Ruodlieb

Ruodlieb is a Latin epic poem of the early Middle Ages, which was probably written about the middle of the 11th century by a monk at Tegernsee good Leonine hexameters. The work, of which about 2,300 verses are delivered in eighteen fragments, can be used as an early precursor of the courtly romance of the 12th century are considered. There apparently was no dissemination.

In the story of the knight Ruodlieb who pulls into the world to seek his fortune, motifs of fairy tales and heroic sagas with realistic portrayals of life of both the nobility and the peasants in the ( Upper Bavaria ) are connected village. An important role in living skills that are either followed by the characters or not followed ( to their detriment ). The narrative in addition to its part fairy -like, colored mood also a sober moral- didactic intention.

Discovery, editing and background

" So I 've recently discovered a fragment of a knight poem in leonine rhyme, where the names Rudlieb, Immunch, and the battle of the First with the dwarves ( nanus ) occurs. " With this terse remark of the librarian Bernard Joseph Docen, of the sighting acquired through secularization in 1803 Books of the Royal Court and State library in Munich was responsible, begins in 1807 the history of the exploration of this by his very nature, unique work of medieval Latin literature.

The scholar took a total of probably 15 double leaves that had served as a binding material various of stored in the monastery library Tegernsee codices, but he could not bring in a logical order. In the following years further still leaves have been found that, as far as one can still prove were abused as well in the second half of the 15th century. Since the discovery of the last fragments of 1981 There are 21 by bleed more or less severely damaged parts of double sheets of formerly Tegernsee held by it, which we deliver in 2320 verses or Versfragmente and have once formed a matched bundle of sheets of parchment that was never bound.

Founded in 1830 in the Upper Austrian Abbey Library of St. Florian discovered double sheet with 140 verses, however, is the remnant of a second manuscript which falls outside, the palaeographic finding by larger letters, regular verse numbers on each side, rubrications, paragraph division and another writer differs from Clm 19486.

The comparatively unclean Munich fragments appear partially represent only a rough draft of Ruodlieb while the sheet from St. Florian, probably also dates from the monastery of Tegernsee, can be considered as part of a fair copy. Since the corrections in the text of the Munich fragments were made primarily of prosodic reasons and were probably carried out by a single source, is here with some certainty before an autograph of Ruodlieb.

Approx. 40% of the plant are likely to be lost, if taken into account the existing content gaps and thereby assumes the loss of only double sheets.

The first reasonably satisfactory edition and commentary of the text managed by the first edition of Jacob Grimm and Johann Andreas Schmeller 1838 finally Friedrich Seiler in 1882, but remained many questions about conjectures, fancy text passages or the semantics of some terms up in the 1990s, points of contention research.

The authorship of the Ruodlieb has not let up today clarified. The assumption that it could be the author is Froumund of Tegernsee, revealed itself to chronological reasons to be untenable, since the characteristic style of " fair copy ", which should be well written shortly after the rough draft, to the late or outgoing 11 century is dated and isolated corrections are therein which are probably attributable to the author himself. Because of the large number of Tegernsee manuscripts from this period and the consequent given comparisons, one is able to make fairly accurate datings, which earlier approaches, which settled the work in the first half of the century, or its center, have lost some of its plausibility.

They had performed as dating argument put forward that the representation of the royal court and the diplomatic Gebarens could be based only on autopsy of the author, where a meeting of Emperor Henry II with the French king Robert in 1023 or the glamorous court of Henry III. (1039-1056) are said to have acted on anonymous. However, these considerations are too vague and therefore not mandatory. It is also unclear whether the anonymous epic poet has ever finished his work. Because on the back of the last page and on one side of the first double sheet of predominantly written by one hand, there are eleven Munich Codex written down by the same person epigrams. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the Clm was continued over 19486 of Docen already mentioned abruptly terminating dwarf scene beyond.

