Otto of the Silver Hand

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussions of child abuse and graphic violence.

Howard Pyle describes the Middle Ages as a time of war, wickedness, and superstition and a time of which little is known because few records were preserved. He notes that there were also people who attempted to live by a more benevolent sense of morality based on the teachings of Christ. Many of these people lived in monasteries across Germany. Otto and Brother John lived in one such monastery in Otto’s younger years, and it was there that Otto found peace and purpose. As Otto grew, he came to understand the dichotomy of humanity and learned to rise above wickedness “by gentleness and love” (2). For this reason, Otto came to be admired by many. Pyle is glad that Otto’s story can be enjoyed in the form of a novel and that people no longer live in such brutal times.

Castle Drachenhausen (Dragon House) sits atop a formation of flat gray rock overlooking the land. The serfs live in the valley below, always struggling to make crops grow. Their children appear almost wild. Past the huts of the serfs is a large river and a great forest where wolves and other beasts live.