Hans Hummel

In the early 19th Century, when Hamburg was without central water supply, Hans Hummel, real name Johann Wilhelm Bentz, was a water carrier in Hamburg-Neustadt. He is regarded as the origin of the Hamburg salute "Hummel, Hummel - Mors, Mors". According to the traditional narration, Bentz was teased by children with the nickname “Hummel, Hummel” (Bumblebee, Bumblebee) again and again, to which he would reply with "Mors, Mors" a short form of „klei di an'n mors“ the Low German version of the famous quote by Goethe’s Götz von Berlichingen (Sod you!).