Meier Helmbrecht

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Helmbrecht

The Middle High German verse novella Helmbrecht , probably written by Wernher der Gartenaere between 1250 and 1280 in the Bavarian-Austrian region, tells in 1934 lines of verse the “rise” of the farmer's son Helmbrecht to a robber baron, his sinful life and that he has to atone for it with a terrible end.

author

The origin or the social position of the poet Wernher der Gärtner (mhd. Wernher der Gartenaere) cannot be documented. The name is only mentioned at the end of the epilogue (V.1934) . The name designation can either be interpreted as a name of origin or a professional name related to garden or it is an artist name, as it was adopted by many traveling poets of the Middle Ages. The narrator notes that he has never been so well entertained as the young Helmbrecht, "swie vil ich var enwadele" (v. 848) - however far he has traveled in the country. From this statement, researchers conclude that the author of the Helmbrechts was a professional poet who read his poems to the nobles at various courts. The traveling way of life also allows speculation that he was a wandering monk, e.g. B. Franciscans , as the author has a good knowledge of the Bible and is familiar with Franciscan moral teaching.

Middle High German New High German
Swer iu ditze mære read, And now pray for everyone who tells you this story:
ask for it in got genædec wese May God have mercy on him
and the tihtære, and also to the poet,
Wernher the Gartenære. Wernher the gardener.

One can only speculate about the period in which the work was created. In verse 217, Wernher laments the death of the poet Neidhart , " her Nîthart, and should he live ", which at least clarifies that the verse novella must have been written after his death in the first half of the 13th century. According to research, the origin of the work is presumed predominantly in the period of the interregnum between 1254 and 1273.

Content and structure

Wernher begins his story with a prologue (verse lines 1–19), which opens the poetry and names two important symbols of poetry: Hâr and hȗbe (nhd. Hair and bonnet), which also drive the plot forward. This is followed by the first narrative block, which deals with Helmbrecht's preparations for riding into knighthood (vv. 20–648).

The main character and “hero” of the poetry is the young, handsome Helmbrecht, son of the estate manager (Meier) Helmbrecht. By fortunate coincidence, he came up with a splendidly embroidered hood, the image motifs of which - immediately perceptible to the educated public - suggest noble origins . In Helmbrecht she arouses " arrogant " thoughts and dreams of the easy and pleasant life of the knights , whom he now intends to join. When he receives armor and sword from his mother, fine clothes from his sister and a noble stallion from his father, he decides to leave the farm and learn the knight's trade.

Subsequently, a dispute arises between father and son. Meier Helmbrecht is proud of its prestigious Bauer existence and tried to warn his son for life on the farm. Although he tells his son of four ominous dreams , he cannot prevent the young Helmbrecht from his plans, who defies all warnings. After his father bought him a horse, Helmbrecht proudly says goodbye to his family. Helmbrecht joins a band of robber barons under the name Slintezgeu and roams the country murdering, looting and marauding for a year. After a while he becomes homesick and leaves the gang again (vv. 653–694).

This is followed by the second narrative block, which describes the homecoming of Helmbrecht and his one-week stay in the father's house (vv. 697-1455). With a polyglot (multilingual) greeting, he wants to prove to his parents how much more mature the Meiersson has become through his travels, even if this raises some doubts about his identity. After he has identified himself by naming the four oxen of his father, he is warmly welcomed and fed by his family. He treats them with arrogance, however. In bad imitation of the French used at court, he greets with " Dieu vous salue " (mhd. Dê ûs sal , verse 726), he greets his mother in corrupted Czech (Bohemian) with dobra ytra (verse 728), and greets his sister with bad church Latin gratia vester (verse 722), the servants are awarded in broken Dutch . The father now reports on his experiences at court at that time and speaks of how virtuous and stylish the noble society was. Helmbrecht, however, reports on the current events at court, which are characterized by drunkenness instead of love service (women's service) and flattery instead of sincerity. He spends seven days with his family, whom he gives richly with stolen treasures, but longs for his life as a robber baron again . All attempts to persuade the father to keep Helmbrecht from his wicked life fail. Instead, he proudly confesses to his misdeeds as a robber baron, which enable him to have a "better" life. In addition, he brings his sister Gotelind courtship of a predatory companion and promises her a life of wealth and abundance. In the end, she accepts the application and then also succumbs to arrogance. Helmbrecht now returns to the cronies (v. 1456-62).

