Phol

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Phol (handwritten P h ol , spoken probably Fol or Pfol ) is the name of a presumed South Germanic god and a mythological figure in the so-called Old High German second Merseburg magic spell (MZ II) for horse healing. Phol is only occupied in MZ II. The function and meaning of the name Phol is unclear in the context of the saying as well as in the Germanic pantheon and mythology.

In the opening of the epic incantation of the spell, Phol is mentioned as an accompaniment to the Wodan .

Phôl ende Wuodan fuorun zi holza.
there was demo balderes folon sîn fuoz birenkit.
thû biguol en Sinthgunt, Sunna era swister;
thû biguol en Frîja, Folla era swister;
thû biguol en Wuodan, sô hê wola conda:
[...]
Phol and Wodan went into the forest
Then the foot of the foal of the Lord / Balders was dislocated
Sinthgunt , the Sunnah's sister, discussed it
Then Frija , Volla's sister, discussed him .
Wodan then discussed how he could do it.

In research, Phol, based on the etymology of the name, has become the subject of numerous explanatory models, which turn out differently depending on the premises and interpretative approaches to MZ II. In addition, the name has meaning as a material element of the saying and is the subject of discussion in relation to the composition and the metric requirements with regard to the typological representation of the alliteration and the formation of long lines . In the latter case, the handwritten h of the name is explained with the wish to receive a regular long line.

The figure is soon understood as a separate god figure, soon interpreted as the “foal” in contrast to the clear god name of Wodan and the more controversial name of Balder (read from the form balderes ), and finally interpreted in connection with the name of Volla as a divine sibling pair (analogous to Freyr and Freya and parallel to the other pairings such as Sinthgunt and Sunna).

literature

  • Wolfgang Beck : The Merseburg magic spells (= Imagines Medii Aevi 16). Wiesbaden 2003, ISBN 3-89500-300-X .
  • Heiner Eichner : For the second Merseburg magic spell . In: Heiner Eichner, Robert Nedoma (ed.): "Insprinc haptbandun". Lectures of the colloquium on the Merseburg magic spells at the XI. Symposium of the Indo-European Society in Halle / Saale (September 17-23, 2000). Part 2. In: The Language - Journal for Linguistics. Vol. 42, issue 1/2 (2000/2001). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2003, ISSN  0376-401X .
  • Michael Lundgreen: Phol . In: Heinrich Beck, Dieter Geuenich, Heiko Steuer (Hrsg.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Vol. 23 de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2003, ISBN 978-3-11-017535-6 , pp. 140-141 ( digitized under Germanische Altertumskunde Online ).
  • Vladimir Orel: A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. Brill, Leiden / Boston 2003, ISBN 90-04-12875-1 .
  • Stefan Schaffner: The god names of the second Merseburg magic spell. In: Heiner Eichner, Robert Nedoma (ed.): "Insprinc haptbandun". Lectures of the colloquium on the Merseburg magic spells at the XI. Symposium of the Indo-European Society in Halle / Saale (September 17-23, 2000). Part 1. In: Die Sprach - Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft. Vol. 41, Issue 2 (1999). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2002, ISSN  0376-401X .
  • Rudolf Simek : Lexicon of Germanic Mythology (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 368). 3rd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-520-36803-X .

Remarks

  1. ↑ Merseburg, Cathedral Abbey Library, Cod. 136, fol. 85 r .
  2. ↑ See the overview in Wolfgang Beck: Die Merseburger Zaubersprüche. Wiesbaden 2003, p. 91ff.
  3. ^ Stefan Schaffner: The god names of the second Merseburg magic spell. In: The Language - Journal for Linguistics. Vol. 41, Issue 2 (1999; published 2002), p. 163f.
  4. ↑ Michael Lundgreen: Phol. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde vol. 23, p. 141.
  5. ^ Rudolf Simek: Lexicon of Germanic Mythology (= Kröner's pocket edition. Volume 368). 3rd, completely revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-520-36803-X , pp. 336–337.