Trier Floyris

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The Trier Floyris is a fragment of medieval literature. It is an early courtly verse novel that deals with the story of Floris and Blanscheflur . It is named after the place where it was found in Trier. There it was discovered in 1877 in two incunabula from 1503 in the Carthusian monastery of St. Alban .

Its origin is estimated at 1170. Today the fragment is in the Trier City Library in the manuscript portfolio X. The "Trier Floyris" is the oldest known testimony of the Floris fabric from Germany, France is the country of origin of the Floris saga, the old French version Aristocratique is the oldest surviving version and is considered to be possible submission of the "Trier Floyris".

Lore

The "Trier Floyris" was written on double sheets of parchment , two of which have survived. They were used in the book covers of two incunabula to reinforce the book cover, so they are cut up and badly worn. The upper quarter of the double leaves has been preserved. Since the front and back are described and the text was written in two columns, 16 individual fragments of the text have been preserved. They comprise about 20 verses , a total of 368 verses have survived. The text parts that have been preserved are partly illegible due to wear, worm damage and stains. It is written in small handwriting , three times a red decorative letter over two lines marks the beginning of a new section, there are no large decorations.

template

There are various theses about the model of the "Trier Floyris". While Ehrismann took the view that this was based on an old French poem, which has not come down to us, it is now assumed that the version aristocratique served as a template. One can assume that the poet of the Maasland Florisromas had a very good knowledge of the French text, but had redesigned the material himself.

Dating and localization

The dating was carried out on the basis of rhyming and metrical writing characteristics, as well as the use of Carolingian capitals and indicates around 1170 as the date of origin. Helmut de Boor, on the other hand, is of the opinion that the Trier Floyris in the Cologne-Aachen-Bonn area was created around 1160, without giving any further reasons for this period.

The development can be limited to a small geographical area. E. Steinmeyer, who published the "Trier Floyris" for the first time in 1877, attributed the Lower Rhine area to him. J. v. Dam finally delimits the area to the triangle Cologne - Aachen - Kleve . The area is generally recognized as the place of origin, especially since revision techniques typical for this area were determined on the basis of linguistic criteria. The language is (East) Maasland. The "Trier Floyris" was long called "Lower Rhine Floyris" in German studies , today the name "Maasland Floyris" has established itself.

By examining the language, van Dam tries to find out whether one can discern differences between the language of the poet and the language of the copyist and whether the copyist had any influence on the text. He notes that a High German scribe probably copied the text, but did not overwrite the Lower Franconian character. Furthermore, he concludes from the language of the text that the poet can be located in an area in which the German phonetic shift has not yet taken place, but was already a "battlefield between different pronouns".

Language and writing style

The "Trier Floyris" is an early court poem . There are adventurous moves included; So Floris goes on a journey abroad to get back his stolen Blanscheflur, but it cannot be called an adventure novel. There are few elements of tension built in and conflicts can be dealt with quickly. The "Trier Floyris" is called "humane", for example the emir, who first condemns the lovers to death, quickly has mercy and lets them go. The text is sometimes even described as idealizing and naive. The linguistic style is kept simple and sober, the presentation of the content is limited to the essentials and follows a clear structure of action. Debauchery or a reflexive attitude within the text are not given.

Historical background

According to Winkelmann, the topic of the marriage between a Muslim prince and a Christian was strikingly topical at the time when “Trier Floyris” was written. There is a document (1173) from Friedrich I. Barbarossa that deals with this topic: “The king proposes a marriage between his son and the daughter of the emperor, for which he wants to accept the Christian faith with his kingdom and release all Christian prisoners . ”The king of Babylon who made this offer at this time is Saladin. Saladin conquered Acre and Jerusalem in 1187, after which the Pope called a third crusade.

content

Floris fabric was very popular in the Middle Ages and there are versions in many Western European languages. (For example: Konrad Fleck : "Flore und Blanscheflur" (Lower Alemannic), Diederic von Assende: "Flôris ende Blanceflor", an old Norse prose saga: "Flóres Saga ok Blankiflúr") The different versions are based on the following plot: (Summary of the "Version Aristocratique "of the oldest text, the old French Floris novel" Floire et Blancheflor "):

Floris is the son of a pagan Spanish king and grows up with the Christian slave daughter Blanscheflur. The parents met on the Camino de Santiago . Floris and Blanscheflur are very close and in order to prevent an improper marriage, Floris' parents sell Blanscheflur while Floris is traveling. When he returns they explain to him that his lover has died.

Floris is sick with grief and ready to commit suicide , so that his mother confesses the truth to him out of pity. Thereupon Floris goes in search of Blanscheflur, and this leads him to Babylon . There Blanscheflur is said to live in a tower in the harem of the emir who wants to take her as his wife.

With the help of the bridge tenant and by outwitting the tower guard, Floris manages to get into the tower. However, he does not find himself in Blanscheflur's room, but in that of her friend, Lady Cloris. This brings the lovers together. However, they are discovered and sentenced to death at the stake by the emir. After all, the emir gives mercy to justice. A double wedding ensues and the couple return to the kingdom of Spain, where Floris inherits his father.

