Drosselmeier

Origin
Drosselmeyer is the mysterious magician-like figure in Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker. Called affectionately "Uncle Drosselmeyer", he is the godfather of Clara, the heroine of the ballet (or Marie, as she is called in the original story). It is never explained in the ballet where he comes from or why Drosselmeyer has magical powers, but one of them, apparently, is the ability to bring toys to life. He sets the entire plot of The Nutcracker in motion by giving Clara the toy on Christmas Eve. Clara is especially fond of him (though their relationship is not borderline romantic, as some who see the ballet believe).

In E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, on which the 1892 Tchaikovsky ballet is based, the reason for Drosselmeier's involvement is made clear. He was once Official Ratcatcher for the King and Queen, and set mousetraps for the Mouse Queen and her children. This led to a series of incidents involving the surviving Mouse King which culminated in Drosselmeyer's nephew being turned into the Nutcracker by a magic spell.

Public Domain Appearances
Literature:
 * The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
 * The Tale of the Nutcracker

Stage:
 * The Nutcracker