Klingsor

This article explains the literary figure; for other meanings see Klingsor (disambiguation) .

Klingsor prophesies the birth of St. Elisabeth of Thuringia , mosaic by August Oetken in the Elisabeth bower of the Wartburg in Eisenach / Thuringia (1902–1906)

Klingsor (also: Klingsohr , Klinschor , Klingesor or Klinsor ) is a magician figure in Middle High German literature.

shape

In German mythology, Klingsor plays a role similar to that of Merlin in Anglo-Irish myth, even if he did not achieve its prominence.

Klinschor (Duke Terra di Lavoro) , lord of the castle of Schastelmarveile ( corrupted old French for "castle of miracles"), can be found in Wolframs von Eschenbach's medieval verse novel Parzival from the 13th century. Also in the 13th century Klinsor von Ungerlant appears in the Manessische Liederhandschrift (13th century), where he is Wolfram's opponent (and at the same time the fictional author of the work) in the Singer War at the Wartburg .

Impact history

From the romantic era onwards, the figure was picked up more often. While in Wolfram he embodies evil in itself, the figure then takes on the traits of Goethean Mephistopheles or even Faustian , ambivalent character:

• the poet and teacher Klingsohr in Novalis novel Heinrich von Ofterdingen , 1802 (here he is a fatherly poet mentor of the young Heinrich)
• the magician Klingsor from Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal , 1882
• the painter Klingsor from Hermann Hesse's story Klingsor's last summer of 1920, who later appears several times as a minor character in Die Morgenlandfahrt from 1932
• the figure from Friedrich Schnack's fairy tale Klingsor , 1922
• the bookseller's assistant (and girl dealer) Klingsor in Alexander Lernet-Holenias novel The Count of Saint-Germain , 1948, in which role he is presumably the eponymous Count of Saint Germain , who - similar to A. Dumas' character Alessandro Cagliostro - is fortunate of a mysterious doom over the centuries.
• the teacher Klingsor from Otfried Preussler's story Herr Klingsor could do a little magic , 1987
• the alias of the scientific advisor in Jorge Volpi's novel The Klingsor Paradox , 2003.

Web links

Wikisource: Klingsor  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

1. ^ Wolfram von Eschenbach : Parzival and Titurel. XIII. Klinschor in the Gutenberg-DE project
2. ^ Wolfram von Eschenbach : Parzival and Titurel. §. 21. Klinschor in the Gutenberg-DE project
3. ↑ see Cod. Pal. germ. 848 Great Heidelberger Liederhandschrift (Codex Manesse) Zurich, 1305 to 1340 page: 219v , web facsimile, Heidelberg historical holdings - digital, Heidelberg University Library