The Ahasverus Project

Walk the walk

Ahasverus is traditionally the name of the wandering jew, a shoemaker who taunted Christ on his way to crucifixion. "Thou shalt go on forever till I return" Jesus said, and the shoemaker was punished for his indescretion by being forced to wander the earth until the second coming of Jesus.

An allegorical view claims that the wandering Jew personifies any individual who has been made to see the error of his wickedness, if the mocking of the passion eptomizes the callousness of mankind toward the suffering of human beings. It is unclear where the myth comes from, but there are records of similar stories from the 13th century, and in early 17th century stories about Ahasverus is printed.

Ahasverus has been a subject to many great authors and artists. In litterature he has been depicted by Schlegel, Shelley, Goethe, Andersen, Dumas, Kipling, Heine and Swedish authors Victor Rydberg and Pär Lagerkvist. There are therefore several different interpretations of Ahasverus in literature, film and art. He can be the wandring jew, mocked by the nazis, a bitter sinner, a regretful and wise very old man, or man giving up to his shortcomings. Actually, he is not unique in his wandering. He is accompanged by Kain, S:t Germain, Buttadeus, Cartaphius or Malchus. In the Koran, it is Sameri who is the one who was cursed by Moses to wander forever because he helped make the golden calf.

As a child I had a dream in fever. I was walking in a desert-like landscape, knowing that I had to walk on straight forward until something stopped me, another walking human, or an object. There were absolutly nothing in front of me, and it seemed like ages until I finally saw another human that I had a course that may coincide with my one. We spoke to each other as long as we could hear the other, but missed our possibility to break the curse with inches. That feeling of despair never left me, but came back from time to time. It still does.

In Victor Rydbergs "Prometeus and Ahasverus" the two meet, both cursed to suffer eternally. They handle it differently. One take his punishment with pride and think that his deed was worth is, the other is bitter and sees the values of man beeing destroyed by matter. Their dialogue is quite long, and ends with Christ coming their way. They never met. Not even the returning redeemer could solve Ahasverus from his curse. This double nature of the artist springs forward in Rydbergs work.

There are several records of sightings of Ahasverus. Last time he was seen in Sweden was 1652. But I think I see him every day.