Ludwigslied

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The first two pages of the Ludwigslied

The Ludwigslied ( Rithmus teutonicus de piae memoriae Hluduico rege filio Hluduici aeque regis ) is an Old High German end-rhyming poem in the Rhenish Franconian dialect, which depicts the victory of King Ludwig III of West Franconia . sung about the Normans at Saucourt-en-Vimeu ( Battle of Saucourt ) in Picardy on August 3, 881. It is the oldest historical song in the German language.

The time song, designed as a prince's praise, particularly emphasizes the king's piety and godliness. Since Ludwig died a year later, but is still celebrated as a living person in the song, the Ludwigslied is one of the few early medieval poems that can be dated relatively precisely: It was written between August 1, 881 and August 5, 882.

Manuscript description and research history

The only surviving version of the Ludwigslied is an addendum (141 r - 143 v ) from the late 9th century to a composite manuscript of 143 sheets of the Valenciennes public library (Cod. Valenciennes BM Ms. 150) in the format 23.7 × 15 cm each with 24 pre-scored lines. The composite manuscript dates from the first half of the 9th century and originally from the monastery of Saint-Amand sur l'Elnon .

In the manuscript, from sheet 1 v -140 r, there are eight works by Gregory of Nazianzen in Latin translation by Rufinus of Aquileia . From sheet 141 v on, a Latin hymn “Cantica uirginis eulalie” follows in 14 lines, which was entered by another hand. Between sheets 140 r and 141 v , the sequence “Dominus celi rex et conditor” was entered by another hand in the space that was left free. The sheet 141 r remained empty initially. It was not described until the end of the 9th century by another hand with the 15 line old French poem " Buona pulcella fut eulalia ". The same hand then entered the Ludwigslied directly and very carefully in 59 lines and in 27 distiches .

Due to the statement in the heading, the Ludwigslied was only written down after the death of King Ludwig. However, it was created before his death on August 5, 882, as the homage and praise in the song itself are directed at Ludwig as a living person.

"Rithmus teutonicus de piae memoriae Hluduico rege filio Hluduici aeque régis"

"German poem in honor of King Ludwig, the son of King Ludwig"

- Dieter Kartschoke, History of German Literature in the Early Middle Ages , Munich 2000, page 169

After the French philologist and antiquarian Jean Mabillon (1632–1707) discovered the work in 1672 during some research in the monastery library of St-Amand at the end of a Carolingian composite manuscript from the 9th century, he contacted the German historian Johann Schilter (1632–1705) and sent him a copy of the Ludwigslied. To him, however, the language seemed too modern for an Old High German text, and he asked about the exact origin of the text. However, before these important questions could be resolved, the French library was shaken by an earthquake and its holdings were in complete disarray. Thus, the Ludwigslied was published in the version that Mabillon had in part incorrectly copied and cited in this form for a whole century until it was rediscovered on September 28, 1837 (this time in Valenciennes). A new copy and publication was done immediately by Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798–1874).

language

In its form, the Ludwigslied consists of 59 end pairs of rhymes, each of which is structured by initials. The Rhine-Franconian language is pervaded by elements of Lower and Middle Franconia. Research disagrees as to how the unusual sound form for the origin of the script can be explained, as the historical Franconian-French content is based on the German dialect of what is now southern Hesse. Two theories have prevailed as a solution to this problem. On the one hand there is the possibility that the language of the Carolingians, who ruled in the Franconian area, was culturally preserved as a former court language after the disintegration of the Carolingian rule and beyond territorial borders. On the other hand, an old-established West Franconian dialect could have survived due to the extensive family relationships of the nobility even after further language reforms.

In contrast to other Old High German texts, the Ludwigslied is not about the structural transfer of the Latin grammar into German. This is particularly evident in the subordinate clause structures, which do not correspond to a German counterpart of the ablative absolute from Latin, but are very modern with subjunctions (if, that, because, whether). Furthermore, certain subjunctions of the early Middle Ages fulfill other semantic functions in New High German. The empty “whether” in the Ludwigslied today still has the conditional meaning of “if” or “if”.

