3 h 44 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if gaining a soul means trusting a heart that can change?
Beside a lake, beyond a forest said to shelter strange spirits, a fisherman raises a wild, laughing girl. Undine scolds, teases, and slips into the dark to play by the water. When the knight Huldbrand arrives, he falls for her. But she is a water spirit, and human love holds the promise of a soul.
In Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué’s Romantic fairy tale, love brings the human and spirit worlds close enough to clash. Huldbrand promises faithfulness, while the proud Bertalda becomes Undine’s rival. Her uncle Kühleborn watches over her and troubles the humans. Beneath the dreamy atmosphere lies a sharp question: what does trust cost when people can change?
What you’ll discover
- A wild water spirit Meet a mischievous foster daughter whose longing for a soul gives love its stakes.
- A cottage beside the lake Enter a lonely home where a knight encounters Undine and her unworldly ways.
- Nature alive with mystery Follow a tale where forests and water hold powers beyond the human world.
- Love shadowed by rivalry Watch Undine’s unworldly ways meet Bertalda’s pride and Huldbrand’s promise to remain faithful.
- The risk of trust Explore a fairy tale that asks how deeply love depends on another person’s constancy.
Who will love it
For readers who love fairy tales, folklore and gentle Romantic atmosphere, and anyone curious about the roots of mermaid stories. It also suits readers drawn to water spirits, human love and fragile promises.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A fisherman's cottage and a lost child
- Undine charms the knight and the storm rises
- A wedding and a secret from the water
- Life in the city and a rival
- A voyage on the Danube and the cost of anger
- What the story is really about
- How the tale is told
Who’s who
- UndineA lively water spirit raised as a fisherman's daughter, who longs to gain a soul through human love.
- HuldbrandA brave knight who comes through the haunted forest, falls for Undine, and swears to stay faithful to her.
- The old fishermanA kind man who lives by the lake with his wife and loves Undine as his own child.
- BertaldaA proud, beautiful young noblewoman who is raised as a duke's daughter and becomes Undine's rival.
- KühlebornUndine's uncle, a powerful water spirit who watches over her and often stirs up trouble for the humans.
- The priestA holy man who arrives at the cottage during the flood and marries Undine and Huldbrand.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 3 h 44 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Ondine
by Friedrich de La Motte-Fouqué · 1811
A water spirit marries a knight to gain a soul, but jealousy and the powers of the water threaten her new life.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Undine is a short German novella by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, first published in 1811. It belongs to the Romantic movement, which loved old legends, strange nature and the meeting of the human world with the unseen.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A fisherman's cottage and a lost child
The story opens with an old fisherman who lives in a small cottage on a spit of land. The land lies beside a lake and is cut off from the town by a great forest, which people say is haunted by strange spirits. The fisherman and his wife once had a daughter, but she was lost as a small child, near the water.
One evening a knight named Huldbrand rides out of the forest and asks for shelter. He has come through the woods on an adventure, sent by a lady he hopes to impress. The fisherman welcomes him, and they sit by the fire while a storm gathers outside.
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What is Undine about?
Undine is about a water spirit raised by a fisherman who marries a knight so that she can gain a soul. The story follows her love, her human rivals and the spirits who watch over her.
Who wrote Undine and when?
Undine was written by the German Romantic author Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué and first published in 1811. It became very popular in Europe and led to many later works.
Is Undine the same as The Little Mermaid?
No. They are separate stories, though they share the idea of a water being who seeks a soul through human love. Andersen's tale is often said to have been influenced by Fouqué's.
The author
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
1777–1843 · German Romantic novelist
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué was a German writer born in Brandenburg an der Havel in 1777. He wrote novels, plays and poems. His works include Undine, published in 1811, and Sintram and His Companions, published in 1815. He served in the Prussian army and died in Berlin in 1843.
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