Higher muot
Hôher muot is a term used in Middle High German courtly poetry of the early Middle Ages. It characterizes the upscale attitude towards life of the aspiring knighthood and means something like " high spirits ":
The joyful elation that grows in the individual from belonging to the educated society is what time calls the 'high muot' .
etymology
The word “ muot ” is derived from Indo-German: mo- = to strive, to be strong will, to strive hard for something> Germanic moda-, mōþa-, mōþaz, mōda-, mōdaz = sense, courage, anger> Old High German muot = sense , Soul, spirit, mind, power of thinking, feeling, will. In Middle High German poetry, the word combination “ hôher muot ” [ ˈhohər ˈmu.ɔt ] meant “ emotional elation ”.
Historical change in meaning
The hôhe muot , which means something like " joyful elation ", arises from the exhilarating awareness of the court knight of the time between 1170 and 1250 that he belonged to the upscale, educated, rich upper class of society who reveled in festivals and thus above average To highlight existence. The courtly poetry invented the often tried image of the soaring falcon , which soars up into the air.
The exhilaration of being part of a privileged upper class was, however, combined with the obligation to strive for moral perfection. The woman, stylized to an exaggerated ideal of beauty and moral rigor and ultimately unattainable, functioned as a source of courtly joy and "wake-up caller des hôhen muots" . The man submits to her to please court discipline and the pursuit of such virtuous perfection. The woman becomes the "frouwe" , the mistress and tutor of the knight, and the knight becomes her "man" , i.e. H. Feud man who vows to her loyal allegiance.
The courtly culture celebrated by the lyrical and epic poets of the period between 1170 and 1250 in their performances at the courts takes place in a society of desire, highly stylized into an ideal world of beauty and virtue. It is an aesthetic and ethical exaggeration of one's own class, which celebrates itself in festivals, verses, models and legends. The most splendid appearance of these noble knights is the legendary round table around King Arthur , whose members have to go through a hard path of character formation associated with setbacks to the virtues that characterize the "noble knight" in numerous events . Hartmann von Aue has in his epics Erec (approx. 1190–1192) and Iwein (approx. 1200), Wolfram von Eschenbach in his Parzival (1200–1210) the most outstanding personalities of this group and their demanding personal educational paths as ideal images of knightly pursuits condensed.
With the decline of chivalry and her poetry is also the meaning and Inhaltlichkeit change of the term: the " high muot " the " hochgemuotheit ", the " generosity " of the " nobility are" to the " arrogance " for " arrogance " to " false pride ". The "high-spirited knight-hero", sung about and praised in the epic poetry and minstrelsong of the High Middle Ages, who devotes his life in the service of his frouwe to the fight against injustice of all kinds and the protection of those in need, degenerates into a " robber baron " and bully who in resides in decaying castles and plundered the country in gangs.
Today's term “ courage ” is understood as a neutral formal virtue of the middle, which is located between the extremes “arrogance” and “discouragement” or “arrogance” and “humility” (meant as a submissive gesture of humility). It can adopt an actively shaping or actively refusing attitude, depending on a requirement that is recognized as valuable or as unworthy or even shameful.
literature
- Helmut de Boor: History of German Literature , Vol. 2: Die Höfische Literatur (1170-1250), Verlag Beck, 3rd edition, Munich 1957
- Siegbert A. Warwitz: Courage , In: Ders .: Search for meaning in risk. Life in growing rings . Schneider, 2nd edition, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 41–48
Individual evidence
- ↑ Helmut de Boor: History of German Literature , Vol. 2: Die Höfische Literatur , Verlag Beck, 3rd edition, Munich 1957, p. 8
- ^ Gerhard Truig: German dictionary . Gütersloh 1970, column 2500.
- ↑ Helmut de Boor: History of German Literature , Vol. 2: Die Höfische Literatur , Verlag Beck, 3rd edition, Munich 1957, p. 8
- ^ Helmut de Boor: History of German Literature , Vol. 2: Die Höfische Literatur , Verlag Beck, 3rd edition, Munich 1957, p. 9
- ^ Siegbert A. Warwitz: Mut , In: Ders .: Sinnsuche im Wagnis. Life in Growing Rings , Schneider, 2nd edition, Baltmannsweiler 2016, pp. 41–48