or I'll call the guards"

"I go straight to the princess," said the learned man.

"But I go before," said the Shadow, "and you go to prison" - and that he had, for the sentries, they obeyed him, as they knew the princess would have." (Note 33)

It just quoted piece of text I read in this way, while Andersen, who in the meantime had gone home to his home in the chilly Denmark, continued its not always inspired - and, moreover, not always rewarding - poet deed to write about the true, the good and the beautiful in life, or in short, about life's own adventure or fairy tale, then continued Edvard Collin his professional career as a successful official and industrious and happy occasional poet, who without major difficulties and problems wrote about large and small events in the Collin family circle during for him probably the unconscious motto "We and the world". Edvard Collin does not seem to have had existential problems and asked no questions of life or life itself. His life and worldview was the close little world perspective, the one who only unwillingly or reluctantly went beyond the ramparts Copenhagen. The Collin family was not employed for the category of locals who traveled much, and certainly not to the big abroad. But as skilled knew Edvard Collin, of course, that there was a bigger world outside, but it belonged to the vacation trips or vistis to a health resort and came as no real daily life by. This position or attitude were shared broadly by the leading cultural and social establishment, which therefore seemed that a cheerful and enjoyable poetry à la Edvard Collin’s were both readily understandable and commendable, while they found Andersen's work convoluted, rambling and unrelated to the real world. In addition Andersen was critizised for wanting to apply to be a greater poet than many other contemporary and very distinguished and esteemed poets. He would be master and was only a shadow compared to the really big: Oehlenschlæger, Heiberg, Hertz and Hauch and others they thought. In this way, tried the good citizenship to keep Andersen as 'catch' in the small world environment, and a time it almost seems as if the establishment had convicted him out and killed him. (Note 34)

In Andersen's case, the situation was also on that when he was traveling - which frequently happened - he was therefore obviously temporarily away from Edvard Collin and his sensible and mundane little world, why his poetic and altruistic life and world view was not challenged to the same extent as was the case in the approximate daily private manners, as the two friends in periods had with each other. But at the same time, Andersen also found it to be a shortage when he or Collin was away, because then he felt only as a half-human, or - to be in the fairy-tale context - as a man without a shadow. Both situations had influence on Andersen's mood as well as on his creative inspirations.

Poetry has many forms ("rooms and halls") and occurs both in the strict literary poetry and prose, the latter example in several of Andersen's fairy tales. Poetrys "antechamber" I interpret as an expression of the versified occasional poetry, as Edvard Collin allegedly was a ferment champion in. He was cautious and took his time to poetry and shape its verses, while Andersen often wrote his ideas rapidly in a feverish intoxication of intuition and inspiration. It is with "an old habit that stuck!" was a reproach or reprimand, as Andersen was regularly exposed to in the Collin family circle.

The adventure "The Shadow" is actually belonging to the ranks of Andersen's life pessimistic fairy tales, precisely because it ends with the shadow becomes human and the human becomes shadow, which means that man with his spirit and soul is reduced to being just a product of physico-chemical forces and laws. With that the people in power has succeeded in the form of the Shadow (the materialistic life and world view) and the princess (the leading community) to take the life out of man (the learned man). Therefore it is a scathing satire when Andersen is ending the fairy tale "The Shadow" with the following conversation between "the married couple": The Shadow and the princess:

"I have experienced the deadly, that can happen," said the shadow, "Think you - yes such a poor shadow brain can not hold much; - think you, my shadow has become mad, he thinks he is human and that I - think you just - that I am his shadow! "

"It's terrible," said the princess, "is he locked up?"

"It is he! I'm afraid he will never recover. "

"Poor shadow," said the princess, "he is very unhappy, it's a good deed to free him from the little life he has, and when I really think about it, I think it is necessary that it be done of him quietly! "

"It is really hard," said the Shadow, for he was a faithful servant! "And he pretended to sigh.

"You are a noble character," said the princess.

In the evening the whole town was illuminated, and cannons fired bum! and the soldiers presented arms. It was a wedding! The princess and the shadow went out on the balcony to show themselves, and receive one more Hurrah!

The learned man heard nothing of all this, for he had they already killed. - (Note 35)

But although Andersen often thought of death, and not least his own, he was however not really easy to kill, because he overcame his existential crisis and came time and time strong again, both as a person and as a poet and writer. At this time said he had yet to get to experience what might be called his second great spiritual rebirth, which took place about twenty years later and with his Spanish-trip in the spring and summer of 1863. This travel and spiritual rebirth will be discussed in another context.

