The comission letter

[Clessidor]

Well, I just took a closer look to the letter, which Viktor got in the beginning of the episode.
There stand:

An Doktor Viktor Frankenstein,

Sehr geehrter Herr Doktor Frankenstein
Durch die Kraft der Macht und der Autorität, die durch den Bundeskanzler und des Kaisers Komission in mir investiert sind, ernenne ich Sie zum FELD ARZT.
Sie sind daher angewiesen sorgfältig und gewissenhaft die Pflicht des Feld Arztes auszuüben und als Beispiel für niederige Offiziers Ränge und Soldaten zu dienen.
Wir fordern Sie auf besagte Befehle auszuführen, Ordnung und Disziplin zu bewahren und zukünftige Befehle auszuführen.
In Armen Metz, von mir geschrieben und versiegelt am dritten März.
Durch den Befehl des Kaisers in mir investierte Kraft,
T. Herman
Kapitän T. Herman – 34. Division
Klagenfurt, Kärnten
Klagenfurt – Land, Bezirk im Namen des Ministerpräsidenten von Kaiserreich Oesterreich

I know, it’s German and I’m too lazy to tranlsate the whole letter for you (Maybe someone already did it?). But in the letter stands two interesting facts:

1. Frankenstein should serve as an army doctor in the army of the Austrian Emperor (Kaiser)
Remember last episode, when Mulan mentioned she served in the army of an emperor? So it’s the second time in the show that an emperor is mentioned. Well, they are definitely two different kind of emperors (An Austrian and an Asian), but the form both are mentioned are very similar (Someone has to/had served in his army)

2. The letter came from Klagenfurth in Carinthia, a real place in our world.
So now, I think, we now that real place from the normal world (The land without magic) can also exist in some kind of parallel-universe-way in this/other lands. Places like London, Paris, Kansas, Hamelin, Siebenbürgen/Transylvania, etc. which doesn’t mean that these places are exactly the same like ours. (I pretty sure that Austria never had a “Bundeskanzler”, “Ministerpräsident” and “Kaiser” at the same time^^)

EDIT:
I’ve translated it with a little bit help of google translator.

To Doctor Victor Frankenstein,

Dear Doctor Frankenstein
Through the force of power and authority, which are invested by the Chancellor and the Emperor’s commission in me, I appoint you to FIELD MEDICAL.
They are forced to carefully and conscientiously the duty of the physician’s field and to serve as an example for lowered officer ranks and soldiers.
We urge you to carry out orders said to preserve order and discipline and execute future orders.
Posted in arms, written by me and sealed on the third of March.
By order of the Emperor invested in me
T. Herman
Captain T. Herman – 34 division
Klagenfurt, Carinthia
Klagenfurt – Land, District in the name of the Prime Minister of the Empire Austria

Also right under the symbol stands (“Ich diene” = “I serve”)

[timespacer]

Good catch! Until now, I had just been assuming that the Fairy Tale Lands were just different worlds that were somehow like ours, so I assumed Mulan (in the show) was not literally from China like the legend in our world but from a “China-like” land in the Fairy Tale world and Snow and Charming were from a “Europe-like” land, etc. But this document in German makes it pretty clear that we are in fact dealing with parallel worlds. So we actually have other worlds where the characters really are from China, Europe, Transylvania, and so forth but, as you say, not identical to the lands in our world.

I think Henry’s observation in “In the Name of the Brother” that Frankenstein is not in his book of fairy tales may prove to be significant as regards the nature of these other worlds. So how did our imaginative tales of Frankenstein, Snow White, and all the others arise in the imaginations of authors in our world? It’s starting to sound a lot like Neal Stephenson’s novel, Anathem, in which quantum interference between consciousness in different universes gives rise to inspiration.

[Phee]

Thanks for the info!

@Clessidor wrote:

2. The letter came from Klagenfurth in Carinthia, a real place in our world.

Their world seems so similar to ours, an actual place name, the fact that Viktor used the term “earth”, the fact that they appeared to be celebrating Christmas. It’s all very curious.

[swanning-off]

@TimeSpacer wrote:

I think Henry’s observation in “In the Name of the Brother” that Frankenstein is not in his book of fairy tales may prove to be significant as regards the nature of these other worlds. So how did our imaginative tales of Frankenstein, Snow White, and all the others arise in the imaginations of authors in our world? It’s starting to sound a lot like Neal Stephenson’s novel, Anathem, in which quantum interference between consciousness in different universes gives rise to inspiration.

Reminds me of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series and the power of narrativium (a tongue in cheek principle of Discworld: if something should happen to further the story, it will happen! Also, if it has happened in one world, i.e. ours, it will have a parallel in other worlds, i.e. the Disc. It just might have more antlers on the Disc….)

