This may be unfounded slander, but is it possible Ferdinand broke wind a lot? I have no evidence for this other than a MacDonogh comment, "Ferdinand, Frederick’s ten-year-old brother, the ‘trouser-trumpeter’, a boy of legendary incontinence." MacDonogh tends to draw on Pangels for his sibling hatred and is extremely unfair to them, so I have no idea whether this is supported by any actual sources. But I wanted to put it out there.
Boreas is also the *north* wind, so it could be a reference to some coldness perceived by Fritz, who is always happy to accuse others of coldness.
Narcissus: faint memory and I'm in a meeting so I can't check, but didn't Ziebura say that Heinrich was vain about his appearance in the pre-smallpox scar days? And this is definitely pre-smallpox. 13 is also the age at which it's common to start worrying about your appearance, so it would make sense.
Heinrich being My Brother Narcissus at 13 already sure is.... something. Start with the mirror imagery early, Fritz, why don‘t you?
Five-year-old Ferdinand as the worst of the Hohenzollerns is also something. He's five, Fritz!
This may be unfounded slander, but is it possible Ferdinand broke wind a lot?
Would be as good an explanation for the "Boreas" nickname as any. I don't recall it from Pangels, but then I only skimmed the Ferdinand chapter, and what I do recall is her complaining about Ferdinand getting all his opinions from Heinrich and being totally ungrateful towards Fritz. Bielfeld doesn't mention it in the letters about becoming Ferdinand's teacher in 1740, but then Bielfeld wouldn't. We should get our hands on Dechamps' memoirs anyway; he might mention it, being angry at Fritz & Co.
Boreas is also the *north* wind, so it could be a reference to some coldness perceived by Fritz, who is always happy to accuse others of coldness.
But Ferdinand has always shown him friendship!
didn't Ziebura say that Heinrich was vain about his appearance in the pre-smallpox scar days?
I just checked, and as far as I can see, she mentions it once, when describing the effects of the smallpox itself, i.e. saying that smallpox the scars left in his face "were a blow to the vain boy". This is some years after Fritz is writing the letter, which doesn't mean Heinrich couldn't have been vain before, and you're right, 13 is a classic time for starting to pay attention to how you look. Btw, if you're right about the reason for "Boreas", that means both monikers Fritz hands out to his younger brothers are decidedly on the sharp tongued side, as opposed to how he describes Ulrike and Amalie. I also recall that when he writes to Heinrich from the first Silesian war a very early letter, he says to give his love to "Wilhelm the Tall", which again is complimentary. So we have another bit of evidence that in the 1730s and 1740s, Heinrich (and Ferdinand at least in the 1730s) were the least favourite siblings.
I really don't know, I'm just throwing speculations out there. Maybe Ferdinand was just a hyperactive six-year-old running around knocking things over like a normal six-year-old! And maybe Heinrich was acting like a normal thirteen-year-old hitting puberty and looking in the mirror a lot.
We should get our hands on Dechamps' memoirs anyway; he might mention it, being angry at Fritz & Co.
Have added it to my to-find list, if felis doesn't beat me to it. :)
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Ferdinand the Coming Menace
Date: 2021-03-30 04:13 pm (UTC)Boreas is also the *north* wind, so it could be a reference to some coldness perceived by Fritz, who is always happy to accuse others of coldness.
Narcissus: faint memory and I'm in a meeting so I can't check, but didn't Ziebura say that Heinrich was vain about his appearance in the pre-smallpox scar days? And this is definitely pre-smallpox. 13 is also the age at which it's common to start worrying about your appearance, so it would make sense.
Heinrich being My Brother Narcissus at 13 already sure is.... something. Start with the mirror imagery early, Fritz, why don‘t you?
Five-year-old Ferdinand as the worst of the Hohenzollerns is also something. He's five, Fritz!
Re: Ferdinand the Coming Menace
Date: 2021-03-31 01:09 pm (UTC)Would be as good an explanation for the "Boreas" nickname as any. I don't recall it from Pangels, but then I only skimmed the Ferdinand chapter, and what I do recall is her complaining about Ferdinand getting all his opinions from Heinrich and being totally ungrateful towards Fritz. Bielfeld doesn't mention it in the letters about becoming Ferdinand's teacher in 1740, but then Bielfeld wouldn't. We should get our hands on Dechamps' memoirs anyway; he might mention it, being angry at Fritz & Co.
Boreas is also the *north* wind, so it could be a reference to some coldness perceived by Fritz, who is always happy to accuse others of coldness.
But Ferdinand has always shown him friendship!
didn't Ziebura say that Heinrich was vain about his appearance in the pre-smallpox scar days?
I just checked, and as far as I can see, she mentions it once, when describing the effects of the smallpox itself, i.e. saying that smallpox the scars left in his face "were a blow to the vain boy". This is some years after Fritz is writing the letter, which doesn't mean Heinrich couldn't have been vain before, and you're right, 13 is a classic time for starting to pay attention to how you look. Btw, if you're right about the reason for "Boreas", that means both monikers Fritz hands out to his younger brothers are decidedly on the sharp tongued side, as opposed to how he describes Ulrike and Amalie. I also recall that when he writes to Heinrich from the first Silesian war a very early letter, he says to give his love to "Wilhelm the Tall", which again is complimentary. So we have another bit of evidence that in the 1730s and 1740s, Heinrich (and Ferdinand at least in the 1730s) were the least favourite siblings.
But Ferdinand has always shown him friendship!
Re: Ferdinand the Coming Menace
Date: 2021-03-31 01:23 pm (UTC):D
I really don't know, I'm just throwing speculations out there. Maybe Ferdinand was just a hyperactive six-year-old running around knocking things over like a normal six-year-old! And maybe Heinrich was acting like a normal thirteen-year-old hitting puberty and looking in the mirror a lot.
We should get our hands on Dechamps' memoirs anyway; he might mention it, being angry at Fritz & Co.
Have added it to my to-find list, if
Re: Ferdinand the Coming Menace
Date: 2021-04-01 04:20 am (UTC)...okay, I totally laughed :D