Sigenot

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The legend of Sigenot , originated around 1300 in the Swabian - Alemannic region, belongs to the area of ​​the aventure-like Dietrichepik . It describes how Dietrich von Bern is defeated in the fight against the giant Sigenot, who throws him into a dragon's cave and how he is finally rescued from it by his subsequent tutor and master-at-arms Hildebrand . According to Schneider and Wisniewski (1964), the saga was initially just a prologue to the corner song , which was then swelled up more and more.

In Elder Sigenot (44 stanzas, in the oldest manuscript), Dietrich finds the sleeping giant Sigenot in the forest and wakes him up. Sigenot recognizes the person who killed his relative Grine (Grim) by the Hildegrim helmet in Dietrich. He knocks Dietrich down and throws him into a dungeon. Then he wanders to Bern to take revenge on Hildebrand, meets him beforehand in the forest, defeats him and also wants to throw him into the dungeon. Hildebrand is able to free himself, however, kills Sigenot and with the help of the dwarf king Eggerich frees Dietrich from the dungeon. When they return, both are greeted happily in Bern.

Cod. Pal. germ. 67 , sheet 19r (excerpt) - Dietrich fighting with the wild man. At the feet of the wild man, the dwarf Baldung ( workshop of Ludwig Henfflin , around 1470)

The younger Sigenot (about 200 stanzas depending on the text transmission) has a longer history. Hildebrand reports to Dietrich von Sigenot, Dietrich wants to fight Sigenot despite Hildebrand's warning. On the way, Dietrich can free the dwarf Baldung from the violence of a wild man . Baldung gives him a miracle stone. Dietrich meets Sigenot, is defeated, thrown into a snake cave, the miracle stone protects him. Hildebrand, who is looking for Dietrich, meets Sigenot, is defeated by him and dragged into the cave. Left alone by Sigenot, Hildebrand can free himself, put on Dietrich's armor hanging on the wall, and defeat and kill Sigenot on his return. Eggerich helps again to free Dietrich.

There are eight manuscripts from the early 14th to the late 15th century and at least 21 prints from the years 1487 to 1661. This makes the Sigenot the most successful representative of the aventure-like Dietrichepik. After 1514, Count Gottfried Werner von Zimmer had frescoes installed on his castle Wildenstein near Sigmaringen, 32 of which are still preserved.

The epic may have been popular back then, but today its quality is assessed as low. However, because of the mention of Grim and Hilde, it is historically significant, as the legend of Grim and Hilde is otherwise only passed down in the prose tradition of the Thidrek saga .

literature

  • Dietrich Grünewald: Sigenot - flip books of the Middle Ages? In: Eckart Sackmann (Ed.): Deutsche Comicforschung 2006. Comicplus, Hildesheim 2005, ISBN 3-89474-155-4 , pp. 7-16.
  • Joachim Heinzle (ed.): The older and the younger "Sigenot": from d. Donaueschinger Manuscript 74 and the Strasbourg print from 1577 in illustrations. Kümmerle, Göppingen 1978, ISBN 3-87452-425-6 .
  • H. Schneider, R. Wisniewski: German heroic sagas. (= Göschen Collection. Volume 32). Second edition. Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin 1964, OCLC 438035624 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ H. Schneider, R. Wisniewski: German heroic sagas. (= Göschen Collection. Volume 32). Second edition. Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin 1964, p. 97.