4th significance level: the cosmic dimension

But it has long been clear to the reader, then Andersen's work - and, not least his fairy tales - also experienced and interpreted in the dimension that I refer to as the fourth significance level or the cosmic dimension. This is also very much the case with a fairy tales as "The Shadow". It should be pointed out that the source of poetry or inspiration also has many "rooms and halls", or to speak psychologically, besides occational poetry’s "antechamber", it has more depth in the form of the personal unconscious, which, among other things, the individual archive of personal gold copy memories that can be accessed via memory ability, and the collective unconscious, which Martinus describes as "the ocean of wisdom" with an immense fund of universal gold copy memories, which can only be accessed via the faculty of intuition. And how it relates to those two skills, you will be able to ascertain, for example. reading the articles, which are referred to in the note. (Note 36)

Against the background of Martinus' cosmic analyzes is my interpretation of the term "the shadow" that this represents the outer, false and in a sense illusory physical self (the ego and the psycho-physical body), which have taken power over the materialistic focussing human, while the real self is the eternal I and the associated over-consciousness of which man later in development reaches the recognition. In this context, the learned man that is partly a reflection of the eternal or real self, and also the over-consciousness, and the shadow reflects the transient part of the self: The ego and the psycho-physical body, which indeed together form one unit, and also in this case also is an expression of male sexual pole. Whereas poetry’s Virgin, who lives and live in the mysterious hiding (the unconscious or more precisely: the over-conscious), can be seen as an expression of the slowly awakening feminine pole, as the single poled ego is unable to come in closer contact with, why intuition and inspiration are absent in the superego (the learned man). The single poled individual tolerates simply not that the mind for long periods of time comes in the high vibrations or oscillations, as the source of intuition vibrates in. Therefore it is said in the fairy tale that thr maiden shone so that it hurt his eyes.

The situation, however, is that intuition as well as the inspiration may occasionally occur in spontaneous glimpses, during which the individual to some extent is experiencing its cohesion with the divine omnipresent, and feel an overall sense of coherence in life. Opposite is the individual in periods without these 'glimpses', referred to rely on its everyday self or 'shadow', and feel more or less lost, as the case also is with the learned man in the fairy tale.

This is according to Martinus with the individual concerned the fact that in this case the male sexual pole - simply because that the principal character in the fairy-tale is male, - have no skills or powers to get acquainted with its opposite, the feminine sexual pole, and since such contact, also according to Martinus, is a prerequisite for the function of intuition can be operated and inspiration thus join, the masculine pole (the learned man) is excluded and thus the related organism: the ego and the psychophysical organism (the Shadow), from a deeper experience and cognitive experience. One of its consequences is that the individual entangles himself ever deeper towards a materialistic, atheistic and anti-spiritual life and world view, as in the fairy tale "The Shadow" is demonstrated by the fact that the false self, the ego (the Shadow), gradually get more and more power later to 'marry' with the leading higher authorities (the princess and her court), and eventually completely take over control of the kingdom (the consciousness). Thus, the higher self (the learned man) has been allocated, yes, downright sidelined, as well can he expressed, as happens at the end of the fairy tale, that "he had already been killed." Martinus also defines such a situation as, "to die death", which means die "the cosmic death", or die the death, which would be the consequence of Adam and Eve's transgression of God's command not to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. (Note 37)

It may be concluded that the fairy tale "The Shadow" only tells half the real story, namely just about the cosmic "fall of man" but not about the cosmic 'return' or 'rebirth' as Andersen, however, and in different ways had talked about earlier, both in his poems, stories and novels, and especially later in his long writing career, which together lasted from 1821 up to and including the year of his death, 1875. (Note 38)

Of course one can rightly ask about Hans Christian Andersen now even - consciously or unconsciously - have put such ideas and thoughts presented above, into the fairy tale "The Shadow", but the answer must be that he has in all likelihood, though of course he operated with other concepts and terms than the above. He knew for all the good reasons not to Martinus' cosmology, but firstly this on a number of key areas related to for instance such as H.C. Ørsted’s natural philosophy, and partly did Andersen excellently know the sexual polprincip, such as this has been exposed for instance in classical Greek mythology and philosophy. Which is also shown by several of my previous articles on this website. (Note 39)

But Martinus 'employee and secretary since 1942, Mogens Møller (1914-80), has also on the basis of Martinus' cosmic analyzes written about H.C. Andersen and his fairy tale "The Shadow". It happens in the article "A human shadow play", printed in Contact Letter No 13-1963. The article gives a nice characterization of the poet as well as an excellent analysis of that fairy tale. Mogens Møller talk in the article about all the forces who leads a shadowy existence in our minds, and that can break loose and become the master of us and in this connection he points especially on the concept Martinus describes as "devil consciousness" that is, say the diabolical forces in our own minds, which cleaves our consciousness between the life-giving and the killing principle. Where the deadly forces in the wider sense will prevail, there is the "shadow" master. Here, allow me to quote the following text in Mogens Møller's article, which I think, both as a whole and in detail supports my own analysis of the fairy tale "The Shadow":