The third narrative block tells of the wedding preparations up to the repudiation of Helmbrecht (v. 1463-1813). Soon after the splendidly celebrated wedding, which is a parody of the virtues that apply at court, the band of robbers is lifted by the authorities, the judge and his people, and easily overwhelmed. While the other robber barons were all hanged , Helmbrecht was “pardoned” as tenth according to the old custom, but his eyes were gouged out and his foot and hand were cut off. He seeks refuge with his father, who, however, rejects him with disgust. His mother can only slip him a piece of bread. If he previously went through life as a robber baron for a year, he now has to atone for his sins for a year (v. 1814–1822).

The fourth and last narrative block describes the end of Helmbrechts in the forest (v. 1823–1912). In the end, he falls into the hands of five farmers whom he has murdered and plundered, who finally hang him on the next tree. The story closes with a warning epilogue, which at the same time draws the moral from the story (v. 1913–1934). The poet closes with an appeal to all those who run the risk of becoming “helmet rights” to use the example of the farmer's son as a warning, and recommends himself and the readers to the grace of God. According to Wernher, one should live righteously and stay away from evil fellows.

interpretation

The verse novella "Helmbrecht" is considered to be "the first German village history ", because it does not take place in a highly stylized dream world and its courtly society, but all people, except for Helmbrecht and his predatory cronies, belong to the peasant class . Another special feature of the story is its fatal outcome for the protagonist . Only in three German poems from the Middle Ages does the “hero” die at the end of the story: in the “ Nibelungenlied ”, in the verse novella “Peter von Staufenberg” and in “Helmbrecht”. The self-confident peasant class described by the author, their rebellion and the supposed right of the fittest suggest that this is a realistic and well-observed time picture of the interregnum. However, there is no evidence for this interpretation or an exact dating of the work.

The fourth commandment

The entire story admonishes the maintenance of the God-given order. The family is patriarchal, society is hierarchical and the sovereigns have to ensure law and order. In the course of his adventure ( aventiure ) , Helmbrecht violates all of these three principles of order . He not only denies his birth status, he tries to rise above it as a "knight". Instead of protecting the weak and needy, as it would be the job of a righteous and virtuous knight, he roams the land plundering, murdering and raping. The root of all evil, however, is the violation of the fourth commandment : You are to honor your father and mother, so that you live long and it may be well for you on earth . The whole story can be read as a warning of the consequences of inappropriate behavior towards parents. He does not obey or treat the teachings of his parents with due respect and, on the contrary, look down on them with scorn. The Father's view that everyone has a God-given task to do is confirmed by the outcome of the story. The son had several possibilities to turn away from what he was doing and to follow the right path again. But since he refuses any help, in the end he no longer experiences any mercy from the loving father, who in turn regards the son with ridicule. The divine order must neither be violated nor transgressed.

The speaking names

How creative and illustrative the Middle Ages and its poetry can be is shown by the speaking names and their use for Helmbrecht himself and his robber baron cronies. These names denote the deviant behavior of the band of robbers, which violates the divine order. The deadly sin of " gluttony " is illustrated by the names Lemberslint ( sling the lamb), Slickenwider (swallow the ram), Küefrâz (cows eater) and Slintezgeu ( sling the land). The wolf in particular is considered to be one of the most voracious animals. Wolvesdrüzzel (wolf's snout ), Wolvesguome (wolf's throat ) and Wolvesdarm (wolf's belly ) describe in this sense the path that the tangled takes. These three predatory buddies are also named in more detail in the narrative. The names Müschenkelh (smash the chalice) and Rütelschrîn ( shake the shrine) probably refer to stolen chalices from the church. These were often smashed in order to sell the valuable precious metal. Finally, Hellesac (hell sack ) should be mentioned. This could mean the sack of hell into which the cursed one should sink because of his sins. The sequence of names of the buddies in conversation with the father corresponds to the order in which the same people are named at the wedding dinner. At this feast, every companion is given the role of a court official at a coronation meal. The poet leads the ceremonial of the highest strata of the princely society of the time into the grotesque and ironically ironizes the coronation meal of the German kings. Furthermore, many pairs of rhymes can be found in the narrative, such as Lemberslinde: Gotelinde in verse line 1511f and vice versa Gotelinde: Lemberslinde in verse line 1521f. These are just a few examples of the great craftsmanship that Wernher displayed.

The number symbolism

The use of numbers in medieval texts is by no means accidental. Almost every number used in the verse novella can be interpreted. The number is a God-given, unchangeable and significant quantity. The relationship between guilt and atonement is made clear in "Helmbrecht" with the representation of time intervals. Helmbrecht is on a raid for a year before he returns home for a week. This week, however, he also rejects the last possibility of a conciliatory end. After being held accountable, he wanders the earth mutilated for a year before he is "redeemed" from his misery. Every day on which the divine order is violated is punished with a day of hardship and misery. The equation 1 year (guilt) = 1 week (possibility of insight) = 1 year (atonement) is found again. This is not an isolated case: Gregorius in Hartmann's poetry had to spend 17 years chained to a rock in the sea as a punishment for his 17 years of incest.

