Erdgeist begins Frank Wedekind’s two-play Lulu cycle adapted in Pandora’s Box.
Erdgeist, often translated as Earth Spirit, introduces Lulu and the network of relationships that define her dramatic world. It is followed by Die Büchse der Pandora, usually translated as Pandora’s Box. Together, the plays trace Lulu’s rise, social entanglements, decline, and violent end.
The 1929 film draws from both plays rather than adapting only the second one. That is why the film’s title is associated with Die Büchse der Pandora while its story also includes material and characters developed in Erdgeist.
Erdgeist was first published and performed in the 1890s. It should not be confused with Wedekind’s later play Spring Awakening, another work that became internationally famous but is not the opening play of the Lulu cycle.