The Satanic Mill
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The Satanic Mill is a German novel by Otfried Preußler. It was first published in 1971 under the title Krabat.
The book deals primarily with Black Magic and the lure of evil. Other themes include friendship, love, and death.
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[edit] Plot summary
Set in the early 18th century, the story follows the life of Krabat, a 14-year old Wendish beggar boy. For three consecutive nights, he is called through a dream to a watermill near the village Schwarzkollm. Upon heeding the call and arriving at the mill, he begins his apprenticeship as a miller's man. He soon joins the secret brotherhood, composed of journeymen, and discovers that the skill he is meant to learn through this apprenticeship is Black Magic. Other peculiarities of this watermill include the lack of any outside visitors, including farmers who would have brought corn. The only visitor to the mill is one Goodman, who may be the devil.
Tonda, Krabat's best friend and older brother figure, dies ostensibly of an accident on New Year's Eve in Krabat's first year at the mill. Krabat's suspicions of foul play are further reinforced when another journeyman and friend, Michal, dies the following New Year's Eve. He soon realizes that the master is bound in a pact to the Goodman: the master must sacrifice one journeyman every year on New Year's Eve, in exchange for his powers.
Wishing to take revenge for his friends' death, Krabat secretly trains to increase his magical strength so he can fight the master. His quest is aided by a girl from the nearby village, whose name is never mentioned. Her task is to distinguish Krabat from the rest of the journeymen, all dressed identically and standing motionless in a lineup. Ultimately, she rescues Krabat from death, and they and the journeymen escape the mill. The master is left to die in the burning mill on New Year's Eve.
[edit] Characters
The characters of this novel provide a stark distinction between good and evil. Krabat, his love interest, Tonda, and Michal stand for the side of the good, whereas the master of the mill, the Goodman, the crows and the one journeyman who betrays his brothers stand for the bad. There are, however, a few journeymen who are indifferent or ambiguous to the ongoing struggle, and who neither support nor oppose the master.
[edit] Interpretation
Although the story is quite close to the original Wendish tale of Krabat that dates back to the 17th century, Preußler himself also considered it to tell the story of his generation (Preußler was born 1923): Of young people being fascinated by an evil power and of overcoming the will to join it. [1]
[edit] Animated film
The story was adapted into a 1977 Czech animated film, Čarodějův učeň (The Sorcerer's Apprentice), directed by Karel Zeman.
[edit] Live-Action movie
In October 2008, Marco Kreuzpaintner´s adaptation of Otfried Preußler´s book will be released in Germany first.
[edit] Music
The band ASP started with a musical version of the story, in 12 parts, in 2006.
[edit] Other books
Krabat is also the main character of three novels, written by the distinguished Sorbish writer Jurij Brězan, published in 1968, 1976, 1993.
