For anyone wondering, yes. The image is frustratingly reversed.
Here is the iron hand in its museum exhibit:
I’m guessing the picture is reversed? That’s a left arm.
That’s why it didn’t hinder his writing at all.
I actually was wondering if they had the belief that left-handed people had the devil inside them at that point.
Based on everything else, Mr. von Berlichingen doesn’t seem like a person who would have cared if he was left handed or what other people thought about that.
Homeboy likes having both his thumbs going the same direction, don’t judge.
Medicine has advanced greatly since then
Well, that was a fun Wikipedia article to read! Dude was in his 60s with one hand and still fighting. Lived out his golden years at his castle. Legend
“Sage er dem Landvogt, er könne mich im Arsche lecken!”
I’ve found my spirit animal
User: I read some wild stories about Götz von Berlichingen, can you provide a historical account of his deeds?
Assistant: Sure, Brian. Götz von Berlichingen, also known as ‘Götz of the Iron Hand,’ was a German knight and mercenary born in 1480. He was a central figure during the times of the Holy Roman Empire. Here are some notable facts about Götz von Berlichingen:
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Noble Birth: Götz was born into a noble family and, true to his status, was educated as a knight. His early years were marked with serving various feudal masters.
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Iron Hand: Perhaps his most fascinating characteristic, the “iron hand”, is not a myth. In 1504 during the siege of Landshut, he lost his right hand when enemy cannon fire forced his own sword against him. He had two mechanical iron replacements made, which are among the earliest recorded examples of a prosthetic limb. The second, more advanced hand, could hold objects from a sword to a feather pen.
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Mercenary Career: Following his injury, von Berlichingen served as a mercenary in various armed conflicts, functioning as a rob mercenary or “robber baron” according to some accounts.
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The “Swabian War”: In 1512, von Berlichingen and his troop participated in the war of the Swabian League. He was captured and held prisoner for two years.
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Imperial Ban: He was placed under the ‘Imperial Ban’ twice. This banned him from public office, prevented people from assisting him, and allowed anyone to rob or kill him without legal consequence. The first ban went from 1512 to 1514 for his role in a feud. He was unbanned when he paid his way out. The second ban in 1518 came when he kidnapped a count to resolve another feud. He lived under this ban for five years.
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Peasant’s War: During the Peasants’ War (1524-1525) in Germany, von Berlichingen led an army of peasants against the Empire. They were unsuccessful, and von Berlichingen was held responsible, leading to his house arrest until 1552.
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Autobiography: In his later years, he dictated his autobiography (published posthumously in 1731). This work captured his adventurous life, feats, and foibles.
Götz passed away in 1562. His life has inspired various literary works, including a significant drama by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
User: Is he the first to coin the term “lick my ass”?
Assistant: Yes, you’re correct. The phrase “er kann mich im Arsche lecken” (in English, “he can lick me in the ass”) is famously attributed to Götz von Berlichingen. He supposedly uttered it in response to a command to surrender during the Siege of Frauenberg in 1525 – though it’s more likely a colorful detail added by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his 1773 play ‘Götz von Berlichingen’. The play, though a romanticized version of von Berlichingen’s life, gives us the famous phrase and has played a significant role in von Berlichingen’s notoriety.
User: Did he kidnap a bishop and spend 20 years drunk in a castle he owned?
Assistant: There are many legends associated with Götz von Berlichingen, and the tale of him kidnapping a bishop is one of them. According to the anecdote, he allegedly kidnapped Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, the Bishop of Würzburg, for ransom. However, there’s no historical record to conclusively verify this incident.
As for him spending 20 years drunk in a castle he owned, this might be a result of over-romanticizing or dramatizing his life. While it’s true that after the Peasants’ War, von Berlichingen was subject to the Peace of Memmingen, which effectively placed him under house arrest at his castle in Hornberg, historical records do not mention him being drunk for 20 years. In fact, during this time, he wrote his memoirs which portrays his level of productivity during this period.
Bear in mind that many tales associated with Götz von Berlichingen have been embellished over the centuries and the line between fact and fiction can be blurry.
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Fun fact: not actually an inspiration for Guts from Berserk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guts_(Berserk) - just an extreme case of historical and creative coincidence.
after outlaw of the holy roman empire 2 electric boogaloo was placed under house arrest in a castle he had purchased with all his quest rewards to spend the next 20 years drunk off his ass
What is the subject of this sentence? My brain is treating the entire thing as predicate.
It should say something like either “after being outlawed by the holy roman empire”, or “after becoming an outlaw of the holy roman empire”. So it means “after becoming an outlaw again, [he] was placed under house arrest…”
Mozart wrote a canon called Lick My Ass.
It wasn’t his poetry that first contained “Lick my arse”, Götz says it in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play “Götz von Berlichingen”
Also may have been the inspiration for Guts fron Berserk!
Despite the similarities between Guts and the real historical German figure known as Götz von Berlichingen, Kentarou Miura stated in an interview released together with Media Blasters’ first anime series US release in 2002 this resemblance was only a “strange coincidence”, having only heard of it when he had already started Berserk. He also added that he was not thinking of anybody at the time he created Guts. In the same interview, Miura stated that Guts was based on actor Rutger Hauer in terms of looks after having enjoying Hauer’s roles in “Flesh+Blood” and “The Salute of the Jugger”.
A happy coincidence indeed :)
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