[...] In the materialism era of "cultural crisis", "humanism crisis" and all the private nervous crises, with industrialism and technical power over the minds of the entire civilized humanity actually has given its "shadow" free and is now about to discover that it takes power and makes it human, "the good, the true and the beautiful" to a shadow. Man has become so materialistic that identifies itself with matter and believe it is only a body whose mental life is just chemical reactions. They think like the shadow of Andersen's fairy tale that, because they one time have stayed in "poetry’s antechamber", know everything and have seen everything. Poetry is an expression of the spirit and the ante-room of the superficial and external, and poetry as "virgin" is an intuitive glimpse of the learned and sensitive man's feminine pole, everything which is hidden from men when it is seated comfortably on the welfare state balcony, while the shade, "the devil consciousness," free themselves and transform the world into a materialistic accentuated dictatorship, whether it is capitalist or communist. The humane, the human nature has become a "shadow". "(Note 40)

In this respect of Martinus' concept of "shadow", see also eg. article "The innermost feelings and mission of the highest Fire ", which include states: "The highest fire is the force behind the creation of light and shadow." (Note 41)

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Notes and sources:

Note 1: Dal and Nielsen II, p 129.

Note 2: Same place, p 130-131.

Note 3: Same place, p 133-134.

Note 4: Same place, p 134-135.

Note 5: Same place, p 135-136. Re. the prosaic man's relation to poetry: see for example the article “Thoughts about a waste paper - on Hans Christian Andersen's first book "Youthful Attempts"

Note 6: Same place, p 138-139.

Note 7: Same place, p 139-140.

Note 8: See, for example. article "Psyche" - Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale about the relationship between art and reality.

Note 9: Re. ego and alter ego: see eg. article “The concept of personality - historical, psychological and cosmological terms”.

Note 10: CG Jung, Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) - Re. a depth psychological interpretation of the fairy tale "The Shadow", see eg. Eigil Nyborg: The inner line of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale. A psychological study. Gyldendal. Copenhagen 1962. see especially pp. 64-67. - See, for example. also the article the concept of personality - historical, psychological and cosmological terms. - See also. also “Hans Christian Andersen's sexuality - the poet Hans Christian Andersen's sexual orientation in the context of Martinus' cosmology”.

Note 11: The Fellowship "Will-o'-the wisp is in the town, said Marsh Woman", see Dal and Nielsen IV, p 183-194.

Note 12: See, for example. article “The wisdom of our Time - about HCA.s views on science reductionism”.

Note 13: See, for example. article “Brain and personality - of brain researchers and neuropsykologers perception of the human personality”.

Note 14: See, for example. article “Poetry and science - the relationship between the poet H.C. Andersen and scientist H.C. Ørsted”.

Note 15: MLE I, p 264 - The Toledo street is Naples's main street. –

Note 16: - Diaries: Hans Christian Andersen's diaries I-XL Published by The Society of Danish Language and Literature, led by Kari Olsen and H.Topsøe-Jensen. Gad Publisher. Copenhagen 19? -77. - Almanacs: Hans Christian Andersen's Almanacs from 1833 to 1873. Published by Helga Vang Lauridsen and Kirsten Weber. The Society of Danish Language and Literature. Gad Publisher. Copenhagen 1990. - Mrs von der Maase: Olivia von der Maase, born Colbjørnsen (1795-1877), daughter of Engelke Colbjørnsen, born Falbe (1763 to 1848), married in 1825 with Major and Lord Chamberlain Frederik von der Maase (1800 - 66). - Ørsted: The Ørsted family consisted primarily of physicist and natural philosopher Hans Christian Ørsted (1777-1851) and his wife Birgitte Ørsted, born Ballun (1789-1875) and his sons Anders Sandoe Ørsted (1826-1905), Nicolai Ørsted (1829 -1900) and the twin Niels Christian Ørsted (1816-49), and the daughters, the twin Maria Ørsted (1816-50), Sophie Ørsted (1821-89) and Mathilde Ørsted (1824-1906).

Note 17: H.Topsøe-Jensen: The Shadow by Hans Christian Andersen. Comments on The Shadow, p 26. Nordlunde Printing Office. Copenhagen 1958. - Composer I.P.E. Hartmann: (1805-1900) - Margrethe Christiane Zinn, for Oldeland (1784-1857), widow of Agent Johann Friederich Zinn (1779-1838) - Ernst Weis (1807-73), assessor (judge), co-founder of The Music Society.

