der märchenkönig

For a split second, the breath seems to still and the heart seems to take a temporary hiatus and only the eyes and the brain seem to register..  The eyes take in the portrait of an unknown man..  I guess the saying ‘to take your breath away’ seems to ring true in this moment in time..  In a way, it is kind of amusing to find yourself with the feelings bordering on what is so oddly referred to as an ‘ historic crush’..

My eyes were set upon a picture of a young man whose features can only be described as 'beautiful, stunning'..  After a brief period of time spent staring at him, I realize the photograph was taken in 1874..  Thick, slightly arched brows..  Thick, wavy hair that defies a comb but lends itself to make the man more endearing..  Eyes, that in the black and white photo, appear to be of a pale color; my mind begins to color them: a rich blue, a liquid silver, a watery green..  It has been written that some said his eyes were blue, others have said they were steel grey..  Nonetheless, they were intense, piercing and haunting; the windows to a soul that was conflicted, tortured and alone, to say the least..

Several pictures later, quite a collection is logged in my memory..  A tall, slender man in a uniform..  A man seated in the company of others, but his sheer presence seems to cast a shadow upon his companions..  A close-up picture that seems to capture not only a man in his youth, but it captures a sadness, a solitude that is still felt over 125 years later..  I soon come across a photo of a casting of bronze of his right hand and a death mask..  Even in death, he is still breathtakingly handsome..

Wilhelm of Hess (l), Prince Otto (c) and King Ludwig II (r)

He is King Ludwig II of Bavaria..  Known as the Swan King, the Fairy-Tale King and the Mad King, he was born in 1845 to Crown Prince Maximillian and Princess Marie of Prussia..  At the age of two, he became the crown prince when his grandfather, the current king at the time, abdicated the throne in favor of his son after much pressure..  After a short illness, his father dies an, at the age of eighteen, he was a king..  Although he was not fully ready to accept the responsibility placed on his shoulders, he became Bavaria’s most beloved monarch and is still to this day..  During his reign, he promoted such public figures as Richard Wagner and built the famous Neuschwanstein Castle though his desire to build romanticized, picturesque castles nearly bankrupted him and Bavaria..

 

Then, just shy of his 41^st birthday in 1886, he dies under very mysterious circumstances while out alone on a walk with his doctor..  His death was ruled an accidental drowning though some say it was a suicide, others say it was murder..  Official cause of death has been challenged for well over a century and has spawned many conspiracy theories..

A memorial cross at Lake Starnberg to mark the spot where King Ludwig's body was found.

 Whatever circumstances lead to this man’s death, it abruptly ended the life and soul of a strong, yet stirring, fragile man who loved music, the arts, architecture to near obsession, who possessed a brilliant mind and had an aura about him that many have said was ethereal, powerful and ultimately tragic..  I was not born for another 83 years, but during those years and in my lifetime thus far, he has lived up to one line he had written to his closest friend and cousin, Empress Elizabeth, “I wish to remain an eternal enigma to myself and to others.  “  Of the many wishes Ludwig II has so desired, I believe this one had been granted during his lifetime and has preserved this man into history for the ages..

It has been over 126 years since this man's death and yet there is no real proof of what happened that day which lead to his unfortunate demise..  Why is it too much to ask what happened..?  Why not reveal the proof of how he was murdered or reveal the proof if it was indeed a bonafide suicide..?  Anyone involved with a cover-up in either declaration is long dead and why not let this man's soul rest, let him and his legacy live in peace..?