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The Inquisition Unmasked: Being an Historical and Philosophical Account of That Tremendous Tribunal, Founded on Authentic Documents; and Exhibiting the Necessity of Its Suppression, as a Means of Reform and Regeneration, Written and Published at a Time Wh
This is a reproduction of the original artefact. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Since the original versions are generally quite old, there may occasionally be certain imperfections within these reproductions. We're happy to make these classics available again for future generations to enjoy!
482 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1915
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 5, 2025
This book has a very accurate title—so you should know from that whether it is of interest to you or not. I was curious about general Rhine lore due to the influence of Volsunga Saga and The Nibelungenlied, saw this for cheap at a used bookstore (Dover edition), and thought I’d give it a try.
And it definitely delivers Rhine lore. The aspect that caught me be surprise that I really appreciated is that the book is organized geographically, and Spence takes care to note it is meant to reflect the passage of sailing up the Rhine. So after the informative intro, it starts in the north and proceeds south towards the mountains. Some tales are better than others, but all are rooted in the actual location and the corresponding map helps you situate yourself if western German geography and the course of the Rhine aren’t your specialties. The book dates to 1915, so the language is a bit antiquated, which I found charming but could see how others might find it annoying. And the destruction of WW2 hadn’t happened yet, so there are references to architecture that are no longer accurate.
All in all though, a solid crash course in Rhine lore! Most people interested in the subject at a beginner’s level will find it worthwhile with certain exceptions for the caveats mentioned here.
And it definitely delivers Rhine lore. The aspect that caught me be surprise that I really appreciated is that the book is organized geographically, and Spence takes care to note it is meant to reflect the passage of sailing up the Rhine. So after the informative intro, it starts in the north and proceeds south towards the mountains. Some tales are better than others, but all are rooted in the actual location and the corresponding map helps you situate yourself if western German geography and the course of the Rhine aren’t your specialties. The book dates to 1915, so the language is a bit antiquated, which I found charming but could see how others might find it annoying. And the destruction of WW2 hadn’t happened yet, so there are references to architecture that are no longer accurate.
All in all though, a solid crash course in Rhine lore! Most people interested in the subject at a beginner’s level will find it worthwhile with certain exceptions for the caveats mentioned here.
September 26, 2017
Now that I am home from my Rhine River cruise I can say that this book of tales was a great preparation for my trip. Many of the stories in Spence's collection were referred to as I visited sites in western Germany.
As literature, however, I wasn't particularly excited about Hero Tales and Legends of the Rhine. Nearly every tale ended with everyone dying, the heroine locked up in a nunnery, or some dark magical transformation. For instance, in one story there are seven princesses who have balked at getting married, but they finally agree to have a big party where they will choose grooms from all the suitors in the kingdom. While the men are waiting for them to appear, however, the girls all head out to the Rhine and start rowing away on a boat. The men are distressed to see them escaping, but even more upset as they watch the boat capsize and all the women drown. This, by the way, is the origin of a group of 7 rocks poking out the top of the river.
Anyway, these legends give insight into the early Germanic peoples.
As literature, however, I wasn't particularly excited about Hero Tales and Legends of the Rhine. Nearly every tale ended with everyone dying, the heroine locked up in a nunnery, or some dark magical transformation. For instance, in one story there are seven princesses who have balked at getting married, but they finally agree to have a big party where they will choose grooms from all the suitors in the kingdom. While the men are waiting for them to appear, however, the girls all head out to the Rhine and start rowing away on a boat. The men are distressed to see them escaping, but even more upset as they watch the boat capsize and all the women drown. This, by the way, is the origin of a group of 7 rocks poking out the top of the river.
Anyway, these legends give insight into the early Germanic peoples.
August 21, 2019
This is a 1995 reprint of a work originally published in 1915. The basic arrangement of the book follows the course of a Rhine journey from north to south, treating tales and legends associated with towns, burgs, hills and churches along the way. I quite enjoyed the archaic diction employed in the telling of the tales (e.g. "Come hither at midnight, and at sunrise thy father shall be rich and honoured.") One thing I felt the lack of, though, was any mention of the provenance of the tales. You had often no notion if the tales were old and 'authentic' legends or recent concoctions. Maybe it's not fair to blame the author for not doing something he never intended to do, but it did detract a bit.
May 15, 2020
This book was surprisingly good. Mythology anthologies have a way of getting dull and those written before WW1 especially. However, this book was quite good for its category, entertaining and informative. Its a shame that this is probably the best English language book on German mythology and nothing comparative has been written in the last 100 years. The Nazis destroyed a beautiful German culture.
Read
June 13, 2019This is an interesting book. I enjoyed the first part better. I think this is a book better read a little at a time because of the many legends and fairy tales. They begin to run together after awhile. I do like that it is arranged geographically, and it will be a good reference when we do our Rhine River cruise.