Note 18: Hans Christian Andersen: “Shadow Pictures of a journey to the Harz, the Saxon Switzerland, etc., etc., in the summer of 1831. Illustrated by Henrik Bloch. With a Postscript by H.Topsøe-Jensen. Nordlunde Printing Office. Copenhagen 1968. - "Walking Tour": Hans Christian Andersen: “Walking Tour from Holmen's Canal to the Eastern Point of Amager in the Years 1828 and 1829”. Text Version, Postscript and Notes by Johan de Mylius. Danish Classics. The The Society of Danish Language and Literature. Borgen Publishers 1986. - The seeds of the fairy tale "The Shadow" is already in the "Walking Tour", 10th chapter, in which Andersen puts its shadow in the mortgage for the loan of the eternal wandering Ahasuerus' magic boots. - The fairy tale "The Ghost": Dal and Nielsen I, pp. 189-209. In 1835 Andersen rewrote the fairy tale and called it "The Traveling Companion": Dal and Nielsen I, pp. 33-36. See also. Article “The Traveling Companion - Hans Christian Andersen and death (Part 1)”. The tales "The Ghost" and "The Traveling Companion" will later be specially treated here in 5^th part of The main section.

Note 19: BEC II, letter No. 196, p 141. See also H.Topsøe-Jensen: "Comments on The Shadow". Nordlunde Printing Office. Copenhagen 1958. (About the fairy-tale’s origins). - Eduard: From about November 1831 Andersen began to spell Edvard as Eduard, probably because this spelling seemed Italian-like. Previously, the print on Andersen's letters to Edvard Collin was "Dear Collin" or "Dear Friend". - "A modest beast": Edvard's older sister, Ingeborg Collin, allowed herself a special freedom of speech against Andersen, who did not felt offended by it when it came from her. - 'Deputies' = débuted.

Note 20: Dal and Nielsen II, pp. 129-140. That passage is a powerful satire - or rather a literary 'revenge' – on Edvard’s refusal to be familiar with Andersen. See E. Collin’s reply of May 28, 1831 in BEC I, pp. 73-75, and the note thereto. - "Play Diogenes when I am Alexander" refers to when the Greek philosopher Diogenes one day sat and took a sun bath, Alexander the Great arrived and stood before him and shaded hence the sunlight. Alexander asked Diogenes to make a wish that, if possible, would be fulfilled, after which Diogenes replied: "Go away from the light for me!", Popularly expressed in the words: "Go away shade and let the sun shine".

Note 21: BEC I, letter No. 27, p 69.

Note 22: BEC I, letter No. 28, p.75 - A Sonderling = an eccentric.

Note 23: BEC In Letter No. 29, page 79. - Freund: Johan Frederik Freund (1785-1857), Royal. Coin Master in Altona, Councillor of State.

Note 24: BEJ I, letter No. 35, p 98-99. - Re. H.C.Andersen’s sexual disposition, see eg. Articles 3.20. "My half womanliness" - Hans Christian Andersen and sexuality (1st part) and 3.21. The cosmic adventure - Hans Christian Andersen and sexuality (part 2)

Note 25: BEC IV, letter No. 821, p 341-42. - Poet Beskov: Bernhard von Beskow (1796-1868), Swhedis poet, Baron, Lord Chamberlain, Chamberlain and the Swedish Academy secretary. - Stationer Wanscher: Wilhelm Wanscher (1802-1882), stationer and wholesaler.

Note 26: - verse drama "Ahasverus": Ahasverus of Hans Christian Andersen. Came out December 16, 1847 on C. A. Reitzel Publisher. The piece is reprinted in Coll Skr. XI, Second Edition, p 549 - Jette Collin: Henriette Oline Collin, for Thyberg (1813-94), married in 1836 with Edvard Collin. - Family man, Jonas Collin, Jonas Collin, the Elder (1776-1861), Member of the Department of Finance 1816-48, Director of the Royal Danish Theatre 1821-29 and 1842-49; titular councillor of state 1815 Councillor in 1829, Privy Councillor in 1847. - Novel "Improvisatore": Original novel in two parts by H.C. Andersen. First and Second Part published April 9, 1835 on C.A.Reitzels Publishers. Reprinted in R & R I, Gyldendal 1943.

