The study is devoted to the first German translation (1500) of Apuleius' »Metamorphoses« by Johann Sieder. On the basis of three transmission sources, it examines developments in translation and the history of book printing, and discusses three central interpretations of the »Golden Ass«, pinpointing their relations to ancient and medieval traditions in the reception of the »Metamorphoses«. The author traces the German reception of the »Golden Ass« as far as Grimmelshausen, whose interpretation of the »Metamorphoses« casts significant light on the genesis of the modern novel.