German peasant trickster of folk and literary tales.
The historical Till is said to have died in 1350; anecdotes associated with his name were printed с 1500 in Low German and from 1515 in High German. In the tales the stupid yet cunning peasant demonstrates his superiority to the narrow, dishonest, condescending townsmen, as well as to the clergy and nobility. The tales were translated into Dutch and English (с 1520), French (1532), and Latin (1558).