Who Is Leo?

: Astrology in Hermann Hesse's "Die Morgenlandfahrt"

Author(s): John Derrenberger
Source: Monatshefte, Vol. 67, No. 2 (Summer, 1975), pp. 167-172
Published by: University of Wisconsin Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30154921
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WHOIS LEO? :
ASTROLOGY
IN HERMANN HESSE'S DIE MORGENLANDFAHRT

JOHN DERRENBERGER
Hamline University

The most comprehensible event in the mysterious relationship between

confused H.H., the protagonistof HermannHesse's "symbolic autobiography,"'
Die Morgenlandfahrt(1932), and paradoxicalLeo, the servantand leader of the
Order of Voyageurs, occurs at the very end of the novel. H.H., having been
challenged, as a condition of readmittanceinto the Order,to seek knowledge
about himself in the apparentlyinfinite archivesof the organization,discoversa
statue that is actually a fusion of two figures,one representingLeo and the other
himself. After lighting two candles, H.H. sees this representationof a combined
nature clearly and, in addition, understandsthat the being of Leo must in the
future dominate. For H.H., this is the moment of true self-knowledgein the
process of individuation.Those characteristicswhich Leo embodies must in the
future manifest themselves as the ones most essential to H.H. This introduces
then the question: What are the characteristicsof Leo? Just before "Morbio
Inferiore"2and H.H.'s fall into unwitting apostasy, one discoversthat Leo is an
ideal servant,loved by all, cheerful,whistles at work, friend of animals,wants to
learn language of birds and is a natural as opposed to unusual and fantastic
person. Later one learns that he lives at 69a SeilergrabenStraie, a fact un-
covered by a man, Lukas, whose name means "light" and who found this
information in that most ordinaryof books, the telephone directory.But, so as
to mark the special significanceof this event, Lukas is reported to have found
the name and addresswith "fabelhafterSchnelligkeit"(GS, 6, 41). In addition,
one learns that Leo engages in cutting nails, pedicure, massage,preparationof
ointments and herbs and dog care, that he believes play is what makes life
worthwhile, that he does not know people, only animals,that his card file in the
order's archive,in addition to relatively explainable,in view of his high position
in the order, referencessuch as "archiepisc."and "diacon." (GS, 6, 61), oddly
enough also records"cornuAmmon." (GS, 6, 61), the horns of Amon.
This colorful but confusingarrayof attributesand interestshave led various
critics to seek out in a variety of places acceptableantecedentsfor the figureof
Leo. T. Ziolkowski3feels that Leo Pecorella,a discipleof St. Francis,might well

Monatshefte,Vol. 67, No. 2, 1975

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168 Derrenberger

be the inspiration for the animal-lovingLeo of the novel. R.H. Farquharson4

inventively sees in the graceful devotee of the late evening none other than
Hesse's household pet, L6we, the cat. J.C. Middletons arguesthat Leo might be
inspired, at least in part, by the "Inner Controller" of the Brhadaranyaka
Upanishad,a suggestionwhich does have the dual merit of an Easternorigin and
an appeal to Hesse's central concern for the question of self. Hesse, though,
suggests another area one might investigate,namely astrology, the study of the
relation between the soul (the self), and the universe; the ancient, magical
science of the intimate ties between the microcosm and the macrocosm.At the
beginning of his sketchy autobiography,Kurzgefaf3terLebenslauf (1925) Hesse
notes:

ich wurde geboren gegen das Ende der Neuzeit kurz vor der beginnenden
Wiederkehrdes Mittelalters, im Zeichen des Schiitzen und von Jupiter
freundlichbestrahlt. Meine Geburtgeschahin friiherAbendstundean einem
warmenTag in Juli (GS, 4, 469).

