Between 1782 and 1787, Johann Karl August Musäus published five volumes of fantasy stories, legends, and sagas. Despite the title, Volksmährchen (Folk Tales), the stories were based mainly on literary sources. They were conceived as an antithesis to the sentimental novels of the day and were meant to stimulate the readers’ imagination as opposed to stirring their feelings. For Musäus, imagination was the secret ruler over intellect.