olbein's
dance of death alphabet was first used in August 1524.
The alphabet was originally published as sheets with Bible quotes (see below),
and some of them bear the woodcutter's private mark (picture to the right).
The name of the woodcutter was Hans Lützelburger (i.e. Hans/John from Luxembourg).
The letters are quite small (2.5 x 2.5 cm) and since they are full of details
it is sometimes hard to see what's going on - even when they are enlarged. Therefore it's often useful
to compare with Holbein's Great Dance of Death.
There are 24 letters since i,j and u,v are the same. Click on each letter for details.
Click on a letter for details.
The text above goes:
»Drey ding sind mir schwer / vnd das vierd weyß ich gar nit.
Den weg eins adlers im luft / Den weg einer waldschlangen vff dem felsen / Den weg
eines schiffs in mittem meer / Den weg eins mans inn der iugent«.
This is from Proverbs 30, 18-19, which Luther translates such:
»Drei sind mir zu wundersam, und vier verstehe ich nicht:
des Adlers Weg am Himmel, der Schlange Weg auf dem Felsen, des Schiffes Weg mitten im Meer und des Mannes Weg beim Weibe«.
In English it sounds like this:
»There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea;
and the way of a man with a maid«.
Notice the misquote: The Bibles speak of the man's way with a (young) maid -
the sheet speaks about a man's way in his youth.
The text below sounds:
»Alles fleysch ist heuw / vnd all synn glory / wie die blum des ackers. Das heuw ist außgedort /
vnd die blum ist gefallen / wann der geyst des herren hat inn sy geblasen.
Das volck ist warlich heuw. Das heuw ist außgedort /
vnd die blum ist gefallen Aber das wort des herren bleybt in ewigkeit«.
This is Isaiah 40,6-8 which sounds like this with Luther:
»[...]Alles Fleisch ist Gras, und alle seine Güte ist wie eine Blume auf dem Felde.
Das Gras verdorrt, die Blume verwelkt; denn des HERRN Odem bläst darein. Ja, Gras ist das Volk!
Das Gras verdorrt, die Blume verwelkt, aber das Wort unseres Gottes bleibt ewiglich«.
In English:
»The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever"«.
It is because of quotes like this that Death is often portrayed with a scythe.
olbein's
dance of death alphabet was first used in August 1524.
The alphabet was originally published as sheets with Bible quotes (see below),
and some of them bear the woodcutter's private mark (picture to the right).
The dance of death
Holbein