The second example is the father's fourfold dream about the terrible fate of his son. In four dreams the father is shown terrible images that make it unmistakably clear to him how his son will perish if he does not leave the path he has taken. Despite all attempts by the father to bring the son to his senses, the latter fails. Not only does Helmbrecht not take his warnings seriously, he also makes fun of his father. Helmbrecht is then asked four times to leave the farm. The number 4 here symbolizes the wicked violation of the 4th commandment by the son. The number 10 also appears several times in the story. Helmbrecht gives his family 10 presents, the father pays 10 pounds of silver for his horse, and in the end there are 10 men who bring the 10 robbers to God's just punishment. There are many other examples of number symbolism in the verse epic, which emphasizes the importance of numbers and their skillful inclusion in medieval texts.

In the entrance area, the hood is described in detail, which the young Helmbrecht had made for himself by a nun who had escaped from the monastery and in which he grasped his artificially curled hair. 5 different motifs can be found on it. In the front there is a dance scene with knights and women, there are also embroidered birds - exotic parrots (mhd. Siteche) and pigeons (mhd 747 to 814, emperor since 800) with Karl's fight against the pagans in Spain and France, as well as the battle of raven (the death of Etzel and Helch's sons), which can be seen in their function as contrasting models or negative examples of the history of Helmbrecht are.

The central motifs

With the motif of the bonnet , Wernher alludes to the "farmer dude" Hildemar in Neidhart von Reuentals (around 1180–1247) winter song 29 (end of the 13th century), which represents the type of "dörpers" (farmer dude). This adorns itself with nobility attributes and wears a similar silk bonnet with embroidered birds. The Helmbrecht figure is based on Neidhart's "body". The father prophesies to his son Helmbrecht that "hoveliute" would tear his hood, this is also said to Hildemar. The peasants who seize the mutilated Helmbrecht tear off his locks and the hood before he is killed. The hood is thus a leitmotif and thing symbol for Helmbrecht's arrogance of "superbia" ( arrogance ) and one of the seven deadly sins . His sister is also punished for her arrogance by being raped after the wedding.

The heart of the story consists of the extensive dialogue between father and son (before Helmbrechts set off and during the stopover). The central teaching of the story is conveyed from the mouth of the father: Anyone who rebels against his own class and refuses to obey his parents will fail in the end. The focus is on the son's delusion and arrogance and the father's ethical integrity. This conjures up the social importance of the peasant class . Furthermore, the father praises court culture by idealizing it as it once was. In this way he holds up the mirror to his son, who on his return home proves the present depravity of his son through his explanations and stories. This can be understood as a criticism of court culture by the aristocratic audience.

Another biblical motif is the allusion to the parable of the prodigal son, but this parallel is limited only to the joyful reception of Helmbrecht on his return. However, no remorseful behavior can be recognized by Helmbrecht.

In terms of content and structure, some parallels to the classical courtly style can be seen, which make the helmet keeper narrative appear as a contrast to the knightly Aventiurenweg (double path structure). In general, the broad spectrum of literary allusions requires a good literary knowledge of the medieval audience.

Lore

The work has survived in two manuscript collections:

  • Ambraser Heldenbuch (Hs. A), written 1504–1515 by Hans Ried for Emperor Maximilian I.
  • Berlin manuscript (Hs. B) of the ' Younger Titurel ' (= JT), made in the first half of the 15th century for the knight Leonhard Meurl zu Leonbach in Traungau.

The two copies differ on the one hand in length (A: 1932 lines of verse; B: 1884 Vz.) And on the other hand differ in their wording and the names of localities.

reception

The verse novella became known to the public in 1839 by Josef von Bergmann and with the edition of 1844 by Moriz Haupt . From this point on there were various transmissions or translations into New High German: u. a.

