This paper examines German Romanticism’s profound impact on the European literary culture and how German writers such as Novalis (pen name of Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg) and E. T. A. Hoffmann planted the seeds that would grow into the masterful works of George MacDonald. By examining the characteristics and historical context of the German Romantic movement, the connections to George MacDonald become clear. Through his fairy tales and fantasy novels, MacDonald became a powerful influence on future fantasy writers C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Madeleine L’Engle. Examples of three key characteristics of German Romanticism can be found in the works of these authors, tying all four writers together to point back to the impact of the German Romantic literary movement. Those characteristics are infinite longing, forests and night, and the presence of the supernatural. Tracing contemporary authors back to their roots produces a kind of literary genealogy that will only continue to grow.