However, the fragment of St. Florian could have come from a thoroughly completed total capacity of Ruodlieb, as a first version of the text on wax tablets should not be unlikely and therefore the Clm 19486 must not be taken as the sole template.

That the Work in its time of origin of no great importance was attached, shows not only the absence of a book binding is not so much characterized enabled shameless material exploitation four centuries after they were written, but rather the fact that no notes of later users exist on the text leaves a so intense reception must be excluded. This is supported by the fact that a seal as the Ruodlieb, commonly referred to as a novel, in Latin was no successor and also vernacular products of similar nature only in the middle of the 12th century occurred in the French -speaking world. Whether the Ruodlieb is ever created at the Tegernsee, can not prove, but so far there is nothing.

It is striking that the most likely belonging to the clerical able poet had only very little interest in the direct exploitation of ancient authors. Thus, although in general Pliny the Elder is the only author mentioned by name and quoted apparently, but except for a Aeneisstelle that had to be this of course turned into a leonine verse, are probably no quotes before. However, the knowledge of various authors and works, it may be assumed. Includes, in addition Virgil and the Etymologiae of Isidore of Seville, with very high probability Ovid, the Waltharius epic or even the Vita Udalrici of Gerhard of Augsburg. The same is true at least for the Gesta Apollonii Tyri, a hexametric version of the novel Historia Apollonii Regis Tyri. Also, the Alexander Romance substance will have been known to our poet.

Demolition of the scenario

One of the resulting fragments to the following course of events happening can be derived: An initially designated only as vir quidam miles, or as a nobleman is forced to go away from his home. For in spite of self-sacrificing devotion to duty for his domini locupletes he received from them no assistance against other potentates who he had just made in the exercise of his faithful services to enemies, and now sees no other way than his manor and his widowed mother to leave and only accompanied by a squire to bring abroad in safety. Once there meets the exul now common on a hunter of the king, impressed by the exterior and the dignity of the mounted refugee quickly befriends him and introduces him to his king. The knight is the king's court his hunting art to the test and may enter the service of the generous king, who allows him for his outstanding moral, but also technical qualifications to climb to the commander and chief negotiator. For when loots a booty funny Margrave of the neighboring king, who is often referred to as rex minor to distinguish from the former king, rex maior, the border area, masters of miles with flying colors the task to stop the aggressor by defeating the Count in open battle and captures with 900 men. In the course of negotiations between the two kings, our knight comes to the court of rex minor, where he plays off another talent in the truest sense of the word chess. He manages a reconciliation meeting between the two potentates willing to negotiate, which finally takes place on a bridge over the border river and runs very harmonious. Here, in great detail the procedure of some formal some friendly expressions of politeness and the extensive exchange of gifts is described. No sooner is this prime example finished at Christian rule conception and exercise, a messenger delivers him a letter from his former master and his mother, in which he is asked earnestly to return home, because now all his opponents were off and threatens no danger. At this point the name Ruodlieb is first introduced for our knight, so the first step toward resolution of the hitherto well-maintained complete anonymity is done. The king dismisses his faithful servant at the latter's pleas and requests Ruodlieb as a parting gift to choose whether he would have pecunna (sic) or sophia. His distinctive cliens Ruodlieb decides by his own admission because of the durability of wisdom without hesitation to these and thus receives from his Lord twelve wisdom teachings and to two loaves, one of which Ruodlieb to crack one when he reunited with his mother, the other when he marries. When the bread is bread treasure inside which jewelery, jewels and gold coins hidden in pictures of silver. The Ruodlieb concealed contents are described to the reader before passing it in great detail and splendor.

