Talk:Christian Heinrich Heineken

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Is this all that is known of him? I would like to know more if anyone has any sources. Thanks

I read somewhere that he wrote a history book at age three. I must admit though the claims about him are so extreme that a bit of skepticism seems warranted. Especially as many of the sites I've seen on him are paranormalist or believe that he proves the existence of reincarnation.--T. Anthony 08:09, 27 October 2005 (UTC)

Extreme? They're patent bullshit. I move for a deletion of this article or that it be moved to a folklore or mythology section on the following grounds:

1. It lacks any shred of reliable evidence
2. It's scientifically/biologically/developmentally impossible, not just improbable
3. It's so utterly ridiculous that it only makes a mockery of the real prodigies
4. By keeping it on Wikipedia it perpetuates the falsity that the "facts" presented are genuine.

--24.126.30.46 08:53, 12 December 2005 (UTC)

To 24.126.30.46: it is a folk history, which may contain a mixture of true and fantastic elements, or may have been inspired by a true event and exaggerated in the retelling. The source cited for the information (which means you improperly used the "unreferenced sources" tag) is recounting the folk history, not saying that it is absolutely true. I've edited the entry to take note of this.

--David3565 11:16, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

Adding the folklore deal was a good idea, but this should not be deleted. It was an important story in the history of stories about prodigies. Even though it's exaggerated and odd it's still culturally notable. Like the story about that Egyptian magician who supposedly lived a 120 years and could reattach the severed heads of chickens.(I'm not making this up, I just can't remember his name. He existed in the Pyramid building age, around the time of Khufu or Cheops) Anyway that story is likely bunk, but if we don't have an article on him we should.--T. Anthony 02:50, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

His name was Dedi. We don't have an article on him, but I'll start one.--T. Anthony 13:20, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

I agree T. Anthony, but I also think it is plausible that has some basis in fact. For comparison, I pulled this bit from the article on Jean-François Champollion, the translator of the Rosetta Stone and father of Egyptology:

He was born at Figeac, Lot, in France, used to live in Grenoble for several years, and showed an extraordinary linguistic talent, even as a child. By the age of 16 he had mastered a dozen languages and read a paper before the Grenoble Academy concerning the Coptic language. By 20 he could also speak Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Amharic, Sanskrit, Avestan, Pahlavi, Arabic, Syriac, Chaldean, Persian, and Chinese in addition to his native French.

And from what I remember from his being mentioned in the TV series Connections, Jean-François read the Bible twice by the time he was four (don't quote me on that). And as amazing as that story is, the details of it are true. It demonstrates that while the story of Christian Heinecken may, in fact, be severely exaggerated, it doesn't mean that the kernel of the story--that he was an amazing prodigy who died young--is unture. Butchering the article with redactions based purely on opinion destroys any chance of research; the details in the story provide important clues for tracking down the actual facts. And if those are changed or deleted, then you loose the chance of finding anything out. --David3565 05:54, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

Folklore Note Placement

I think the folklore note should be moved to the top of the page just for clarity. The fantastic elements could make it hard to swallow for a reader, as we saw above. If you think it should go back to the bottom, I won't object. --69.19.14.36 21:40, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

This source from 1838 makes his story sound a bit more plausible or at least comparable to other prodigies. It states.

1. He repeated words at ten months, not shortly after birth.
2. He spoke three languages by age three, but could not necessarily read in them.
3. He did not know how to write until shortly before his death.

--T. Anthony (talk) 12:52, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

The line about him lecturing on four dimensions is clearly a mistaken reference to the child progidy Willian Sidis (see http://hiqnews.megafoundation.org/William_Sidis.htm) who "delivered his famous two-hour lecture on “Four-Dimensional Bodies” to the Harvard Mathematical Club." I have deleted that sentence from the main article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.203.106.13 (talk) 01:46, 15 May 2011 (UTC)

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