Riddle of America, The - Waldorf Research Institute

forge where Amasis’s altar had stood. He, too, began to pray over the spiritsbelow, trying to turn them to good. It had been the custom in Germany toput out and restart the forge fire every seven years, but Hugo felt this wasunnecessary. However, his men spoke of the fire salamander that once everyseven years grows to full size in an unquenched flame and then goes forthdoing mischief.On the last day of the seven years, Hugo entered the forge and sawhis men gazing into the furnace at a pale form that seemed made of flame.As he stared transfixed into the forge, the earth spirits told him he couldset them free by reading aloud the letters burned in a triangle on the backof the giant salamander forming in the flames. But Hugo refused, althoughthey offered him great riches, as they had also offered to Amasis.Hugo and his wife had two children, a boy Hugo and a girl Mary,who stood beside him as he gazed into the furnace and prayed for the spirits.The children begged him to leave. His daughter was pure and unspotted bythe world, and it was her prayer that brought Hugo to his senses and madethe scene below grow dim when he stared at the evil light of the salamanderclinging to the rocks below.One night Hugo left his wife, who was too ill to move, and went withhis son to the forge on High Tor. The salamander rose out of the flames belowand burned Hugo’s son to death. Hugo felt fire burning at him as well, untilhe felt water being sprinkled on his face and saw his wife standing besidehim casting holy water into the furnace and speaking a magic prayer. At thatmoment a storm arose, and rain fell and put out the forge fire—but as thelast glow faded, the lady fell dead. After this, Hugo went mad with sorrowand often wandered through the woods, leaving Mary alone in their hut.A few days later, a young man of unusual beauty came to the hutasking for shelter. Mary made him welcome and told him of her family’sdistress. He promised to help her, and over the next days a tender feelinggrew between them. One day he saved her from the attack of a panther,and, as he carried her in his arms, she wanted to declare her love for him.However, he placed her away from him and told her he was really an Angelof Fire sent by God to help human beings. He trod the darkness of the earthtesting his obedience to God.He had yielded to his love of the earth, and the evil spirits hadchanged him into a fire salamander with the secret letters inscribed on hisback. If spoken aloud by a human being, they would set the evil spirits freefrom their imprisonment under the mountain. When Hugo refused to speakthe letters, the evil spirits had ordered him to destroy her brother and mother10