These strange at first sight, Thank you gifts of the rex maior are typical topoi in the so-called advice tales, under the star of the next section of the epic, the home stands. Immediately after his departure, is joined by a redhead to Ruodlieb who has left his squire, but the warning of redheads in the first piece of advice alerted opposite him rather aloof behavior. The character of the rufus, as proves to be fast, diametrically opposed to that of his gallant companion and reflects the outlook designed the first piece of advice image: thieving, short-tempered, lustful, violent and ruthless he is on the loose and is punished for his boisterous behavior by gets beaten up for entering the cornfields, contrary to the second, he of course unknown advice promptly from the affected farmers. On the tip of his misconduct is driven as he disgusted to spend the night of the show with Ruodlieb in an old, wealthy woman with a young, virtuous husband, quartered in a young, unhappy with an old, miserly man married a farmer. He talks a her to be able to deliver them out of their situation by giving it feeds his alleged Mr Ruodlieb on whose behest. When he picks up the you in advance promised by her love reward, the aged husband caught the couple in flagrante delicto, and then the redhead hurt him fatally. Purified forgives the husband on his deathbed the two who have to answer for his imminent demise in court, where the unscrupulous rufus searches being lying to shift the blame to the wife according to the usual manner. You, however, regret the events so that they would get imposed on the worst forms of penance, so it will be granted henceforth a life as a hermit to live with stringent regulations, while the wily redhead has to atone well with his life for his act.

After this digression Ruodlieb now is back in the forefront of the action. We meet him, accompanied by his nephew again, he tries to get free from the dependence on a slight girl. With it, he found himself on a nearby just before the border to his native noble residence of a grieving still for her husband 's widow, who, as it turns out later, a close connection to Ruodliebs mother maintains that even the godmother ( commater ) her youthful, gorgeous daughter is. Our anonymous author describes this exceedingly pleasant stay in Ruodliebs kleinadliger society particularly detailed. Be mentioned alongside the more detail to be examined evening entertainment scenes of re- use of buglossa when fishing, the living representation of a watchful dog and a fun scene with pater noster aviary birds cawing. His immediately following return from abroad, where he has spent ten years running not last very joyfully through the treasury bread opening. Now, the reader learns that Ruodlieb has stopped all the time, amazingly, at the Afri. Now the nephew and the noble girls are married in a relaxed atmosphere, which Ruodliebs mother takes occasion to grumble about their age and ask Ruodlieb to marry. Previously, however, Ruodlieb reconciled with his former masters and enfeoffed extensive. In the courtship he takes advice from friends and relatives to ensure compliance with the seventh wisdom teaching. An initially promising candidate of fornication is transferred to a Cleric, what Ruodlieb takes as an opportunity to teach her a lesson. In allowing her the garments deliver disguised as a gift, which acted as corpora delicti, he gives her publicly to compromise rebuffed without it. A surprising twist in the plot transition occurs as the mother of her son Ruodlieb told by their very allegorical dreams in which an enormous able increase her son, namely to marry a king's daughter and obtaining the kingship, is promised. A large gap allows only vague speculation as to what has happened to us in the conversation Ruodlieb met with a caught him dwarf who offers him for his release, the decisive help to build up the kingdom of King Immunch. This would also fall from Ruodliebs hand as his son Hartunch and then he would only heres tunc sola superstes, the princess castle marital Heri, to enter into possession of the kingdom. After a invective of the dwarf against the perfidy of the people the story ends abruptly with the earnest request of the dwarf wife to release her husband. The following are on the back only seven wrote in leoninischer verse epigrams, which have no apparent relation to the Ruodlieb.

Genus question

The discussion, which type of literature you have with the Ruodlieb Now imagine, is as old as his (modern ) history of reception. Seiler precipitated in the title of his edition was a clear verdict: Ruodlieb, THE OLDEST NOVEL OF THE MIDDLE AGES. Looking at recent research opinions, then a different picture, in which the work of many something seems to be, but in the end a clear assignment is not possible. Man confesses to him in the consideration of this question today at least, to stand out from all the Latin works of the Middle Ages the Roman genus closest. Fairy tales, heroic legends, hagiography, Knight mirror and adventure novel: All of these types of literature shaped the Ruodlieb and given him a unique and independent form each dominate certain parts of the work.