February 23, 2021
Too dark
It may be old, but to me...It was way too dark. The writer must have second thoughts about the reason why he write it
It may be old, but to me...It was way too dark. The writer must have second thoughts about the reason why he write it
December 10, 2014
After I have been abroad I try to hold on to the experience as long as possible. I put photo albums on the net, write blog posts (La Vita e Troppo Breve per Dottore Gianni is it's possibly puzzling title) and I continue to read about the areas visited.
I spent most of October in Germany, with about 6 days in Switzerland and three in Strasbourg, France. Much of what I saw was centered on the mighty Rhine, so I decided to read this book, published in 1915, that is mostly as its title indicates, tales and legends. It also has a component of history, as the erudite Mr Spence puts many of the myths in context. I very much enjoyed the mix of myth and history, and to a point I enjoyed the tales.
I must say that I expected more exciting stories than most of them were. It may have partly been in the the writing of each of them, but for whatever reason, while I did not ever consider stopping my reading of them, many left me underwhelmed. There are some funny and happy, but many more are very dark indeed - often magic, spells etc figure into the tales, occasionally to help a worthy soul, more often to wreak havoc. Many of the stories concern thwarted young love, usually by fathers of young damsels who don't want their girls to marry the men they love, or, without knowing that the daughters are in love already, choose a husband for them. The consequence is often violent, the young women throwing themselves off precipices over the Rhine, and sometimes returning as ghosts to haunt the area, or persons, or both. Interestingly, in almost all of this sort of story there is no mother (who might either support husband or daughter, or complicate the situation in other ways). There is not even an explanation of what might have happened to the mother (after all, it takes two to tangle). The fathers are usually repentant after the fact, and some build chapels to the dead daughters, or live as hermits atoning for their sin or at least neglect. The young men are frequently knights, and there is a fair share of jousting, and a lot of heading off to the Crusades on the part of these fellows. One I remember returns from the East to find that his beloved has killed herself, then one night finds himself in the place that she did the deed. He is visited by the beautiful young woman (they're always the most beautiful in the land), cold to the touch of course, and dies - thus the lovers are reunited in death.
It's all the stuff of good, dark German Romanticism. As the author/relater tells us "he who cannot appreciate their background of gloomy grandeur will never come at the true spirit of that mighty literature of Germany..."
Some of the tales are mighty. Spence relates in very short form the epic Nibelungenlied, and some of the tales of Charlemagne rise to the occasion, as do a few of the standard plot line I've noted above. The tale of the Lorelei is one of the most memorable. I very much enjoyed reading this, even if the tales were not usually up to what I'd hoped they'd be, and even if the tales were often repetitions of earlier ones, or at best variations on the same theme. So! Test your ability to handle the dark German Romantic spirit if you like - give it a good read!
I spent most of October in Germany, with about 6 days in Switzerland and three in Strasbourg, France. Much of what I saw was centered on the mighty Rhine, so I decided to read this book, published in 1915, that is mostly as its title indicates, tales and legends. It also has a component of history, as the erudite Mr Spence puts many of the myths in context. I very much enjoyed the mix of myth and history, and to a point I enjoyed the tales.
I must say that I expected more exciting stories than most of them were. It may have partly been in the the writing of each of them, but for whatever reason, while I did not ever consider stopping my reading of them, many left me underwhelmed. There are some funny and happy, but many more are very dark indeed - often magic, spells etc figure into the tales, occasionally to help a worthy soul, more often to wreak havoc. Many of the stories concern thwarted young love, usually by fathers of young damsels who don't want their girls to marry the men they love, or, without knowing that the daughters are in love already, choose a husband for them. The consequence is often violent, the young women throwing themselves off precipices over the Rhine, and sometimes returning as ghosts to haunt the area, or persons, or both. Interestingly, in almost all of this sort of story there is no mother (who might either support husband or daughter, or complicate the situation in other ways). There is not even an explanation of what might have happened to the mother (after all, it takes two to tangle). The fathers are usually repentant after the fact, and some build chapels to the dead daughters, or live as hermits atoning for their sin or at least neglect. The young men are frequently knights, and there is a fair share of jousting, and a lot of heading off to the Crusades on the part of these fellows. One I remember returns from the East to find that his beloved has killed herself, then one night finds himself in the place that she did the deed. He is visited by the beautiful young woman (they're always the most beautiful in the land), cold to the touch of course, and dies - thus the lovers are reunited in death.
It's all the stuff of good, dark German Romanticism. As the author/relater tells us "he who cannot appreciate their background of gloomy grandeur will never come at the true spirit of that mighty literature of Germany..."
Some of the tales are mighty. Spence relates in very short form the epic Nibelungenlied, and some of the tales of Charlemagne rise to the occasion, as do a few of the standard plot line I've noted above. The tale of the Lorelei is one of the most memorable. I very much enjoyed reading this, even if the tales were not usually up to what I'd hoped they'd be, and even if the tales were often repetitions of earlier ones, or at best variations on the same theme. So! Test your ability to handle the dark German Romantic spirit if you like - give it a good read!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews