ABSTRACT
A little known utopian fairy tale written by Carl Ewald during the Weimar period in Germany, A Fairy Tale About God and Kings, tells of a group of citizens who, fed up with the kings that rule them, trek to heaven to appeal directly to God. Having talked their way past the heavenly guards, they present their petition. If you are indeed good and all powerful, they plead, you must do something about these kings. God consults extensively with advisers, and goes so far as to commission senior angels to research the matter. Days go by, and the citizens group waits patiently, sure that justice will be done. Eventually, they are called again before God who, flanked by teams of celestial counsellors, gives an answer. Commanding the citizens to return back to earth, God explains, ‘Kings were not my idea. They are your own invention, so there's nothing I can do for you; you will have to sort it out yourselves.’ 1