These relatively frequently used links between representations of facts represent a further difference to other Old High German writings, because in Old High German literature usually personal descriptions in the form of relative clauses are the focus. The Ludwiglied is nevertheless very structured and the sentences are textually closely linked, as is usual for written texts. On the one hand, it can be seen here that it is not an oral tradition that was written down later, but a conceptually written text that has constructed sentence connections. On the other hand, it must be pointed out that the inferring contexts serve to place the king, for whom the song was written, in a light in which he stands by his people without hesitation. In contrast, God acts by influencing the fate of the people.

content

Old High German

Einan kuning uueiz ih, Heizsit her hluduig,
Ther gerno gode thionot: Ih uueiz her imos lonot.
Child without a father. Thes uuarth imo sar buoz:
Holoda inan truhtin, Magaczogo uuarth her sin.

New High German

I know a king, his name is Ludwig,
who zealously serves God: I know he will be worth it.
As a child he lost his father, but he
        quickly got a replacement.
The Lord fetched him, he became his tutor.

Translation: Stephan Müller, Old High German Literature 2007

When the father of the young Ludwig dies, God himself becomes his godfather, as a sort of compensation. In the following, Hluduig becomes God's messenger and Christian knight, who also symbolically stands for a new covenant between God and his people. Earthly events are directly dependent on the plans of the Christian God and cannot proceed in an independent way without them. Between the two worlds, the earthly and the heavenly, there must always be parallels that represent each other symbolically. So Ludwig, who is physically removed from his people, stands for the distance of his people from God. This not only achieves the glorification of Ludwig, but the historically problematic absence of the ruler is covered over by the reinterpretation of salvation history.

The people had previously distanced themselves from God through sinful behavior, so that they now suffer suffering and misfortune. In this sense, sin is associated with the sudden incursions of the Norman people, who roam the country, murdering and robbing. The repentance of one individual is not enough, but that of the collective is necessary in order to compensate for sins and to be able to free oneself again from the attacks of the Normans. The fight itself appears accordingly as a life-threatening act of penance.

When Ludwig has returned, he gives a speech to his people, which includes the upcoming fight against the heathen (the Normans) and his legitimation by God. He also promises generous compensation for those who fight or, in the event of their death, for the bereaved.

The fight takes place and "all saman sungun 'Kyrrieleison'" ("everyone sang together: ' Kyrie eleison '!"), Which gives expression to the religious character of the battle. The fight is waged for God and against the wicked. None of the fighters behave as brave and honorable as Ludwig, who finally brings about the victory against the Normans with his people.

Historical background

The Ludwigslied primarily refers to two historical events . On the one hand, there is the controversy for the succession to the throne that followed the death of Ludwig II, known as "the Stammler" in 879. By breaking an existing contract, Ludwig II bequeathed the entire kingdom to his older son and did not divide it equally between the two sons, as was the case under Frankish law. In the Ludwigslied the inheritance dispute is resolved with the legitimation by God. The literary work thus pursues a purpose, namely Ludwig III. to declare as the only rightful ruler. Second, the Norman incursions form the framework for the Ludwigslied. After numerous raids, especially through western Franconian areas, the Franks under Ludwig succeeded in causing them a military defeat. The Ludwigslied is not only a literary work, but also an important primary source of contemporary history. The very condensed representation of these events gives the Ludwigslied an insight into the contemporary image of God, rulers and people in the 9th century.

Editions

  • Wilhelm Braune : Old High German Reader . 15th edition, Ernst Alfred Ebbinghaus (Ed.). Max Niemeyer, Tübingen 1969.
  • Elias von Steinmeyer : The smaller Old High German language monuments . Wiedemannsche Buchhandlung, Berlin 1916.

literature

Web links

In Gallica is a complete digital copy of the manuscript is available.

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b Elias von Steinmeyer: The smaller Old High German language monuments , Berlin 1916, p. 87
  2. ↑ Helmut de Boor: History of German Literature from the Beginnings to the Present 770 - 1170 , Munich 1979, p. 87; Elias von Steinmeyer: The smaller Old High German language monuments , Berlin 1916, p. 88