“Never did the heathendom fall out of the air, over vast stretches of time it had been carried on by the tradition of the peoples, yet finally it must be based on mysterious revelation, which equals the marvellous language, the creation and continuance of men.

The question has been raised in all seriousness, whether the gods have really been there. And I shudder at answering. Those who believe in the devil incarnate and in hell, those who burnt witches, may be inclined to answer Yes, because they hope to secure the wonders of the church through the proof of that wonder, which should be contained in overcoming the false gods as true enemies and fallen angels.

Because I found that its language, its right and its history were considered so low, I wanted to raise the father-land. The one task became the other, and what was of proof there, was of support here, what was a foundation here, served there as confirmation. Perhaps my books will achieve more in a quiet joyful time that will return; but still they should belong to the presence, which I cannot imagine without our past reflecting back on it, and on which the future would avenge any contempt of the past.

The aftermath of the ears of corn I bequeath on the one who, standing on my shoulders, will achieve after me the full success of the tillage and of the harvest of the great field.”

From the introduction to ”German Mythology” by Jakob Grimm,
which formed the basis of the book ”The Island of Happiness”.