The New Century's Goddess

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1870)

This Danish writer, best known for his short stories for children, attempted to diversify into what he called “philosophical stories”, several of which had visionary and prophetic qualities.


The New Century’s Goddess (1861)

The muse of the twentieth century we shall never know, but our children may and our grand-children certainly will. Yet we cannot help wondering what she will look like or what songs she will sing: which strings in man’s soul she will touch, and to what heights she will raise her age.

Andersen is coy as to where this Goddess will appear, tantalizing the reader with:

One lovely morning she will arrive. She will come riding on the back of the modern dragon, a locomotive, through tunnels and over bridges…

and in answer to the rhetorical “and when will she appear”, Andersen has a prophetic comment to make:

Soon the Great Wall of China will crumble. The railroads of Europe will reach the closed archives of Asian culture. The two streams of culture will meet and the rapids of the double river will have deeper tones than have ever been heard before.