King Rother
The anonymously handed down King Rother is a Middle High German pair rhyme poem that was probably not written in the Regensburg area before the middle of the 12th century.
Lore
The seal is in an almost complete manuscript, the creation of which is dated to the end of the 12th century, and has come down to us in four fragments. The four fragments presumably go back to three different originals that have not survived.
A strong mixture of dialects is characteristic of King Rother: High German ( Upper and Central German ) and Low German elements stand side by side. It is believed that the poetry migrated between the northern Rhineland and Bavaria before it was written down.
content
In terms of content, the poetry is about the courtship of the Western Roman ruler Rother, who covets the hand of the daughter of the Eastern Roman ruler Constantine. According to the premises of the literary principle of dangerous courtship, however, the father of the bride who is hostile to the courtier must first be overcome. Rothers advertising takes place in three phases: First, messengers are used. In the second advertising trip, Rother travels personally to Constantinople. But only the third advertising trip has been crowned with lasting success.
Cunning, demonstrated excellence, wealth and generosity, as well as the potential for violence demonstrated by the giants - all these elements that played a role in the first two attempts at recruitment must be expanded to include Christian motifs in the third recruitment drive: humility and pagan struggle . So it shows that an ideal, all-Roman rule, as Rother strives for through the connection with the Eastern Roman king's daughter and through securing the succession to the throne through the fathering of a son with her, Christian virtues as well as the willingness and ability to defend the Christian world presupposes.
Material history
In the search for the origin of the substance of the Rother poetry, attempts have been made to make various historical models likely. One thought of the Norman king Roger II , who in the middle of the 12th century (unsuccessfully) recruited the Byzantine princess for one of his sons and even sent fleets several times against Byzantium. But Roger II is now excluded from research as a model for the Rother seal. The assumption that the Longobard kings Rothari or Authari could have been historical models is now very unlikely.
On the other hand, the search for the origin of the material in literature itself was more successful. A north German courtship story about King Osantrix, who woos the hand of the daughter of the king of the Huns, shows great similarities with King Rother. However, it should be noted that King Rother does not necessarily have to have been influenced by this seal, the Osantrix seal may also have been influenced by King Rother. A joint presentation of both seals is also conceivable, which has not been handed down. In addition, an influence on the Rother seal by the Middle High German Dietrich and Wolfdietrichepik is considered certain.
But even if the above-mentioned persons Roger II and the Longobard kings Rothari or Authari cannot be regarded as direct and direct models for King Rother himself, they, together with other characters in the epic, indicate a double time structure. By linking historical persons and events (Pippin, Charlemagne: 8th century) with contemporary ones (for example the title of the Duke of Meran, the Tengelinger family: 12th and 11th century), the epic becomes a mythological one Age has come. The bride's father Constantine himself could be traced back to Constantine the Great, and thus the epic spans a period from the 4th to the 12th century. The appearance of the pagan king Ymelot towards the middle of the epic, as well as Rothers' journey to Constantinople in “pilgrim garb”, refers to the theme of the crusade, which was also only relevant in the 12th century.
King Rother is counted among the so-called " minstrel poetry " ("minstrel sepic"). This cipher, which designates the Middle High German poems Herzog Ernst , Orendel , Oswald , Salman and Morolf as well as King Rother, was conceived by older research as a generic name. In this sense, however, it is no longer acceptable.
output
- King Rother. Middle High German text and New High German translation by Peter K. Stein, edited by Ingrid Bennewitz with the collaboration of Beatrix Koll and Ruth Weichselbaumer (= Reclam Universal Library; Volume 18047). Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-15-018047-3 .
literature
- Hans Szklenar: King Rother. In: The German literature of the Middle Ages. Author Lexicon . Volume 5, 2nd edition, Berlin / New York 1985, columns 82-94.
- Christian Kiening: Working on the sample. Literarization strategies in "König Rother". In: Joachim Heinzle, L. Peter Johnson, Gisela Vollmann-Profe (Ed.): Wolfram Studies XV: New Paths in Medieval Philology. Erich Schmidt Verlag, 1996.
- Sarah Bowden: Bridal Quest Epics in Medieval Germany. A revisionary approach. MHRA, London 2012, ISBN 978-1-907322-46-4 .
- Julius Wiegand : Stylistic studies on King Rother , dissertation, University of Marburg, 1904.