In 1928 Eugen Ortner wrote a tragedy Meier Helmbrecht , in 1946 the material was processed by both Fritz Hochwälder and Herrmann Mostar in a drama of the same name . 1989 paraphrase appeared Meier Helmbrecht of Gottfried Glechner in hexameters in the dialect of the Innviertel . The novel The Born Gardener , 2005, by Alois Brandstetter , deals freely with the Helmbrecht material and above all its poet. In 1930 Meier Helmbrecht was published - a German historical peasant drama in five acts by Josef Benoni (1870–1957), published by R. Piffl's Sons, Landskron in Böhmen

literature

  • Hermann Bausinger : Helmbrecht. A sketch of the interpretation . In: Studies on German literature and language in the Middle Ages. Festschrift for Hugo Moser on his 65th birthday . Erich Schmidt, Berlin 1974, ISBN 3-503-00791-1 , pp. 200–215 ( full text )
  • Fritz Peter Knapp: Wernher the gardener. In: German literature of the Middle Ages. Author Lexicon . Founded by Wolfgang Stammler, continued by Karl Langosch . 2. completely rework. Edition with the collaboration of numerous scholars. Edited by Burghart Wachinger together with Gundolf Keil [u. a.]. Volume 10. De Gruyter, Berlin, New York 1999, ISBN 3-11-015606-7 , Sp. 927-936.
  • Peter von Matt: Depraved sons and failed daughters. Family disaster in literature . Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag 1997. (= Dtv. 30647.) ISBN 3-423-30647-5 .
  • Theodor Nolte: Wernher the gardener. "Helmbrecht". The contributions to the Helmbrecht Symposium in Burghausen 2001 . Stuttgart: Hirzel 2001. ISBN 3-7776-1130-1 .
  • Ulrich Seelbach: Late court literature and its reception in the late Middle Ages. Studies on the audience of the "Helmbrecht" by Wernher dem Gartenaere . Berlin: Schmidt 1987. (= Philological studies and sources. 115.) ISBN 3-503-02262-7 .
  • Ulrich Seelbach: Commentary on "Helmbrecht" by Wernher the Gartenaere . Göppingen: Kümmerle 1987. (= Göppinger works on German studies. 469.) ISBN 3-87452-704-2 .
  • Adolf Stelzl: Meier Helmbrecht von Wernher the gardener. A search for clues . Ried i. I .: Moserbauer 2001. ISBN 3-902121-00-9 .
  • Paul Stepanek: Meier Helmbrecht and Gilgenberg. A literary tradition in the upper Innviertel and its landscape . Ed. By d. Community u. the state of Upper Austria. Ried i. I .: Upper Austrian Provincial Publishing 1980.
  • Werner: Meier Helmbrecht von Wernher the Gartenaere. Ed. By Friedrich Panzer , 4th edition Halle an der Saale 1932 (= Old German Text Library , 11)
  • Werner: Meier Helmbrecht. Verse novella from the time of declining chivalry . Transferred by Johannes Ninck. Stuttgart: Reclam 2008. (= Universal-Bibliothek. 1188.) ISBN 3-15-001188-4 .
  • Werner: Helmbrecht. Middle High German text and translation . Edited, translated and appended by Helmut Brackert. Frankfurt: Fischer 1972. ISBN 3-436-01593-8 .
  • Werner: Helmbrecht. Middle High German / New High German . Ed., Translated and explained by Fritz Tschirch . Stuttgart (1974): Reclam, reprint ibid 1987, 1991, 2002 (= Universal-Bibliothek, 9498) ISBN 3-15-009498-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cf. Knapp, Fritz Peter: Wernher the gardener. In: German literature of the Middle Ages. Author Lexicon . Founded by Wolfgang Stammler, continued by Karl Langosch. 2. completely rework. Edition with the collaboration of numerous scholars. Edited by Burghart Wachinger together with Gundolf Keil [u. a.]. Vol. 10. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter 1999, Col. 927-936.
  2. ↑ Theodor Nolte: Wernher the gardener: Helmbrecht. In: Historical Lexicon of Bavaria.
  3. ↑ Wernher, the gardener: Helmbrecht. Middle High German / New High German. Ed., Trans. and ext. by Fritz Tschirch. Stuttgart: Reclam 2002. (= Universal Library. 9498.) P. 168 f.
  4. ^ Joe Salmons: A History of German, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2012, ISBN 0199697949 , p. 222.
  5. ↑ See Tschirch. Helmbrecht. Pp. 12-21.
  6. ↑ See Tschirch. Helmbrecht. P. 5 f.
  7. ↑ See Tschirch. Helmbrecht. P. 24 f.
  8. ↑ Cf. Ulrich Seelbach: Commentary on the "Helmbrecht" by Wernher dem Gartenaere (= Göppingen work on German studies. 469). Kümmerle, Göppingen 1987, pp. 154-158.
  9. ↑ See Tschirch. Helmbrecht. Pp. 23-26.
  10. ↑ Arthurian novel
  11. ↑ https://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/Lexikon/Wernher_der_G%C3%A4rtner:_Helmbrecht#Zentrale_Motive