Gerhard Fankhauser

Urfan Gerhard Fankhauser

The story of Urfan is set in Europe and the near Orient during the Middle Ages. Urfan, an instrument maker from the French Pyrenees, is visited by an enigmatic bard who bears a message from a mysterious Master. This message calls on him to leave everything behind him and to embark on a journey, which will last seven years. Urfan refuses at first; however, when his family deserts him he gives himself over to his destiny and sets out on the path. During his travels he becomes a bard himself, is initiated into the ancient Celtic rites, undergoes countless adventures and comes to know true love, magic and genuine friendship. At the market of Avignon he meets Salim, an oriental dervish who then joins him on the journey. Salim embodies the wisdom of the Orient, is well acquainted with esoteric knowledge, is a Tea Ceremony Master and becomes a loyal friend. An engraved symbol hidden inside an antique pocket watch leads the companions to a secret society and into the patronage of a powerful and influential member of the lodge: Monsieur Jerome. At this noble mansion, Urfan and Salim encounter Anna, a former nun who now tends to the garden. She developed the gift of clairvoyance and her dreams and visions reveal not only the Master that had called to them, but also the way to the Mystery School.