Irmin

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Irmin is a literary figure by Widukind von Corvey from his early medieval historiographical book Die Sachsengeschichte .

Medieval researchers concluded, in connection with the Irminsul , from Widukind's depiction of Irmin as a variant or an epithet of the god Tiwaz / Saxnot or as an independent deity of the Saxons . With Norbert Wagner , Irmin is now considered to be the product of Widukind's combinable and etymologizing erudition.

Lore

The section with the naming of Irmin (handwritten Hirmin) can be found in the opening part of Widukind's report on the mythical or historically non-scriptural primeval times of the development of the Saxon tribe in the fifth and sixth centuries, also for the age of the hero , which is also particularly referred to in literary history . In the battle of Burgscheidungen in 531 the Merovingian Franks defeat the Thuringians under Irminfried with the aid of Saxon contingents. After the victorious battle, the Saxons celebrate a three-day festival, erect an Irminsul and a sacrificial altar.

“Mane autem facto ad orientalem portam ponunt aquilam, aramque victoriae construentes secundum errorem paternum sacra sua propria veneratione venerati sunt: ​​nomine Martem, effigie columnarum imitantes Herculem, loco Solem, quem Graeci appelant Apollinem. Ex hoc apparet aestimatonem illorum utcumque probabilem, qui Saxones originem duxisse putant de Graecis, quia Hirmin vel Hermis Graece Mars dicitur; quo vocabulo ad laudem vel ad vituperationem usque hodie etiam ignorantes utimur. "

“When it was day, they laid the eagle at the east gate and erected an altar of victory in order, according to the fathers' erroneous belief, to venerate what is sacred to them with their own veneration: with the name Mars, with the replica of pillars Heracles and with the choice of the place the sol, which the Greeks call Apollo. This shows that the opinion of those who are of the opinion that the Saxons are descended from the Greeks is in any case credible, for Hirmin or Hermis is the Greek name of Mars; and to this day we use this word for affirmation in a praiseworthy or in a reproachful sense, even if unknowingly. "

- Widukind von Corvey, Res gestae Saxonicae 1, 12 ( sources on the history of the Saxon imperial era , p. 41).

Etymologically, the Germanic * irmanaz for Irmin can be used for sublime, large, powerful . This lexeme can be found in other early medieval text witnesses , for example in the Hildebrandslied in the compounds Irmindeot and Irmingot and in personal names such as the aforementioned Irminfried .

See also

swell

  • Widukind von Corvey : Res gestae Saxonicae . HE Lohmann u. P. Hirsch (ed.), A. Bauer, R. Rau (translation). In: Sources on the history of the Saxon imperial era. Vol. 8, 1971, pp. 1-183.
  • Ekkehardt Rotter, Bernd Schneidmüller (translator, ed.): Widukind von Corvey . Res gestae Saxonicae / The history of Saxony . Latin-German, Reclam, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-15-007699-4 .

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ The Saxon history of the Widukind von Corvey . In: Paul Hirsch (Hrsg.): Scriptores rerum Germanicarum in usum scholarum separatim editi 60: The Saxon history of Widukind von Korvei (Widukindi monachi Corbeiensis Rerum gestarum Saxonicarum libri III). Hanover 1935, pp. 9–12 ( Monumenta Germaniae Historica , digitized version )
  2. ^ Rudolf Simek: Lexicon of Germanic Mythology (= Kröner's pocket edition. Volume 368). 3rd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-520-36803-X , p. 222; ( Norbert Wagner : Irmin in der Sachsen-Origo. On the working method of Widukind von Corvey. ) In: Germanisch-Romanische Monatsschrift (GRM) 59 NF 28. 1978, p. 386, footnotes 16, 17
  3. ↑ Cf. Norbert Wagner : Irmin in the Sachsen-Origo. on the working method of the Widukind von Corvey . In: Germanisch-Romanische Monatsschrift (GRM) 59 NF 28. 1978, pp. 385–386.
  4. ↑ Deviating here from the description of Irminsul in Rudolf von Fulda as effigie columnarum imitantes Herculem . Karl Helm: Old Germanic history of religion . Volume 2.2. Heidelberg 1953, p. 183.
  5. ↑ Gerhard Köbler: * irmanaz. In: Germanic dictionary .
  6. ↑ Likewise Heliand : Fitte 5th line 340; alla thesa irminthiod ("about all these (large / whole) peoples").
  7. ↑ Rosemarie Lühr: Studies on the language of the Hildebrandslied. Part 2, comment . Verlag Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1982, pp. 456 ff., Pp. 551-552.