Specifics of the narrative Pilandok desired to cross a crocodile-infested river. On a journey to tell the Sultan of the number of crocodiles in the river, He trotted away, much to the relief of the reptiles. The narrative concludes with the merchant drowning in the water in Pilandok's place. Pilandak is a fictional character in a 1735 novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe called The Courier From Vienna. Goethe based his character on Friedrich Karl von Osten-Sacken, a famous German courtier and diplomat who served as Austrian ambassador to Turkey from 1683 to 1689 and again from 1694 to 1697. Goethe wrote the book while he was working as a government clerk in Weimar. The novel tells the story of Friedrich Karl's life from his childhood through his first diplomatic post in Vienna to his return to Turkey as an adult. Goethe originally titled his novel "The Adventures of Friedrich Karsch". In this title, we can see that Pilandok is a real person whom Friedrich Karl meets during one of his adventures and decides to emulate by becoming a courier like him. But since Goethe used this name for another character in his novel, he changed it to "The Courier From Vienna". Both characters are merchants living in Istanbul who go on various adventures while traveling between Europe and Turkey. They meet many people along the way including spies, thieves, and even royalty.