Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

das blonde Heimchen am Herd

English translation:

faithful blonde Hausfrau at home

Added to glossary by Dr Andrew Read
Jan 24, 2004 19:31
20 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

das blonde Heimchen am Herd

German to English Art/Literary Journalism
"Die Frauen der Nazis". Dokumentation, Deutschland, 2001. **Das "blonde Heimchen am Herd"**, das dem "Führer" zahlreiche Kinder schenken sollte; die ideologisch gestählte Frau und Mutter, die fanatisch dem Nationalsozialismus dient: so sah das Idealbild der Frauen im Dritten Reich aus.

Proposed translations

+3
5 hrs
Selected

faithful blond Hausfrau

I think there's a good argument for adding the extra adjective "faithful", as somehow the English needs an extra adjective for the rhythm, as some of the answers imply; and "faithful" fits in well with the description afterwards.

As for "Hausfrau" this is quite often used in English in a gently disparaging way about certain type of German woman.

Look at this quote from the first ref:
"I thought that, if I went with Werner, I would be better hidden: a little Hausfrau in a kitchen living with a member of the Nazi party who worked for the company that made the planes which were dropping the bombs on London"

And this from the second one:
"Oddly enough, it was Clemens's main concern that Bettina should marry well and become a proper hausfrau. He was afraid that his sister would hook up with a mad poet. "

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Note added at 2004-01-25 01:29:58 (GMT)
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Or for nice rhythm: \"a faithful, blond-haired Hausfrau\", or \"a loyal, blond-haired Hausfrau\"...

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Note added at 2004-01-25 01:31:45 (GMT)
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Both \"little\" and \"proper\" also go with \"Hausfrau\" as in the two quotes above.
Peer comment(s):

agree Johanna Timm, PhD : Given the fact that a Heimchen is really a cricket, maybe 'ever-busy' or something along those lines would work, as well- with busy+blond making for a nice alliteration
51 mins
I didn't know that "Heimchen" meant "cricket"! Thought it was just to do with "Heimat", etc. :-)
agree Mario Marcolin
10 hrs
agree Textklick : I think that within the context of such a book, Andrew's suggestion is by far the best.
11 hrs
Thanks very much!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you all for your creative input :)"
4 mins

Background info

Duden - Heimchen am Herd: eine naive, nicht emanzipierte Frau, die sich mit ihrer Rolle als Hausfrau und Ehefrau zufrieden gibt. Nach dem Titel der Erzaehlung von Ch. Dickens "Cricket on the Hearth"

Maybe the loyal housewife at the kitchen stove?
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+1
5 mins

happy little homemaker

I'd leave out blonde here to make it more organic in English. (You could make the children blonde ...)
Peer comment(s):

agree Lars Helbig
7 mins
neutral Ulrike Lieder (X) : Leaving "blonde" out may be more organic, but given the specific context, it should most definitely be included. The Arian ideal (blonde, blue-eyed) was an important aspect of Nazi ideology.
4 hrs
Hence my suggestion to make the children she bears for the Führer blonde. Same effect.
neutral Dr Andrew Read : agree with Ulrike's comment
5 hrs
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+1
7 mins

(ordinary) housewife

(verächtlich) ein Heimchen (am Herd) (just a) housewife, an ordinary housewife

Lanenscheidt
Peer comment(s):

agree Brandis (X)
1 hr
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50 mins

"perfect little wife and homemaker"

from an era when men referred to their wives as 'the little woman'.

Although Hitler praised the prolific "Aryan mother as the equal of the Aryan soldier, National Socialism rendered German women invisible except as child bearers and child raisers. The ideal Nazi wife was the wholesome, athletic, peasant type—a domestic mother and helper to her husband: "Her whole world is her husband, her family, her children, her house."
http://www3.sympatico.ca/mighty1/essays/lessons1.htm
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52 mins

dedicated housewife

I agree with Norbert regarding the word "blonde", but feel that "happy little homemaker" is a little too frivolous for this context. Rather than being happy, I think that they were expected to be "dedicated" - to their family, the Führer and the Cause. So I would suggest "dedicated housewife" or "dedicated homemaker"
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+4
1 hr

perfect blond housewife

seems to fit the context

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Note added at 1 hr 32 mins (2004-01-24 21:04:29 GMT)
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given the Nazi context it seems to me that \"blond\" should be kept in the translation
Peer comment(s):

agree Ulrike Lieder (X) : I agree that "blond" should definitely be kept in the translation
3 hrs
agree Johanna Timm, PhD : w. Ulrike."blonde" is part of the job description here
4 hrs
agree Mario Marcolin
15 hrs
agree Nancy Arrowsmith : maybe industrious. Blond is definitely part of the Aryan "Wunschvorstellung."
1 day 5 hrs
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7 hrs

blond, good little wife / wifie

"housewife" and "homemaker" are not derogatory enough. "Heimchen am Herd" is the opposite of an emancipated woman. Something like "good little wife" comes IMO much closer.

On almost any television show there is always the good little wife that waits until the husband comes home to make any important decisions.
http://www.instant-essays.com/cinema_&_television/women-on-t...

Dina Merrill is good as Emily, but her role is terribly dated. She plays it as if she were a Stepford wife, a good little wife who will patiently wait until her husband stops boozing it up and whoring around.
http://www.movbuy.com/Classics-Movies/Butterfield-8.asp


cf:
In other words, Ida hasn't set up her University simply to educate women, but because she is foolishly dissatisfied with the world as it is: the "happy ending" occurs when Hilarion convinces her that the world is fine as it is ("I see my error now"), and leaves the follies of women's education to become a good little wifie. (You see that I haven't abandoned my conviction that Ida is an anti-feminist piece in essence.)
http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/princess_ida/discussion/pi5-1...

Sadly, some women really choose to play a dumb, incompetent little wifie ("don't you worry your pretty little head over that"), afraid that learning skills and achieving something in the world would destroy their marriage.
http://www.antiaging.com/cyberhealth/CyberHealth_13.htm

the males look upon it as their job to support the family while the little wifie picks up all the household chores.
http://oii.net/Forum/messages/26146.shtml
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17 hrs

dedicated blonde guardian of the kitchen stove

deliberately just a tiny bit flippant; might fit - who knows....
Incidentally, and importantly, the HOUSEWIFE will be BLOND*E*, not blond! This I think may be the only English adjective gender-modified in this way.
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19 hrs

blonde-haired little cookie baker at the hearth

cookie baker comes closest to the meaning of Heimchen (US)
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1 day 10 hrs

blonde little housewife

just an alternative
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