Kara Ben Nemsi

Kara Ben Nemsi is a fictional character in the works of Karl May, best-selling 19th century German writer. An alter ego of the author, everything is written from the first person perspective. He travels throughout the Ottoman empire, alongside his friend and servant Hadschi Halef Omar.

Kara Ben Nemsi on Rih

His character, being identical to that of Old Shatterhand, owns two famous rifles, the Bärentöter (Bear Killer) and the Henrystutzen (Henry Carbine). He rides a fabulous black horse Rih (from Arabic رِيح meaning "wind").

Origins and Meaning of the Name

May first introduces the terms "Nemsi“ and "Nemsistan“ in his third story set in the Orient Die Rose von Sokna (The Rose of Sokna) published in 1878. There he translates the terms used by a caravanner or rather by the Arab servant of the yet unnamed first-person narrator as "German" and "Germany" respectively. The name Kara Ben Nemsi first occurs in „Reise-Erinnerungen aus dem Türkenreiche von Karl May“ Giölgeda padiśhanün ("Travel-Memoirs from the Empire of Turks by Karl May" in the Shadow of the Padishah) later called Durch die Wüste (Through the desert) published in 1880/81 where it is spontaneously made up by servant Hadschi Halef Omar during an introduction:

"This steadfast fellow had once asked my name and had truly remembered the word Karl, but being unable to pronounce it, he has quickly converted it to Kara and added Ben Nemsi, ‘offspring of the Germans’." –GIÖLGEDA PADIŚHANÜN, 1880/81 (Translation from Oriental Odyssey: Through the desert, Nemsi Books, 2002 translated by Michael M. Michalak)

In a later part of the story where May uses "Nemtsche-schimakler" ("Northern Germans, Prussia") and Nemtsche-memleketler ("Austrians") it becomes evident that May associates the terms "Nemsi" and "German" with a German state in the sense of the German Confederation instead of with the young German Empire in which he publishes these stories.

“The most courageous man was the ‘Sultan el Kebihr’, but still he was vanquished by the Nemtshe-shimakler (Northern Germans, Prussia), the Nemtshe-memleketler (Austrians) and the Moskowler (Russians). Why do you look at me so intently?” –GIÖLGEDA PADIŚHANÜN, 1880/81 (Translation from Oriental Odyssey: Through the desert, Nemsi Books, 2002 translated by Michael M. Michalak)

When not taking about the name and in his later works May likes to use "Almani" and "Belad el Alman/Almanja" in his stories set in the Orient to mean 'German' and 'Germany' respectively:

"The land is called Belad el Alman; therefore I am an Almani or, in case you have heard of that term, a Nemsi and am called Kara Ben Nemsi. My fatherland is located far across the sea." – KRÜGER BEI, 1894/95

Belad el Alman ("Land of Germans“) is also directly associated with Kaiser Wilhelm I and therefore the German Empire:

"I have heard of the Belad el Alman. It is ruled by a great sultan, who is called Wi-hel (Wilhelm) and has defeated the French. They are our enemies; therefore every Almani is a friend of ours and my people will be delighted to see you. Of course you're also a warrior?" – EINE BEFREIUNG (A Liberation), 1894

The Ottoman Turkish نمچه (rendered nemçe or nemse in modern Turkish) meant Austrian, the German language, or the Habsburg monarchy from it derives the modern Arabic اَلنَّمْسَا (An-Namsā) meaning Austria and نِمْسَاوِيّ (Nimsāwiyy). The term likely originates from the Proto-Slavic for Germans, němьcь meaning literally "someone who is mute" referring to foreigners in general and Germans specifically. Modern Arabic refers to a German as أَلْمَانِيّ (ʾAlmāniyy) and to Germany as أَلْمَانِيَا (ʾAlmāniyā).

In Ottoman Turkish قره rendered Kara in modern Turkish and Qara in English and Azerbaijani Turkish for example means "black". It can be found used as first name in Turkish (see for example Kara Osman) while the Ottoman Turkish rendition of the first name here matches the common Persian spelling of an Arabic name found in the name of the Sabian Mathematician Thābit ibn Qurra for example this seems to be an Arabic rendition of a Syriac term possibly related to the Hebrew קָרָא (kará) related to reading or a different spelling of the Arabic قرا relating to travel or "back" not the Turkish term for "black".

A possible Ottoman Turkish rendition of the name "Kara Ben Nemsi" would therefore be قره بن نمچی because most modern Arabic dialects do not have a letter directly corresponding to چ in Ottoman Turkish and because the letter "Yeh" is rendered as ي in modern Arabic not ی as in Ottoman Turkish a fair rendition of the name in modern Arabic would be قره بن نمسي.

In his later work May seems to prefer deriving Kara directly from the color of his beard instead of his first name:

"Concerning my name, I was not called by my actual name but instead as during my previous travels, I was called Kara Ben Nemsi. Kara means "black" and Ben Nemsi "son of Germans". I sported a dark beard and was a German; therefore this name." – EINE BEFREIUNG (A Liberation), 1894

Original German stories
  • Durch Wüste und Harem (1892), since 1895 with the title Durch die Wüste
  • Durchs wilde Kurdistan (1892)
  • Von Bagdad nach Stambul (1892)
  • In den Schluchten des Balkan (1892)
  • Durch das Land der Skipetaren (1892)
  • Der Schut (1892)
  • Orangen und Datteln (1893, Anthology: Die Gum, Der Krumir and others)
  • Eine Befreiung (within Die Rose von Kaïrwan, 1894)
  • Im Lande des Mahdi I (1896)
  • Im Lande des Mahdi II (1896)
  • Im Lande des Mahdi III (1896)
  • Satan und Ischariot II (1897)
  • Er Raml el Helahk (within Auf fremden Pfaden, 1897)
  • Blutrache (within Auf fremden Pfaden, 1897)
  • Der Kutb (within Auf fremden Pfaden, 1897)
  • Der Kys-Kaptschiji (within Auf fremden Pfaden, 1897)
  • Maria oder Fatima (within Auf fremden Pfaden, 1897)
  • Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen I (1898)
  • Die »Umm ed Dschamahl« (1898)
  • Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen II (1898)
  • Am Jenseits (1899)
  • Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen III (1902)
  • Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen IV (1903)
  • Bei den Aussätzigen (1907)
  • Abdahn Effendi (1908)
  • Merhameh (1909)
  • Ardistan und Dschinnistan I (1909)
  • Ardistan und Dschinnistan II (1909)

In the story An der Tigerbrücke (within Am Stillen Ocean, 1894) the first-person narrator mentions, that he is identical to Kara Ben Nemsi and Old Shatterhand.

Within the book series Karl May’s Gesammelte Werke there is a sequel of Am Jenseits: „In Mekka“ (1923) by Franz Kandolf.

English translations of Karl May's works

See also

References
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