An orphan girl named Heidi is Switzerland’s most iconic literary character.
She was created 145-years ago by author Johanna Spyri in her first two and most famous novels.
Numerous films and TV-series — even animated versions — have told Heidi’s story, but few modern productions have focused on the book’s deeply Christian narrative.
A new German-language series promises to “bring to life both the magic of the Swiss Alps and Heidi’s emotional development from orphan child to young woman.”
But there’s no mention of the faith-based storyline and its Biblical inspiration.
HEIDI IS INTRODUCED TO PRAYER AND BIBLE STORIES
One of the original books’ pivotal moments occurs when Heidi is lonely and homesick while living in Frankfurt as a paid companion for Klara, a girl with a disability from a wealthy family.
Klara’s grandmother recognises Heidi’s despair and advises her to speak to God in prayer.
“When you have a sorrow that you can’t tell anyone, you cry out to the dear God in heaven and ask Him to help,” the grandmother says.
She also teaches Heidi to read and introduces her to illustrated Bible stories.
Heidi is especially touched by the parable of the prodigal son.
HEIDI READS THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON TO HER GRANDFATHER
When she moves back to the Alps to live with her grandfather, she shares the story with him and he is moved to tears.
For years he had been angry, bitter and reclusive over the accidental deaths of Heidi’s parents.
After hearing Heidi’s story and when she falls asleep, he prays the words of the prodigal son:
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
HOW HEIDI’S GRANDFATHER IS CHANGED AFTER CRYING OUT TO GOD
This marks a dramatic shift in his character.
He begins attending church again and seeks reconciliation with villagers he had wronged.
“The Biblical story of the prodigal son is not Heidi’s — it’s the grandfather’s,” Ralph Kunz, professor of practical theology at the University of Zurich, told Christian Daily International.
Professor Kunz described the grandfather as “a stubborn, socially isolated, genuine sinner” who is restored through Heidi’s innocence and unconditional love.
“He suddenly realises I am needed. He develops compassion and finds healing. It’s one of the most beautiful conversion stories.”
THE GRANDFATHER’S BACKGROUND
The professor adds that the novels imply the grandfather once squandered his wealth and may have struggled with addiction.
After losing his own children in a tragic accident, he withdrew from society in an experience reminiscent of the prophet Job.
“Modern adaptations [of ‘Heidi’] often leave out the deeper spiritual arc,” Professor Kunz reflected.
“But that’s why the grandfather lives on the mountain. He is the prodigal son. It takes the miracle of the child Heidi to open his heart.”
“HEIDI BECOMES AN INTERPRETER OF THE GOSPEL”
“In Spyri’s version, not only does a lost son return to the father, but a grandfather finds his lost God again through the return of the child.”
“The roles are reversed. Heidi becomes an interpreter of the Gospel, embodying divine love without the burdens of institutional religion.”
Christian Daily writes that for Heidi, becoming a Christian is an act of redemption and belonging.
As an orphan, she is drawn to the story of the prodigal son because of her own sense of displacement.
There is someone who is looking for me, she realises.
SWISS AUTHOR JOHANNA SPYRI WAS A DEVOUT CHRISTIAN
Johanna Spyri who was a devout Christian, subtly wove these themes into the narrative.
“One of her aims was to show how the pagan Heidi — her full name is Adelheid — becomes a Christian,” noted Professor Kunz.
Ultimately, Heidi is not a story about a perfect rural life, he added.
“It was never intended to simply portray an idealised Switzerland. It’s far more profound than that.”
