Edelweisspiraten
bell (bell@RZ.UNI-DUESSELDORF.DE)
Mon, 21 Nov 1994 13:01:47 GMT
Hi Jim,
>I think that I forget to put on my thinking cap.
Happens to all of us now and then! ;-)
>Probably everyone in
>the US has seen the movie "Sound of Music" which includes a song
>called Edelweiss in English. My english dictionary even lists the
>word as a small white flowing plant from the Swiss Alps.
I haven't seen that film, but I thought that "edelweiss" was known in
English as well.
>I guest if an American wanted to produce a similar insult, we would
>call a group "Pansy Pirates" or "Daisy Pirates". However, the word
>"Pansy" has two meanings, a flower or a male who is soft or effeminate.
Well, you never stop learning, I knew that 'daisy' was 'Ga"nseblu"mchen'
(where x" is an umlaut) but I didn't know that 'pansy' was 'Stief-
mu"tterchen' (flower) or 'Homo' (gay). Just looked that up in a
dictionary.
What does you make think that 'daisy' or 'pansy' could correlate to
'edelweiss'? If there is any second meaning to 'edelweiss', like there is
to 'pansy', I don't know about it.
I asked myself why the Nazis came to call the outlaws edelweisspirates but
didn't find an answer. After all the edelweiss is regarded as a rare and
'noble' flower today, not exactly what you would call a group you want to
degrade. Maybe 50 years ago it was different? Interesting is also, that
today you still find some graffity on Colonge walls saying
'Edelweisspiraten sind treu' (edelweisspirates are true). Reminds me of the
scout-law, somehow!
Another youth-group that definitly and activly WAS fighting Hitler, called
themselves 'White Rose' (Weisse Rose). They were students, influenced by
the German Youth Movement. Two famous members of that group (among others)
Hans and Sophie Scholl were killed by the Nazis. They were regarded as
resistance-fighters straight after the war. Whether it was because they
were students (the Cologne Edelweisspiraten were only 'proletarian kids')
or because they printed and distributed anti-nazi-leaflets, I don't know.
Interesting is, that they named themselves after a 'white' flower as well.
>What is the difference between "piraten" and "seerauber" (umlaut over a)?
Ups, I am not a linguist, but I would say there is not much difference.
'Seera"uber' (sea-robber) is definitly a German word, whereas 'Pirat' is
originaly from another language, maybe Italian. Both words mean the same.
>I used the term "true scouts" to refer a them as Scouts in action
>without knowing about any formal program.
Yeap, got that. As I said, they had nothing to do with scouts, but they got
the spirit (Edelweisspiraten sind treu!).
>I think that we have two threads going on this same topic, but
Have we? I think it is time for a confession now:
I DO NOT READ ALL THE MAILS FROM SCOUTS-L!
because
a. I don't have the time to
b. American Scouting is so much different from the German, that I simply
do not understand many of the postings (or am I just too stupid?)
>I find it very interesting.
So do I! I knew about Edelweisspiraten before, but since I have been to
that memorial service and heard the speech of one of them, I am absolutely
fascinated. So I try to get as much information about them as I can.
Funny coincidence, these days a fellow scouter gave me a book called 'The
left handshake' Subtitle: 'The Boy Scout Movement during the War
1939-1945' by Hilary St. George Saunders, 1949. As he doesn't speak much
English, he asked me to translate it to German ('only' 250 pages). I do not
dare thinking of translating it yet, but I would be glad to have it on my
computer for a start. I remember there was one of us scanning books. Could
you give me same hints, please? I've been playing around with my handy-
scanner and the acompanied OCR-program (Perceive) but I've got the feeling,
that typing it off would be quicker. How did you do the job?
Gut Pfad!
Rabe Ralf.Bell@uni-duesseldorf.de
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