This is where find in the last two fragments, set pieces of the traditional in several variants Ruodliebsagenstoffs use most evident. Therefore, the judgment is likely to partially Hans Naumann's true, the Ruodlieb was " the North narrative typically closer than the southern world." Since he could probably as good as ever cease to have effect, it is very little light to bring chronologically classify plants according to him in touch with him to construct a line of development. But you can, for example, to the Old French " chansons des gestes " or the highly chivalric medieval Middle High German language find many similarities that point to a common set of stories. But the differences are at least as many on: Despite fragmentation can safely say that no genre is even close persevered over the whole work time. Even the main character Ruodlieb is in too many scenes are not the focus, but is at most observers, even if in the end with an outstanding fate have is. All these factors would come the Ruodlieb prefer the term " failed experiment " especially if the literary value rather skeptical researchers. One may speak of a failure if you look at the barely as such significant influence. The language of the Ruodlieb is difficult because the poet of prosodic reasons sometimes goes to the limits of understandable words. Also, the author hardly proves that he can be called a homo eruditus.

But can you deny him the education because he failed and own, though often forged clumsy verses the competitions of other authors? It has been proven there are a lot of overlap with other authors that can hardly be attributed to chance or only to a similar background experience alone. To see him as a brilliant mind, each of the models constructed bar your own fabric, which happened to be in an altered form in the literary flowering of the High Middle Ages emerged a century later in different places again, should pass well to reality. Instead, you should, besides the use of the monastery library but mainly emanate from the braiding of oral narrative traditions and adopt a mostly clever and imaginative link between the various elements. However, our clerical author has a gift that makes this performance in the Shadow: He is able, in short episodes very graphic images and relatively good character representations perform, which can overlook some linguistic clumsiness. Despite the unusual nature of the narrative element diversity but the work is quite recognizable as a child of the early Middle Ages: In the ideal-typical, initially just kept anonymous for this reason figure of the pious and capable knight, the emergence of ethos reflects. Clerics, however, do not play a major role, but their relation to the nobleman prominent position clear to the reader made ​​aware, so not entirely fictitious atypical for the former social order situation.

As alleged addressees of this moral and educational tale, the aristocratic convent students are likely to be seen. Despite the high degree of anonymity of the work appear on an identification with the realm of the rex maior at least three places outside of messenger reports signs. Whether it is in fact evidence of a reality withdrawal or poets in a somewhat strange way the position of the miles / exul / occupies venator Ruodlieb, can not be decided uniquely.

Action

One can divide the story line follows roughly:

A finer breakdown section is as follows:

Then: demolition of the novel with the beginning of the final phase ( royal increase).

Conclusion

Ruodlieb, a fictional narrative of virtue and happiness of the young nobles Ruodlieb (usually apostrophized as novel) is the " first knight mirror " of the Middle Ages ( typical knight virtues see the "Knights and friendship epic", " Engelhard " of Konrad von Würzburg from the second half of the 13th century ) and is decades before the " Chansons de geste " of the " rebels cycle " (eg Gormond et Isembart ). In contrast to the ancient novel, however, the story of a continuous ascent is described. Another unusual feature is the almost complete absence of proper names and place names; only exceptions: Ruodlieb, Immunch, Hartunch, Heri castle, ligamina from Lukka ( = Lucca), gold coins from Byzantium, service in the Afri ( used to alienation ). There are no references to specific political allusions, but the drawing of various ideals dominates (eg Ruodlieb, rex maior, penitent; diametrically opposed: the rufus). Striking here is the special role of the advice fairy tale topos. The Ruodlieb unites different elements of different literary genres in a unique poetic experiment whose sources are to grab seldom immediately. Through the idealization of many action sequences is an intensive use of the work as a cultural- historical document problematic, but nonetheless one, though unfortunately ineffective, relic of a very creative mind.