Knight Waltmann of Sättelstätt

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The legend of the brave knight Waltmann von Sättelstätt is a heroic story written down in the 14th century by Eisenach chronicler Johannes Rothe in his Thuringian chronicle .

The legend in the Bechstein version

According to the written tradition of Rothes, the saga collector Ludwig Bechstein reproduced a linguistically modernized saga in his anthology Der Sagenschatz und die Sagenkreise des Thüringer Land , published in 1835 , which is in the following version:

" 83. Waltmann von Sättelstätt

 In the days of the Landgrave Ludwig the Pious
 and his wife, St. Elizabeth , lived outside
 front of the village Sättelstätt the ridge of Hörseelberges
 in a Steinkemenate a knight of the name
 Walt man of Sättelstätt that belonged to Inge Sinde the
 Landgrave-court at Castle Wartburg . He was
 a good armorer and a strict knight, and of high
 courage; who went in the entourage of the Landgrave, his master,
 to a court and prince's day in Merseburg , and carried
 a well-decorated maiden who carried
 a sparrowhawk in her hand , and led a ready, good
 Steuber (hunting dog, stoebear = tracking dog),
 and Herr Waltmann von Sättelstätt was
 willing to run three times with each knight and
 hold a push. Whoever pushes him off his horse should have
 all his stinging equipment , his armor , the maiden, the
 stool and the sparrowhawk, but if he does
 not throw him off , he should
 worship the maiden with a golden ringlet. Many of the gentlemen accepted such an offer
 and wanted to hold the thrusts with Herr Waltmann,
 and he always chose one with whom he
 ran first . But no one was able  to lift the stately warrior from
the saddle, not even the bravest and best,
 and he happily went back with his maiden, his
 helmsman and sparrowhawk from the farm day at Merseburg to his
 home and to the Wartburg, and the maiden
 carried them Thank you for victory, which Herr Waltmann fought for, on
 all ten fingers, and distributed it among the women
 and virgins, their friends at the court of
 Landgrave Elisabeth, and everyone was very happy and thanked
 the pious knight of his great and glorious
manhood .

"

- Ludwig Bechstein The treasure trove and the legends of the Thuringian country

The legend in the Quensel version

In the romantic version of Bechstein, the selflessly serving role of the brave and virtuous knight was placed in the foreground. The Thuringian writer Paul Quensel expanded the story in his retelling and now placed the knight - virgin couple at the center of the plot. In this version, the young, impetuous knight let himself be carried away with a bet and offered a maiden as a pledge if he should be defeated in the next tournament. In the absence of a suitable maiden, his choice finally falls on a still unmarried, pretty miller's daughter who surrenders herself to the knight and liege lord with firm confidence and love, come what may. It is only at the end of the adventure that Waldmann's heart flares up for the woman who is in pure love for him and both pledge eternal loyalty on the banks of the Saale.

Historical background

The Sättelstädter pastor and local chronicle Dr. Kosack has dealt extensively with the research of this historical legend. According to this, there actually was a knight dynasty with the nickname Waldmann residing in the village of Sättelstädt . The bower as the residence of the knights is said to have been on the Sperlingsberg , a location that was only removed when the Reichsautobahn was built in the 1930s. The name Waldmann was a service designation, a kind of forest overseer for the landgrave. The real knight Hermann was therefore the forest man of Sättelstätt, he is named as a landgrave liege lord in a document dated August 13, 1313, but a hundred years later than during the lifetime of St. Elisabeth; however, it is very likely that there were bearers of this name in Sättelstädt before.

literature

  • Sylvia Weigelt (Ed.): Johannes Rothe - Thüringische Landeschronik and Eisenacher Chronik In: German texts of the Middle Ages. Volume LXXXVII. ISBN 978-3-05-004406-4 . Pp. 59-60
  • Paul Quensel: Thuringian Legends. Jena 1926.
  • Heinrich Weigel: The saga of the Hörselberge . quartus-Verlag 2001, pp. 148-150, ISBN 3-931505-93-6
  • Artur Heuse: Knight Waltmann von Sättelstätt the great engraver and courtier - poetry or truth? In: EP Report 2 - Heimatblätter des Eisenacher Land, Marburg 1992 ISBN 3-924269-94-7 . P. 96f
  • Gustav Freytag: In the bar of the tournament. In: Pictures from the German Past (4th edition 1863)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Heinrich Weigel The saga of the Hörselberge . quartus-Verlag 2001, pp. 219-223, ISBN 3-931505-93-6
  2. ↑ Artur Heuse Ritter Waltmann von Sättelstätt the great engraver and courtier - poetry or truth? EP Report 2 - Heimatblätter des Eisenacher Land, Marburg 1992 ISBN 3-924269-94-7 . P. 96f

Web links