The Rudolf Steiner Archive

13. Goethe’s Enigmatic Fairy Tale of the Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily

I. Article in the “Weimarische Zeitung” dated December 9, 1904

[ 1 ] On Wednesday, the Weimar branch of the Theosophical Society held a lecture at the Erbprinzen on Goethe's fairy tale “The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily.”

[ 2 ] As we are told, Dr. Rudolf Steiner demonstrated that this short poem contains the secret of Goethe’s worldview in a magnificent artistic image. The wealth of characters and events that the poet presents to us depicts the inner life of the human being in its development from the sensory realm to the highest spiritual existence. For Goethe, human nature consists of body, soul, and spirit. The spirit reaches its highest level when its three components—wisdom, feeling, and will—work together within it in complete harmony. The soul achieves this harmony by undergoing a complete transformation through the purification of all its lower forces by the fire of selfless love and devotion. Goethe thus symbolically depicted human worth and human destiny. The convergence of the sensory and spiritual worlds at the heights of existence [takes on] an expression that is at first enigmatic, but becomes captivating as soon as one begins to unravel the mystery. One can only truly grasp the depth of Goethe’s thought by seeking to fathom his inner world through this fairy tale. Goethe was inspired to write this by Schiller, who, in his letters concerning the aesthetic education of humanity, had sought—in his more philosophical manner—the harmony between the sensual and spiritual nature of human beings. Goethe wanted to express his thoughts on this subject poetically. Through imagery, he was able to speak as vividly about the mysteries of the world as he knew how when he wished to reveal what lived within his soul.

II. Article in “Deutschland” from December 9, 1904

[ 3 ] On Wednesday, Dr. Rudolf Steiner gave a lecture at the Erbprinzen on Goethe’s enigmatic fairy tale The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily, which had been organized by the Weimar branch of the Theosophical Society.

[ 4 ] The speaker demonstrated how Goethe symbolically expressed his deepest thoughts on the nature of humanity and the meaning of life in this short poem. In his letters on the aesthetic education of man, Schiller posed the same question: How can man bring his sensual nature into harmony with his spiritual nature? He answered it philosophically, and this inspired Goethe to express what he had to say on the matter through a powerful poetic image. The deeper one delves into this fairy tale, the more one becomes convinced that its vivid, vividly rendered images contain the faculties and powers at work within human beings, and that the plot depicted serves as a symbol for the entire development of humanity from sensuality to spirituality. Body, soul, and spirit—in their relationships to one another and to the laws of the universe—are portrayed in a richly colorful manner. The three highest powers of the spirit—wisdom, feeling, and will—in their harmonious interplay are the goal of human progress. The soul will be rightly endowed with these powers when it reaches its pinnacle. Its path there leads from life in the lower “I” to life in the higher “I.” Selfless devotion and loving sacrifice for the spiritual life lead to this end. Through this fairy tale, Goethe has revealed the ripest fruits of his inner experience. The lecture indicated the direction in which the explanation must be sought and, at the same time, pointed out that the more intimately one engages with this work, the more one is surprised by its richness and grandeur.