Note 27: BEC IV, p 91-92, and note thereto. – In the last paragraph of his treatise, which is published in the Illustrated Journal No. 513, p. 375, Georg Brandes writes on the fairy tale "The Shadow": "I do not hesitate to call it one of the greatest masterpieces of our literature." In an editorial in 1899 directed Brandes word "greatest" to "truest". In 1870 Brandes published the thesis "Criticisms and Portraits," which also had a literary portrait of Hans Christian Andersen. The dissertation is reprinted in Georg Brandes: "Portraits of Danish Poets". Published witn an Afterword by Sven Møller Kristensen. Gyldendals Library. Volume 17, Gyldendal 1964.

Note 28: Dal and Nielsen II, pp. 130-131. - Re. the relationship between Hans Christian Andersen and Edvard Collin, see Rigmor Stampe: Hans Christian Andersen and his closest Circle. Published by H. Aschehoug & Co., Copenhagen 1918.

Note 29: Same place, p 132-133.

Note 30: Same place, page 133 - The term "a man a word!" Implies that the real man always keeps his promises. But the phrase "a man a shadow" must mean that the promise has no meaning if not there is experience and learning behind the word or words.

Note 31: Same place, pp. 133-134.

Note 32: Same place, p 135.

Note 33: Same place, p 139.

Note 34: See the autobiographical fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling ", 1843, in which Edvard appear in the guise of the old peasant wife's cat, called “Little Son”. And the cat said," Can you shoot back, spin and sparkle?" - "No." - "Well, then you should not have an opinion when sensible people are talking!" The Farmer's wife also have a hen named "Cock-a-doodle short legs" and the wife kept much of because it laid eggs. This hen is an unmistakable caricature of two important people in Andersen's life, Mrs. Wulff and Ingeborg Drewsen, born Collin. It was a pair of well-meaning ladies who dare to tell him what they thought were truths about him.

And the duckling sat in the corner and was in a bad mood, when it came to mind the fresh air and sunshine! it was such a strange desire to float on water, finally could not help it, it may tell the chicken.

"What's the matter with you," she asked. "You have nothing to do, therefore you have foolish fancies you! Add eggs and spin, they would pass away."

"But it's so nice to float on water," said the duckling, "so nice to get it over ones head and dive down to the bottom!"

"Yes, that's probably a great pleasure," said the hen. "You must be crazy! Ask the cat, he's the smartest guy I know, if he likes to float on the water or dive in! I will not talk about me. - Ask our mistress, the old woman, smarter than she is nobody in the world! Do you think she would like to swim and get water over her head?" (Dal and Nielsen II, pp. 30-38)

Note 35: Same place, pp. 139-140.

Note 36: Re. the two faculties: the intellect and the intuition, see eg. following sections on this website: H1-30. The I’s eternal resources of energy - On the basic cosmic energies, and H1-31. The combinations of the basic cosmic energies – about the combinations of basic cosmic energies.

Note 37: Re. the concept of "false self", see eg. 3.31. The false perspective - the physical organism as a false center, and concerning. the cosmic dead: 3.30. "The cosmic death" - or "cosmic unconsciousness" - a prelude to the new article on the fairy tale "The Snow Queen". A story about what Martinus describes as "the sexual poleprinciple" and "the sexual pole transformation". 3.32. A cosmic adventure - the fairy tale "The Snow Queen" (Part 1). 3.06. "To be or not to be" - Hans Christian Andersen's views of materialism. – 3.29. The real Nightingale - about spiritualism versus materialism. The fairy tale "The Nightingale" seen in the cosmic perspective.

Note 38: Examples of Andersen's understanding of "The Fall of Man", "reappearance" and "rebirth": 3.10. Mud and Sunbeam - An attempted cosmic interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Marsh King's Daughter", 3.11. “The fairy tale " The Tinderbox" - seen and evaluated in four basic interpretative levels. 3.26. The Traveling Companion - Hans Christian Andersen and Death (Part 1) – 3.27. On the last day! - Hans Christian Andersen and Death (Part 2) – 3.28. In the kingdom of God - Hans Christian Andersen and Death (Part 3)

Note 39: Examples of Hans Christian Andersen's concept of "the sexual polprinciple" and "pole transformation": 3.20. "My half-womanliness" - Hans Christian Andersen and sexuality (Part 1) – 3.21. The cosmic adventure - Hans Christian Andersen and sexuality (part 2), - 3.15. The Mystery of Life and Child Mind - on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" – 3.22. Hans Christian Andersen's sexual orientation - considerations about what to write about sexuality and homosexuality and bisexuality.

Note 40: Mogens Møller: A human shadow play. Contact Letter NO. 13-1963, page 4

Note 41: See the journal KOSMOS No. 6-2007.

© 2010 Harry Rasmussen. 2013 Translated into English by the Author.

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