You have probably heard of Munchausen syndrome, a psychological condition in which a person is driven to spin fantastic tales about false symptoms and illnesses for attention. It is formally referred to as “factitious disorder imposed on self," or in the case of Munchausen by proxy, “factitious disorder imposed on another.” That's when a parent gains attention by insisting their child is sick when there is no illness present. The disorder was not named for the doctor who discovered it, but for a pop culture character from the 18th century.
Baron Munchausen as a character is legendary for telling tall tales about his military career, from traveling to the moon to riding a horse underwater to battling exotic beasts to riding a cannonball. His appearances over the centuries saw him change from a liar to a deluded old man reminiscent of Don Quixote. The original novel about him, Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of His Marvelous Travels and Campaigns in Russia, was published in 1785 and gave birth to a character featured in many stories and several films since then. But that original novel by Rudolf Erich Raspe only portrayed him as a teller of fantastic tales that no one believed. In reprints and translations, the story grew until Munchausen was a mentally ill buffoon.
However, there was a real Baron von Munchausen, whose name was Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, and he was not pleased at all for his title to be associated with such a character. Hieronymus was a storyteller, but not a liar, and he spent the rest of his life trying to find Raspe and suing anyone associated with the novel. Read the story of the real Baron von Munchausen at Smithsonian.
(Image credit: Gottfried Franz)
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