I absolutely loved the little shout out to the eternal horror story confusion about who Frankenstein really is (the doctor, not the monster), summed up best by “the monster had the bolts in his neck, not the doctor” 😆

[tiara_rose]

Danke fürs Posten, ich habe gar nicht darauf geachtet, dass der Brief auf Deutsch ist und dabei bin ich selbst von Österreich. Was für eine Schande. Wer weiß, vielleicht sehen wir noch Kasierin Sissy von Österreich und Ludwig II aus Deutschland.

Thanks for the letter. I didn’t get it that was from Austria. I am from Tirol(Tyrol). Maybe we will see the other stories from our land. I mean we have fairytale queen in Austria, she called Sissy. Her live wasn’t beautiful, but the old movies where like a fairytale. Oh, and German was Ludwig II, who build his own fairy castle, because he was such a huge fan from the writer Wagner.

I love Once, more and more…

Heros don't get their Happy Ending!

[Myril]

@Clessidor wrote:

2. The letter came from Klagenfurth in Carinthia, a real place in our world.
So now, I think, we now that real place from the normal world (The land without magic) can also exist in some kind of parallel-universe-way in this/other lands. Places like London, Paris, Kansas, Hamelin, Siebenbürgen/Transylvania, etc. which doesn’t mean that these places are exactly the same like ours. (I pretty sure that Austria never had a “Bundeskanzler”, “Ministerpräsident” and “Kaiser” at the same time^^)

Well, actually there was a time. During the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy 1867-1918. Each, Austria and Hungary at that time had a parliament and a prime minister (Ministerpräsident), ruled by Habsburg monarch as Emperor of Austria (Kaiser von Österreich) and as King of Hungary.

Near the town Völkermarkt, not far from Klagenfurt in Carinthia there is even a castle which is known as Ramschüsselhof or Frankenstein. (here information about it in German)

The original story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley though doesn’t take place in Austria. Frankenstein’s home is Geneva, Switzerland, he studies and creates the monster in Ingolstadt, Germany, later they travel to Scotland and end up near the North Pole. There is some disputable claim, that Shelley’s story is based on some alleged legend about a castle Frankenstein in Germany.

Anyway. I agree, Frankenstein’s world is not our world, even if names of places and some of the history are the same.

Side note: When reading the novel one can very well wonder, who the actual monster is, Frankenstein or his creation. In the movie made by James Whale though the monster is definitely the one with the neck bolts. 😉

¯\_(?????? ?)_/¯

[Clessidor]

@myril wrote:

Well, actually there was a time. During the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy 1867-1918. Each, Austria and Hungary at that time had a parliament and a prime minister (Ministerpräsident), ruled by Habsburg monarch as Emperor of Austria (Kaiser von Österreich) and as King of Hungary.

Near the town Völkermarkt, not far from Klagenfurt in Carinthia there is even a castle which is known as Ramschüsselhof or Frankenstein. (here information about it in German)

Didn’t know there is a castle Frankenstein in Austria. Just know about the three castle Frankensteins in Germany.
Well, I guess you right, there was a time with a prime minister and a emperor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_Empire) and maybe there was also a “Staatskanzler” (chancelor) at the beginning.

“There were thousands and thousands of forms of joy in the world, but that all were essentially one and the same, namely, the joy of being able to love.”

— from the Neverending Story by Michael Ende

[Myril]

Tried to give you a better translation of the German text of the commission than Google, no offense Clessidor 😉

To Doctor Victor Frankenstein

Dear Doctor Frankenstein,

By virtue of the power and authority, which has been given to me by the Chancellor and the Emperor’s commission, I appoint you to ARMY PHYSICIAN.

You are therefor assigned to thoroughly and faithfully discharge the duty of army physician and to serve as an example for lower-ranking officers and soldiers.
We request you to execute aforesaid orders, to maintain order and discipline and to execute future orders.

In Armen Metz (?) written by me and sealed on the third of March.
By the virtue of power given to me by order of the Emperor
T. Herman
Captain T. Herman – 34 division
Klagenfurt, Carinthia
Klagenfurt – Land, District on behalf of the Prime Minister of Imperial Austria

Guess “Armen Metz” is a place, although haven’t found it so far.
And finally advanced course in history pays off. 😆

¯\_(?????? ?)_/¯

[Chris]

A captain would be translated as “Hauptmann” in German and suprise, there is is a “Hauptmann-Hermann-Straße” in Klagenfurt. Named that way, in rememberance of Johann Hermann von Hermannsdorf (a captain in the Austrian Emperor’s army). Don’t know if this is of significance.

There is also the town of Metz in Lorraine, France near the German border. Its coat of arms is a black and white! shield.

- You know what the issue is with this world. Everyone wants a magical solution for their problems, and everyone refuses to believe in magic.” - Jefferson

[Author]

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