Thus one learns that, playfully or not, Hesse is awareof astrology,and that the
signal features of his horoscope, features which will presumablybe transferable
to H.H. of Die Morgenlandfahrt,are: Hesse is a Moon Child or Cancer(born 2
July 1877). His ruling planet is therefore the moon. Jupiterplays a largerole in
his fate since it is the rulingplanet of Sagittarius,the sign in which he was born,
and was furthermore, expressly in favorable position in his natal chart. In
astrology the moon is one of the two primarylights, but it is alwaysstudied in
relation to the dominant primarylight, the sun, to which the moon standsin a
"feminine"6 or passive relation. In general the moon governs "outward man-
nerism and general behaviour" (Astrology, p. 25). The sun, the dominant
primary light, reveals "the real underlyingself" (Astrology, p. 25). With this
relationshipin mind, it is illuminatingto note that while Hesse is a Cancerruled
by the moon, the sun rules the next sign on the ecliptic from Cancer,Leo. Thus,
the astrologicalattributesof moon and sun, of Cancerand Leo, also reflect the
novel's thematic core of dominanceand submissionin the question of self.
Astrology assumes that at the moment of birth the soul travels down
through the orbits of the plants, the spheres of the Ptolemaic vision of the
universe, receivinginfluences in varying degrees of intensity dependingon the
position of the planets in the zodiac relativeto the time and place of birth. This
at once explains the differencesin individualfates, since no two personsmay be
born in precisely the same place at preciselythe same moment, and, in addition,
the magicalassumptionthat every individualfate is associatedintimately, indeed
in a reciprocal cause and effect relationship,with the universe.A study of the
cosmos is also the study of an individualhuman soul. Looking to Die Morgen-
landfahrt for a description of the nature of the journey, one finds that it is
generally characterizedas a voyage of the soul. The journeyers accomplished
"Vorst6tfe in das Reich einer kommendenPsychokratie"(GS, 6, 10), the first

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Hesse'sDie Morgenlandfahrt 169

steps toward founding a realm of the soul. The particularmovement with which
H.H. is associatedis "nur eine Welle im ewigen Strom der Seelen" (GS, 6, 15).
The east is specifically defined as "die Heimat und Jugend der Seele" (GS, 6,
24). Indeed, on being initiated into the order, the speaker for the leader
addressesH.H. as "animapia" (GS, 6, 14), or pious soul. This appellationin turn
hearkens back to Hesse's essay, written the same year as the novel, Ein Stiick-
chen Theologie (1932) (GS, 7, 388-401) in which he outlines the general
progress of a human being in the process of individuation(Menschwerdung)
from innocence to guilt and concomitant despair. From despairthe fortunate
proceed only by an act of belief to salvation. All stages of this process are, of
course, enacted in the novel. Typically, Hesse views this procession of states as
"eine Entwicklungsgeschichteder Seele" (GS, 7, 391).
In the same essay, Hesse divides all men into two types, the rationalistic
(verniinftig)and the pious (fromm), thereby supplyingthe adjectiveelement of
the novitiate title "animapia." The characteristicsof the pious person are: He
feels himself "der Natur und der Kunst gegentiberstets sicher und bei ihnen zu
Hause," he believes in "eine iiberrationaleWeltordnung,"he feels that man is
"ein dienender Teil der Erde," he lacks a taste for command, he "verliebtsich
leicht in Mythologien,"and he has a tendency to play (GS, 7, 397-399). All of
these features apply variously to H.H. and Leo. To be sure, H.H. once loved
mythologies, since he sought Fatme on the journey and kept company at
Bremgartenwith Don Quixote and Pablo disguisedas Mozart.That he was once
a member of the Order,attests to his belief in a suprarationalprincipleof order.
It is noteworthy, however, that both of these convictions seem to be lost after
"Morbio Inferiore" and not regaineduntil contact with Leo is reestablished.
Throughoutthe novel though, it is Leo who can stay out all night and who is a
friend of all animals, secure in his strong sense of nature. It is Leo who
contradictsH.H. and warns him that play is the very element which makes.life
"schon und gliicklich"(GS, 6, 49). It is Leo who whistles and sings and strongly
regrets that H.H. gave up music, thereby evincing his sense for the arts, here
typically reflected as music. And it is Leo who with word and deed provesthat
he leads not by command, and that in service a high goal is achieved.Thus, for
H.H. to become truly a "pious soul" in accordancewith the requirementsset
forth in Ein Stiickchen Theologie, he must become more like Leo, or rather,he
must recognize and realize in himself those features which he lacks and Leo
possesses.
And finally, in addition to being the dominant primarylight, the sun, and
the complete complement to the journeying soul, Leo is related to Jupiter, an
importantplanet, it will be remembered,in HermannHesse's natal chart.When
H.H. secures Leo's card from the archives,in addition to other information,he
reads "cornu Ammon 6." (GS, 6, 61), the horns of Amon 6. Amon is an
Egyptian deity, who in the eighteenth Theban imperial dynasty became Amon-
Ra, the sun god and god of gods. His helmet traditionallyhas two prominent

