Georgslied

The song is a Georg Old High German poetry, emerged towards the end of the 9th century.

In a manuscript of the first Old High German poet known by name Otfrid of White Castle ( about 800 *, † after 870) was at the turn to or at the beginning of the 11th century by an unknown writer, the Old High German poetry of Georg song a. The song tells of the conversion, the condemnation, the martyrdom and the miracles of the Cappadocian Erzmärtyrers and soldiers Saint George, whose feast was celebrated on 23 April and will. The Old High German Georg song is based on the rise of the 9th century Latin versions, the process the oldest Greek legend of St. George from the 5th century. Perhaps the Georg song extends to the end of the 9th century back, perhaps the textualization of the song was preceded by a long oral tradition, but perhaps also existed a written submission. Sometimes a authorship of the poet Otfrid was considered.

The Georg song consists of about 57 verses in ten traditional stanzas, but which has played only inadequate orthographic the clerk. Alemannic and Franconian dialect features are present, some points into the Rhine and Central Franconian. Orthographic similarities are found in the Murbacher hymns and glosses, which in turn are associated with the early medieval monastery of Reichenau; conscious character changes as they occur in the Reichenauer brotherhood book, also occur.

In the classification of Georg song in the general context of early medieval Georg worship the ( historical and Germanistic ) Medieval Studies is not unanimous. The Old High German Georg seal could have originated in the Eifel monastery of Prüm. The Carolingian family monastery had received in the year 852 by Emperor Lothair I ( 840-855 ), the elder brother of Louis the German, an arm relic of the Cappadocian saints. This Prüm became a center of the East Frankish Georg worship. But even a birth of Georg song in Swabia and on the Reichenau seem to be possible. Due to the Archbishop of Mainz and Reichenauer Abbot Hatto III. ( 891-913 ) came George relics to Swabia, including the " Georg main " to George's Church in Reichenau- top cell ( 896 ). That from Lake Constance monastery in the subsequent period in Swabia and beyond spread an intense Georg worship is to see from the cult line that extends from Reichenau to the monastery of St. Georgen in the Black Forest ( 1084/1085 ). Even the linguistic findings of Georg song refers rather to Swabia and on the island of Reichenau.