his novel, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, Novalis tells of the burning out of the Sun, the burning out of the Enlightenment. The Scribe has led a household revolt and burns the Mother at the stake; he does not anticipate the blaze getting out of hand. I think that here, Mother is the Church; as you observed about Art in a recent post, when not nested within a higher purpose, Science cannot do its work. Without the insight of the Mother as to the purpose of the household as a whole, the work of the Scribe is self-defeating. In the story, the little girl, Fable, is able to overcome the Fates, bring about the marriage of Love and Wisdom, and gather the ashes of Mother for all to drink…
It does seem like the day is about to end and that night is nearly upon us.
My sense as well… In
his novel, Heinrich von Ofterdingen, Novalis tells of the burning out of the Sun, the burning out of the Enlightenment. The Scribe has led a household revolt and burns the Mother at the stake; he does not anticipate the blaze getting out of hand. I think that here, Mother is the Church; as you observed about Art in a recent post, when not nested within a higher purpose, Science cannot do its work. Without the insight of the Mother as to the purpose of the household as a whole, the work of the Scribe is self-defeating. In the story, the little girl, Fable, is able to overcome the Fates, bring about the marriage of Love and Wisdom, and gather the ashes of Mother for all to drink…