Stinz
Encyclopedia
Stinz is a comic book
created by Donna Barr
, chronicling the adventures of Steinheld Löwhard, or "Stinz"---a centaur
who lives with other centaurs and "two-leggers" in an imaginary Alpine valley called the Gieselthal.
The society of the Gieselthal is very reminiscent of pre-World War I
Germany, and the people speak a German
dialect
invented by Barr herself. The Gieselthal centaurs call themselves halbpferd ("halfhorses") and look down on the nomadic "gypsy centaurs" who come through their valley at intervals. While relations between centaurs and "two-leggers" are usually cordial, there is normally some distance---centaurs see "two-leggers" as weak and fragile.
Stinz Löwhard is, uniquely among his people, a veteran of the military, having attained the rank of Major, and war-hero status, in the last war fought in his world. He was greatly changed by his eight years' military service, and often feels rather alienated from his neighbors and family on account of it. Even so, he is a loving, faithful husband and tries to be the best father he knows how to be. He is quite wealthy, by the standards of his home, and holds the titles of "Räth" (council member) and Mayor at various times.
The Stinz stories cover his life through his mischievous youth, up through his stormy courtship of his neighbor's daughter Brüna, his induction into the military, some of his war exploits, and his life after his return home.
Barr has recently published the 1981 novel in which Stinz (in very different form) first appeared, under the title An Insupportable Light.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
created by Donna Barr
Donna Barr
Donna Barr is an American comic book author and cartoonist.She was born in Everett, Washington, the second child in a family of six siblings....
, chronicling the adventures of Steinheld Löwhard, or "Stinz"---a centaur
Centaur
In Greek mythology, a centaur or hippocentaur is a member of a composite race of creatures, part human and part horse...
who lives with other centaurs and "two-leggers" in an imaginary Alpine valley called the Gieselthal.
The society of the Gieselthal is very reminiscent of pre-World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Germany, and the people speak a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
invented by Barr herself. The Gieselthal centaurs call themselves halbpferd ("halfhorses") and look down on the nomadic "gypsy centaurs" who come through their valley at intervals. While relations between centaurs and "two-leggers" are usually cordial, there is normally some distance---centaurs see "two-leggers" as weak and fragile.
Stinz Löwhard is, uniquely among his people, a veteran of the military, having attained the rank of Major, and war-hero status, in the last war fought in his world. He was greatly changed by his eight years' military service, and often feels rather alienated from his neighbors and family on account of it. Even so, he is a loving, faithful husband and tries to be the best father he knows how to be. He is quite wealthy, by the standards of his home, and holds the titles of "Räth" (council member) and Mayor at various times.
The Stinz stories cover his life through his mischievous youth, up through his stormy courtship of his neighbor's daughter Brüna, his induction into the military, some of his war exploits, and his life after his return home.
Barr has recently published the 1981 novel in which Stinz (in very different form) first appeared, under the title An Insupportable Light.