The Amber Witch

By Wilhelm Meinhold

Book Overview

The Amber Witch is a gothic novel written by William Meinhold and first published in 1839. The story is set in seventeenth-century Pomerania, a region in present-day Germany, and revolves around the trial and execution of a young woman named Maria Schweidler, who is accused of witchcraft. The novel is presented as a historical document, supposedly written by a pastor who witnessed the events and later discovered Maria's diary.The story begins with Maria's idyllic childhood in the small village of Coserow, where she lives with her father, a respected amber craftsman. However, her peaceful life is disrupted when a group of soldiers arrive in the village and demand that her father give them a valuable amber relic. When he refuses, they accuse him of being a witch and arrest him. Maria is left alone and vulnerable, but she finds solace in the company of a young nobleman named Gustav, who becomes her friend and protector.As Maria grows up, she becomes a skilled amber worker herself and falls in love with Gustav. However, their happiness is short-lived when Maria is accused of using witchcraft to make a powerful nobleman fall in love with her. She is arrested and put on trial, and her diary is used as evidence against her. Despite Gustav's efforts to clear her name, Maria is found guilty and sentenced to death.The Amber Witch is a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and injustice, with vivid descriptions of the landscape, customs, and beliefs of seventeenth-century Pomerania. It is also a commentary on the dangers of superstition and the abuse of power, as well as a tribute to the resilience and courage of ordinary people in the face of adversity. The novel has been translated into many languages and adapted for stage and screen, and it remains a classic of German literature.When she now held her peace amid loud sobs, Dom. Consul started up after he had looked, as we all did, at the sheriff's nose, and had in truth espied the scar upon it, and cried out in amaze, ""Speak, for God His sake, speak, what is this that I hear of your lordship?"" Whereupon the sheriff, without changing colour, answered, that although, indeed, he was not called upon to say anything to their worships, seeing that he was the head of the court, and that Rea, as appeared from numberless indicia, was a wicked witch, and therefore could not bear witness against him or any one else; he, nevertheless, would speak, so as to give no cause of scandal to the court; that all the charges brought against him by this person were foul lies.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1162687673
• ISBN13: 9781162687674
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 150 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.5" x 9.3"