Tijl and Nele

The ponds of Ixelles-Elsene at the Flagey square are always attractive to me, rain or shine. 

I have not shown this monument, dated 1894, before. It is dedicated to the memory of author Charles De Coster whose novel "The Legend of Tijl Uilenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak" is based on the figure Tijl Uilenspiegel (meaning Owl Mirror),  shown here with his lover  Nele. 

Tijl is a fictional character in Flemish-German folklore, a rascal, wandering through 16th century Flanders and Germany, making jokes right and left. He is considered a  hero, a fighter against the influence of the church and the Spanish occupation of the Netherlands. 

The character however is not a creation of de Coster. Stories are known to go as far back as the beginning of the 16th century. 

The first sentence of de Coster's story tells how Tijl was born in Damme (near Bruges)  in May of 1527 on the same day as Philip II.

A movie based on the novel was filmed in what was the USSR "The Legend of Till Ullenspiegel" 

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