Niels Prahl (1724 - 1792) was an author and translator with a voluminous production, but most of his work was anonymous. His last — unfinished — work was a translation of Schummel's "Der kleine Voltäre" (i.e. The Little Voltaire). This had to be completed by others, but library secretary Frederik Ekkard took the occasion to write a eulogy for Prahl: An introductory chapter with a biography, where he also attempted to track down and list all the anonymous works originating from the industrious Prahl. We find Døde-Dands on this list (page XXV).
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The Human life's Flight or Døde-Dands was printed in Copenhagen in 1762. On the title page above one can see the name Thomas Larsen Borup, and it is believed that it was he who published the book and for all we know he might also have designed the woodcuts. But as mentioned, the author was in all probability Niels Prahl.
The rhymed introduction is signed Thomas Larsen Borup, but was doubtlessly written by Niels Prahl as well. The author tells how he himself has created the woodcuts: »Jeg dem møysommelig i Træ udgravet har, Naar mig en Times Tid fra andet øvrig var« (i.e. I have painstakingly excavated them in tree, when an hour or so was free from other work). He also states that he believes to be the first to ever have printed a dance of death in Danish:
Med dette lidet Verk, at gavne og fornøje;
Vi ingen Dødedands, saavidt mig er bekjendt,
I vores danske Sprog har forhen havt paa Prent.
with this small work to benefit and to amuse;
We no dance of death, as fas as I am aware,
In our Danish language have so far had in printing.
This is not quite true, since there was already Copenhagen's dance of death, Dødedantz, Den Lybekske Dødning-Dantz (only in the Danish section) and Typus Omnium Morientium.
After this introduction and a concert with dead men's music come the individual dances: Death to the dying (12 lines), the person's answer (12 lines) and the author's conclusion (4 lines).
Death makes no bones (pun intended) about telling that he is God's messenger. This sometimes results in a rather condescending language. Particularly towards the (Catholic) pope and the "infidel" Jew and Turk.
Døde-Dands was reprinted in 1770, 1814 and 1967 (see external link for the latter).
