Footprints

©Hermann Monument

There is a 32-foot statue of Hermann the Cheruscan - the Romans called him Arminius - at New Ulm, Minnesota. Hermann's story goes like this:

Hermann, a Cheruscan chieftain, negotiated an alliance between the Marsi, Bructeri, and Chatti tribes and his own warriors to defend Germania against Roman conquest. In September of 9 AD, Arminius' cunning strategy led to the ambush and defeat of the 17th, 18th, and 19th legions of imperial Rome under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus. This running battle, fought amid the Teutoburg Forest, ended abruptly in the Narrows near the Kalkriese Berg, initiating a change in Tiberius Caesar's foreign policy. Although Caesar sent eight more legions to Germania, Arminius and his brave warriors continued their fight for freedom. Increased casualties and a dwindling treasury during subsequent battles between Arminius and Germanicus Caesar convinced Tiberius to abandon Germania in 17 AD. The alliance faltered in the absence of a common foe; intertribal strife and jealousy led to Arminius' assassination by his kinfolk.

Our freedom from the Romans was so definitive that Germany's "Roman" neighbors still hold it against us that we are totally ignorant of Latin culture.

Hermann's footprint at New Ulm (©Bring me the News)

Coming back to New Ulm, Minnesota. The City's Convention and Visitors Bureau manager informed the press that a footprint of Hermann had been located in a basement during cleanup and that it possibly was cast in Germany. He had put the 4-foot-long footprint on display on the wall outside his office with a note: Deutsche haben mehr Spass. Do Germans have more fun just because we have larger feet?

Later, New Ulm's tourism chief admitted that he had the mold cast by a local artist and added, "I felt terrible all along." You know, I was an altar boy for six years. I feel very un-altarish. 

It seems Red Baron's father was right in a remark he made about radiologists: They start as altar boys, later learn to lie, cheat, commit perjury, and then take X-rays.

Hermann der Cherusker near Detmold (©Wikipedia)

The New Ulm "altar boy" quickly recovered: It's been a fun promotion. We're expecting significant reactions at the local Oktoberfest. Did he get "his" idea when he had heard about another footprint of Hermann, larger than the one at New Ulm?

The footprint in Germany was cast in 2009, the Varus Year, commemorating the second millennium of the famous battle. It is permanently displayed at Detmold, the city near the Hermann Memorial in the Teutoburg Forest. Hermann's statue on top measures nearly 27 meters (88 feet), with his footprint corresponding to 2.1 meters (7 feet). Like in New Ulm, the foot was sculpted to attract tourists.

Looking for more and other footprints, I came across carbon or green footprints. You can calculate your personal ecological footprint using two programs I found on the Internet:

The UK program gave the following result: I need 1.71 planets or use a surface of 3.08 ha (7.6 acres) for my resources, broken down into food 26%, home 21%, travel 12%, and stuff 41%. My carbon footprint is 6.1 tons per annum.

The German program resulted in my personal footprint of 2.43 "earths" (4.37 ha, 10.8 acres), with food accounting for 24%, home for 33%, travel for 13%, and stuff for 30%. It is only a little comforting that, at 5.1 ha (12.6 acres), the average German citizen has a larger footprint than I do.

I know that my travel figure is low, for I use my car only for 5000 km (3000 miles) a year, walk what is accessible on foot, and take the train for longer distances. My apartment is built according to current environmental standards, and we keep temperatures low in winter.

Having already switched my incandescent bulbs, starting as early as 1999, to neon (actually mercury) tubes, I now change to LEDs whenever possible. Elisabeth and I eat more fish than meat and keep locally produced fruit and vegetables for our groceries. On the other hand, I like my electronic gear and am always looking for more speed and efficiency.

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