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Berzelius, Jöns Jakob, Baron

(Encyclopedia)Berzelius, Jöns Jakob, Baron bərzēˈlēəs; Swed. yöns yäˈkôp bĕrsāˈlĭəs [key], 1779–1848, Swedish chemist, M.D. Univ. of Uppsala, 1802. He was noted for his work as teacher at the medic...

Cinderella

(Encyclopedia)Cinderella, heroine of one of the most famous folktales in the world. She is rescued from a life of drudgery by her fairy godmother and eventually marries a handsome prince. The story (dating back to ...

Grimmelshausen, Hans Jakob Christoffel von

(Encyclopedia)Grimmelshausen, Hans Jakob Christoffel von häns yäˈkôp krĭsˈtôfəl fən grĭmˈəlshouˌzən [key], 1625–76, German novelist. Impressed into the Thirty Years War at the age of 10, he educated...

folklore

(Encyclopedia)folklore, the body of customs, legends, beliefs, and superstitions passed on by oral tradition. It includes folk dances, folk songs, folk medicine (the use of magical charms and herbs), and folktales ...

Pied Piper of Hamelin

(Encyclopedia)Pied Piper of Hamelin, legendary figure of Hameln, Germany. He rid the town of its rats and mice by charming them away with his flute playing. When the citizens refused to pay him the price they had a...

Behmenites

(Encyclopedia)Behmenites: see Boehme, Jakob.

Verner, Karl Adolf

(Encyclopedia)Verner, Karl Adolf vûrˈnər, Dan. kärl äˈdôlf vĕrˈnər [key], 1846–96, Danish philologist. Verner was a librarian at the Univ. of Halle (now in E Germany) and a professor of Slavonic languag...

Bjerknes, Vilhelm Frimann Koren

(Encyclopedia)Bjerknes, Vilhelm Frimann Koren vĭlˈhĕlm frēˈmän kôˈrən byĕrkˈnĕs [key], 1862–1951, Norwegian physicist and pioneer in modern meteorology. He worked on applying hydrodynamic and thermody...

Crane, Walter

(Encyclopedia)Crane, Walter, 1845–1915, English designer, illustrator, and painter. As a painter he is grouped with the later Pre-Raphaelites, but he is better known for his illustrations of the works of Spenser ...

Brentano, Clemens

(Encyclopedia)Brentano, Clemens brĕntäˈnō [key], 1778–1842, German poet of the romantic school; brother of Bettina von Arnim (see under Arnim, Achim von). While studying at Halle and Jena he met Wieland, Herd...

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