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170 Derrenberger

feathers,hence givingthe appearanceof horns. The six may referto the fact that
the sixth house of the zodiac is the house of service(Astrology, p. 94), thereby
respondingto a majortheme of the novel. Later,Amon-Rawas identified by the
Romans as being Jupiter. This path is admittedlycircuitousand challenging,but
then it makes a good game, and that clearlyis importantto HermannHesse.
Other events in the novel also admit of an astrologicalinterpretation of
Leo's relationshipto H.H. At one point H.H. relates the apostasy of one of the
voyageurs during a temporaryhalt in the journey at a Swabianor Allemannic
village occasioned by an opposition between Saturn and the moon (GS, 6, 18).
Although he mentions parallelcrises in belief among "Schicksalsbriider" (GS, 6,
20) of the unfortunate apostate, he fails at this time to recognizehimself in this
same category. At Bremgarten,his last period of innocence and cheerful opti-
mism about future prospects, H.H., a Moon Child and consequently subject to
the water triplicity, enters into a timelesszone of forgetfulnessduringa swim in
the "mondkiihleKristallwelt"(GS, 6, 26) of the water nixies. Whenhe emerges
again he notes that the moon is still high in the heavens (GS, 6, 26). At this
point he queries Leo about the relativeinsubstantialityof authorscomparedto
their creations. Leo replies with an explanation of the rule of service and
remarksthat this also is the fate of mothers. The irony of this exchangehas long
been noted since Leo, the fictive figure, gains in presence relative to H.H.,
Hesse's, the creative artist's, own poetic counterpart. It should be noted in
addition that the moon also "stands for the feminineprincipleof motherhood"
(Astrology, p. 26), thus doubly damningH.H. as Moon Childand artistfigure to
a condition of evanescence.It is as if H.H. falls too much under the influence of
his lunar character, forgetting thereby the important attributes he finds in
Leo-piety, joviality and the law of opposites contained in the play of the
primary lights. Instead of seeking the totality of "self" which the journey
promotes, H.H. contents himself with an imbalancedaspectivationof his "self."
Thus, it is significant that "MorbioInferiore" occurs in October (GS, 6, 30)
under the sign of Libra,the balance, to underscoreH.H.'s perniciousfailure to
counterweighthis Moon Child propensities.H.H. sufferswith an inability to tell
his tale since the unity of the endeavor is shattered by his own inner discon-
tiguity. He laments "nirgendsist eine Einheit, ein Mitte, ein Punkt, um den das
Rad sich dreht" (GS, 6, 35) and recognizesthat the only source of information
is his own "self," but that this "self" has now become nothing more than "eine
auseinanderscherbende Massevon Bildern"(GS, 6, 35).
By recognizingthat the locus of the problem is within himself, H.H. has
made the criticaldiscoverywhich will allow him to become whole and complete.
It seems paradoxicalthat his "self" or "soul" is both the cause and cure of his
malaise. But in truth this is the very essence of the concept of "self." It is an
entity so devised that it can shatter apart and the parts then examine one
another in cool abstractionor open animosity, that the "self" can curse the fact
that it knows what is right, but tenaciously does the wrong. At any rate, H.H.,

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Hesse's Die Morgenlandfahrt 171

