Niels Klim's Underground Travels, originally published in Latin as Nicolai Klimii Iter Subterraneum (1741), is a satirical science-fiction/fantasy novel written by the Norwegian-Danish author Ludvig Holberg. His only novel, it describes a utopian society from an outsider's point of view, and often pokes fun at diverse cultural and social topics such as morality, science, sexual equality, religion, governments, and philosophy.
Holberg, Ludvig. Niels Klim’s Journey under the Ground; Being a Narrative of His Wonderful Descent to the Subterranean Lands; Together with an Account of the Sensible Animals and Trees Inhabiting the Planet Nazar and the Firmament (1741). Translated by John Gierlow. Boston : Saxton, Peirce & Co.; New York, Saxton & Miles, 1845. http://archive.org/details/nielsklimsjourne00holb.
Johan Frederik Clemens, Illustration after drawing by Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard, from: Holberg, Ludvig. Niels Klim’s Journey under the Ground; Being a Narrative of His Wonderful Descent to the Subterranean Lands; Together with an Account of the Sensible Animals and Trees Inhabiting the Planet Nazar and the Firmament (1741). Translated by John Gierlow. Boston : Saxton, Peirce & Co.; New York, Saxton & Miles, 1845.
Illustration engraved by Johan Frederik Clemens after drawing by Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard, from the 1789 deluxe edition translated into Danish by poet Jens Baggesen.
Illustration engraved by Johan Frederik Clemens after drawing by Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard, from the 1789 deluxe edition translated into Danish by poet Jens Baggesen.
The inhabitants of this land are not very unlike the human race in their general appearance; the sole difference being, that these people have no mouth: they speak from the face which turns towards the south when the nose points to the north. The first of them who came on board, was a rich merchant. He saluted us after the custom of his nation, by turning his back towards us, and immediately began to bargain with us for our wares. I kept myself considerably remote during the negotiation, as neither the sound nor the smell of his speech pleased me. To my great horror our barber was taken sick at this time, so that I was obliged to summon a Pyglossian perfume. As the barbers here are quite as talkative as among us, this one, while shaving me, filled the cabin with so disagreeable a smell, that, on his departure, we were obliged to smoke with all the incense we had on board.
We sailed hence to Iceland. This land consisted of desolate rocks, covered by eternal snows. The inhabitants who are all of ice, live[117] here and there in the clefts of the rocks on the tops of the mountains, where the sun is never seen, enveloped by almost perpetual darkness and frost. The only light they have comes from the shining rime.
These lands, of which I here have given a view, are all subject to the great emperor of Mezendora proper, and are therefore called by seafaring people the Mezendoric islands. This great and wonderful country, namely, Mezendora, is the goal of all extended voyages. Eight days sail from Iceland brought us to the imperial residence. There we found all that realized, which our poets have fancied of the societies of animals, trees and plants; Mezendora being, so to speak, the common father-land of all sensible animals and plants. In this empire each animal and every tree can obtain citizenship, merely by submitting to the government and laws. One would suppose, that, on account of the mixture of so many different creatures, great confusion would prevail among them: but this is far from the case. On the contrary, this very difference produces the most happy effects; which must be attributed to their wise laws and institutions,[118] decreeing to each subject that office and employment to which his nature and special faculties are best fitted. Thus, the lion, in consideration of his natural magnanimity, is always chosen regent. The elephant, on account of his keen judgment, is called to sit in the State-council. Courtiers are made of chameleons, because they are inconstant and know how to temporize. The army consists of bears, tigers and other valorous animals; in the marine service, on the contrary, are oxen and bulls; seamen being generally hardy and brave people; but severe, inflexible, and not particularly delicate in their living, which corresponds very well with their element. There is a seminary for this class, where calves or sea-cadets are educated for sea-officers. Trees, for their natural discretion and gravity, are usually appointed judges: counsellors are geese; and the lawyers of the courts in ordinary are magpies. Foxes are generally selected as ambassadors, consuls, commercial-agents, and secretaries-of-legation. The ravens are chosen for dealing-masters and executors on the effects of those deceased. The buck-goats are philosophers, and especially grammarians,[119] partly for the sake of their horns, which they use on the slightest occasion, to gore their opponents, and partly in consideration of their reverend beards, which so notably distinguish them from all other creatures. The staid yet energetic horse has the suffrage for the mayoralty and other civil dignitaries. Estate owners and peasants are serpents, moles, rats and mice. The ass, on account of his braying voice, is always the leader of the church-choir. Treasurers, cashiers and inspectors are commonly wolves; their clerks, being hawks. The (roosters) cocks are appointed for watchmen, and the dogs house-porters.
The first who came on board of us, was a lean wolf or inspector, the same as a custom-house-officer in Europe, followed by four hawks, his clerks. These took from our wares what pleased them best, proving to us thereby that they understood their business perfectly, and had all its appropriate tricks at their fingers' ends. The captain took me ashore with him. As soon as we had set foot on the quay, a cock came towards us, demanded whence we were, the nature of our cargo, and announced us to[120] the inspector-general. This latter received us with much courtesy, and invited us to dine with him. The mistress of the house, whom I had heard to be one of the greatest beauties among the female wolves, was not present at the table: the reason of this was, as we afterwards learned, her husband's jealousy, who did not deem it advisable to allow such a handsome wife to be seen by strangers. There were, however, several ladies at table; among others, a certain commodore's wife, a white cow with black spots: next to her sat a black cat, wife to the master of hunt at court, newly arrived from the country. At my side was placed a speckled sow, the lady of a renovation-inspector: that species of officer-ship being generally taken from the hog-race. It must be observed that the inhabitants of the Mezendoric empire, although they are animals in figure, have hands and fingers on the fore feet.
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1 Walter Benjamin, The arcades project, vert. Howard Eiland (Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1999), 233. Verkorte voetnoot 2 Benjamin, Arcades, 35. Bibliografie Benjamin, Walter. The arcades project. Vertaald door Howard Eiland. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1999.
Holberg, Ludvig. Niels Klim’s Journey under the Ground; Being a Narrative of His Wonderful Descent to the Subterranean Lands; Together with an Account of the Sensible Animals and Trees Inhabiting the Planet Nazar and the Firmament (1741). Translated by John Gierlow. Boston : Saxton, Peirce & Co.; New York, Saxton & Miles, 1845. http://archive.org/details/nielsklimsjourne00holb.
p. 118-19
Ludvig Holberg, Niels Klim’s Journey under the Ground (1741), trans. John Gierlow. (Boston : Saxton, Peirce & Co.; New York, Saxton & Miles, 1845), 118-19.
