4377 - Bern - Kindlifresserbrunnen am Kornhausplatz

The Kindlifresserbrunnen (,

Swiss German Swiss German (Standard German: , ,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no #Conventions, defined orthography for any of them, many different spellings can be found. and others; ) is any of the Alemannic German, Alemannic ...

for "Child-Eater Fountain") is a painted stone fountain at the '' Kornhausplatz'' (Granary Place) in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. It is one of the Old City of Bern's fountains from the 16th century.

Creation and naming

It was created in 1545–1546 by Hans Gieng to replace a wooden fountain from the 15th century. The new fountain's original name was ''Platzbrunnen'' (Plaza Fountain); the current name was used first in 1666. ''Kindli'' is a

diminutive for the German word ''Kind'', meaning child. A literal translation of the name ''Kindlifresserbrunnen'' therefore would be "Fountain of the Eater of Little Children".

Interpretations

The fountain sculpture depicts a seated

ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

devouring a naked child. Placed at his side is a bag containing more children. Because the ogre is wearing a

pointed hat Pointed hats have been a distinctive item of headgear of a wide range of cultures throughout history. Although often suggesting an ancient Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European tradition, they were also traditionally worn by women of Sápmi, Lapland ...

resembling a Jewish one, it has been speculated about the possibility of the ogre being the depiction of a

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

as an expression of blood libel against Jews. Another theory is that the statue is the likeness of Krampus, the beast-like creature from the folklore of Alpine countries thought to punish children during the Christmas season who had misbehaved. According to other theories it is a depiction of the Greek god

Cronus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Cronus, Cronos, or Kronos ( or ; ) was the leader and youngest of the Titans, the children of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky). He overthrew his father and ruled dur ...

eating his children or the Roman

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

eating the months, though Cronus should have six and Saturn twelve rather than the sculpture's eight. Another theory is that it represented Cardinal Schiner who led the

Swiss Confederation Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerlan ...

into several bloody defeats in

Northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

. An alternative theory is that it is a depiction of the older brother of Duke Berchtold (founder of Bern) who it is claimed, was so incensed by his younger brother's overshadowing of him that he collected and ate the town's children. Such an incident is not recorded in Bern's history books. A final theory is that it is just a

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

character intended to frighten disobedient children. Another theory is the eight children depict the eight cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy and the Ogre is an enemy (possibly

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...

) trying to gobble the cantons up. This would match with the fountain's base which shows a

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

of armed bears going to war, including a piper and a drummer. The frieze may have been designed by Hans Rudolf Manuel Deutsch.Hofer, pg. 274, note 4 The Kindlifresserbrunnen is an important object in the 1973 novel ' (''The Ogre'') by Jacques Chessex.

References

External links

Chapter "Kindlifresserbrunnen" in volume 1 of "Kunstdenkmäler des Kantons Bern"
(German) {{Coord, 46, 56, 54.67, N, 7, 26, 50.81, E, region:CH-BE_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title 1546 sculptures Old City (Bern) Fountains in Bern Sculptures in Switzerland Ogres in popular culture Cronus Krampus