Hero song book of Charlemagne

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The term heroic song book of Charlemagne refers to a passage in the 29th chapter of Einhard's Vita Karoli Magni . He describes that Karl, for his entertainment and out of interest, collected old traditional songs with presumed heroic subjects from the Germanic heroic saga or the Germanic heroic song : songs about royal (Franconian) ancestors.

In medieval research, the passage has led to different interpretations and assumptions about the extent to which such traditions in connection with Karl's efforts to establish a common vernacular ( theodisk / fränkisk ), Old High German culture of writing and language at Karl's court were.

In the context of the chapter, Einhard describes how Karl carried out codification reforms, for example by decreeing a uniform legal form and legal system for the Rhineland francs and using Old High German names for the months as a replacement for previous Latin-German hybrid forms. In this context, Karl’s actions related to the vernacular writing system, Einhard adds:

"Item barbara et antiquissima carmina, quibus veterum regum actus et bella canebantur, scripsit memoriaeque mandavit."

"He also had the traditional folk-language songs, in which the deeds and wars of the old kings were sung about, written down and handed down to posterity."

The recording of the Hildebrand's song in research is, or was, seen as a later offshoot of these collecting interests .

literature

  • Wolfgang Haubrichs : Veterum regum actus et bella - On the so-called hero song collection of Charlemagne. In: Walter Tauber (Ed.): Aspects of German Studies. Festschrift for Hans-Friedrich Rosenfeld on his 90th birthday. (= Göppingen work on German studies 521). Kümmerle Verlag, Göppingen 1989, pp. 17-46.
  • Wolfgang Haubrichs: The Beginnings: Attempts at vernacular writing in the early Middle Ages (approx. 700-1050 / 60). (= History of German literature from the beginning to the beginning of the modern era Joachim Heinzle (Ed.), Volume I / 1). 2nd edition, Max Niemeyer Verlag, Tübingen 1995, pp. 112-114
  • Friedrich von der Leyen : The hero song book of Charlemagne. Existence, salary, effect. CH Beck, Munich 1954.
  • Gerhard Meissburger: To the so-called heroic song book of Charlemagne. In: Germanisch-Romanische Monatsschrift 44 (1963), pp. 105–119.
  • Ludwig Rübekeil : Hero song book of Charlemagne. In: Heinrich Beck, Dieter Geuenich, Heiko Steuer (Eds.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde Vol. 15. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1998, pp. 282–283.