caughtup in himself, learnsfrom Lukasthat there is an AndreasLeo who lives at

69a SeilergrabenStrai~e.The number 69, especially in a horizontal position, is
the symbol of the zodiacalsign Cancer,H.H.'sbirth sign. SeilergrabenStraiseand
Leo's appearancemay be interpreted as references to the fact that Hesse was
born in Sagittarius,the archer.It will be rememberedthat Leo is wearingcloth
shoes with rope soles, a reference to Seilergraben,a type of shoe which H.H.
seems at first to believe are athletic shoes (GS, 6, 45). Furthermore,H.H. notices
that Leo's gait is "leicht, spielerisch,aberstraff, gesundund jugendlich"(GS, 6,
44). All of which is to say that Leo has pronounced athletic qualities. This
accordswith the Sagittarianinfluence on physical characteristicswhich produces
a person who is "usuallytall, athletic looking" and who, furthermore,is given to
a "free carelessnessof dress"(Astrology, p. 73). H.H. notes that Leo, in addition
to his athletic manner of walking, "trug... seinen bloifen Kopf auf blofsem
Halse, der aus einem offenen blauen Hemd herauskam"(GS, 6, 45). Leo is a
casual dressertoo. Finding Leo then, correspondsto finding missing, or rather,
ignored, but important aspects of H.H.'s "self," all deducible from the astro-
logical information given at the beginning of Kurzgefaf3terLebenslauf. This
schema also explains why H.H. never thought of Leo as havinga first name-the
concept of himself was incomplete. As has already been indicated, Leo's first
name is Andreas, a name from the Greek noun transliteratedas andros, or man.
And to be a whole man is a propergoal for H.H.
The last section of the novel beginningwith Leo's delivery of H.H. to the
halls of the Orderand culminatingin H.H.'s examination of the statue entered
under his name in the archives,richly suggestsastrologicalmeaning.The leaders
are summoned by Leo's song, reminiscentof the Ptolemaic musical intoning of
the spheres. The workings of the archivelead H.H. to believe "die ganze Welt
samt dem Sternhimmel [wird] regiert oder doch registriertund bewacht" (GS,
6, 56), a fair enough description of the purpose of astrology. Leo when he
appearsas the leader is dressedin gold and his words are "sanftund begliickend
wie Sonnenschein"(GS, 6, 65), all of which one would expect of a figurewho
variously representsleadership(Jupiter) and the sun. And lastly, H.H. does not
really recognize or understandthe figurative representationof himself in the
archiveuntil he lights two candles,(GS, 6, 75) so that both of the primarylights,
sun and moon, Leo and H.H., areworkingin conjunction.

'Theodore Ziolkowski, The Novels of Hermann Hesse: A Study in Theme and

Structure(Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress,1965), p. 253.
2HermannHesse, GesammelteSchriften (Berlin:SuhrkampVerlag, 1957), 6, 28. All
references to this edition are given parentheticallyin the text as GS, volume and page
number.
3Novels, p. 278.
Monatshefte,55
4"The Identity and Significanceof Leo in Hesse'sMorgenlandfahrt,"
(1963), 123.
S"HermannHesse'sMorgenlandfahrt," GermanicReview, 32 (1957), 305

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172 Derrennberger

6MargaretE. Howe, The Modern Textbook of Astrology (London: L.N. Fowler,

1951), p. 25. All informationon astrologicalthinkingis taken from this book becauseit is
relatively clear and seriously written, being a textbook for the Faculty of Astrological
Studies in London. All furtherreferencesto this text aregivenparentheticallyin the text as
Astrologyand pagenumber.
7This tension betweenmasculineand feminineis, of course,reminiscentof C.G. Jung's
animus/animaprinciples.Jung, incidentally,is himself a Leo, born 26 July 1865, and is
often quoted by astrologersbecauseof his interestin their subject.

INTERNATIONALE ROBERT-MUSIL-GESELLSCHAFT
The Internationale Robert-Musil-Gesellschaft was founded in Vienna, June 1974.
It proposes to collect and publish the complete works of Musil (prose, theoreti-
cal writings, letters, notes), to analyze Musil's language, and to classify his works
historically. Almost all western and eastern European nations, as well as USA,
USSR and Japan, are represented on the board of the IRMG, whose members
include: Friedrich Herr, Minister Sinowatz, Friedrich Torberg (representing
Austria); Andre Malraux, Marcell Brion, Robert Minder (France); Hermann
Kesten, Hans Mayer, publisher Ledig-Rowohlt (BRD); Horst Kunze (DDR);
Ruzena Grebenickova (Czechoslovakia); Slatko Gorjan (Yugoslavia); Denis de
Rougemont, Jean-Rodolphe von Salis (Switzerland); Bernhard Guillemin, Walter
Sokel, Otto Rosenthal (USA); Ignazio Silone (Italy); Elias Canetti, Bruno Fiirst,
Eithne Kaiser-Wilkins (England); Tibor Dery (Hungary). The official address of
the Internationale Robert-Musil-Gesellschaft is: D-6600 Saarbriicken 11, Uni-
versitd'tdes Saarlandes.(Ed)

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