Abstract

In the “Whirl of Being.” The Birth of The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Friedrich Hebbel. As a result of dubious editorial policy, Nietzsche research has always dealt only with the text of the later editions of The Birth of Tragedy from 1874/78 and 1886, in the erroneous assumption that these largely resemble the first printing. Surprisingly, the 1872 edition is therefore virtually unknown. It does, however, show significant differences from the later editions, especially since it exhibits a strong influence of Hebbel’s tragic worldview that is later obscured in favor of Wagner. The first edition is more nihilistic, poetic, and powerful; Nietzsche’s later revisions have rather diluted the Birth of Tragedy’s argument and given it a different direction.