The “Trier Floyris” begins at the end of the bridge tenant scene and all 16 fragments describe scenes in Babylon. You learn how he bribes the tower guard and how he helps him. It is reported how he arrives in the room of Lady Cloris and she hides him from the other ladies and how she hides the meeting of the lovers. The scene of the condemnation is very sketchy, but the request for mercy by a certain Count Bernhart is described in verses 270-301. This person does not appear in any other Floris piece and suggests that he was named by the author (in other versions this count is anonymous) in order to honor a patron or patron. In the last section, Floris receives a letter from home with the appeal to take over the inheritance of his deceased father.

The bridge tenant and tum guard episode

The episode of bridge tenants and tower watchmen was most clearly changed by the Maasland poet. Elements that were previously told in the bridge tenant episode are incorporated into the tower watchman episode by the writer of Floyris from Trier. It is noticeable that there are literal correspondences, but differences in content nonetheless. The similarities include, for example, the so-called “architect list” in which Floyris pretends to want to take a closer look at the tower in which Blanscheflur is trapped because he wants to build one in his own country. In this way he gets closer to the tower guard. Before that, he also receives advice from the bridge leaseholder to bribe the tower guard with gold. The chess game scene also has several similarities with the French Floris novel. On the one hand, chess is played several times for stakes, and on the other, Floyris gives the tower guard back the lost stake.

In addition to these similarities, there are also some differences. In this way the tower guard becomes a friendly figure and even asks God to protect Floyris. He also asks Floyris to stay after seeing the tower. Earlier than in the original, Floyris confesses to him that Blanscheflur is his lover and that he wants to free her. De Smet is of the opinion that the poet knew the template very well, but did not have it when he wrote it, so he told the story freely from memory. On the other hand, he suspects that the writer "sometimes deliberately didn't follow the template and changed and redesigned the material."

Winkelman points out that the Maasland poet adopted both original elements and introduced new narrative elements. The cunning, the bribery of the guard, the tour around the tower, the range of services and the admission by Floyris that Blanscheflur is his lover are known elements that the scribe takes on in almost the same course of action. Newly introduced elements, however, are the “encrypted confession” by Flore, which the poet transfers to the tower guard episode and converts it into an “open confession”. He also transfers the chess game scene from the bridge tenant episode into the tower guard episode. Flore is generous for the second time, although he has already bought the guard's favor. Winkelman criticizes that the chess game scene in Trier Floyris therefore makes little sense.

Theses and interpretations in research

In the scene in which Floyris and Blanscheflur are to be sentenced, Count Bernhart appears who prevents the execution of the sentence and thus saves Floyris and Blanscheflur. According to a thesis by de Smet, this mention could be an homage to an unknown patron or commissioner of the poet. According to Winkelmann (2008), a Count Bernhard von Anhalt from the Saxon margrave family of the Ascanians would be considered. On the one hand, he was familiar with the aristocratic group around Barbarossa and was in France in his youth. On the other hand, in 1184 he took part in a court day in Mainz, at which Heinrich von Veldeke was also present.

In addition, there is no conflict between Christians and pagans. De Smet recognizes in this a righteous character of the poet who does not divide mankind into Christians and pagans. The poet therefore rewrote the scene of the tower guard's being outwitted and made it friendlier and more humane. A utopia of peace can be seen in this.

Bibliography and sources

  • Konrad Fleck : Flore and Blanscheflur. A story. Edited by Emil Sommer. Basse, Quedlinburg et al. 1846, pp. Viii-xxxviii ( Library of the entire German national literature from the oldest to the more recent. Department 1, Volume 12), online .
  • Jan van Dam: The language of the Floyris. In: Karg-Gasterstädt, Elisabeth (ed.): Questions and research in the field and area of ​​Germanic philology: Festgabe for Theodor Frings on his 70th birthday. Berlin, 1956, pp. 126-129.
  • René Pérennec: Le Trierer Floyris, adaption du roman de Floire et Blancheflor. In: Etudes germaniques 35 (1980) pp. 316-320.
  • Gilbert AR de Smet: "Trier Floyris". In: Burghart Wachinger (ed.): The German literature of the Middle Ages. Author Lexicon. Volume 9: Slecht, Reinbold - Ulrich von Liechtenstein. 2nd completely revised edition. de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 1995, ISBN 3-11-014024-1 , column 1043-1049 ( publications of the Commission for German Literature of the Middle Ages of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences ).
  • Gilbert AR de Smet, Maurits Gysseling: The Trier Floyris fragments. In: Studia Germanica Gandensia. 9, 1967, ISSN  0081-6442 , pp. 157-196.
  • Gilbert AR de Smet: The Trier Floyris and its French source. In: Schröder, Werner (ed.) Festschrift for Ludwig Wolf on his 70th birthday. Neumünster, 1962. pp. 203-216.
  • Gilbert AR de Smet: To the tower guard episode in the Trier Floyris. In: Huschenbett, Dietrich u. a. (Ed.): Medium Aevum German. Contributions to German literature of the high and late Middle Ages. Festschrift for Kurt Ruh on his 65th birthday. Tübingen 1979, pp. 327-333
  • Max Roediger, Elias von Steinmeyer: Trier fragments. I Floyris. II Aeigiduis. In: Journal for German Antiquity and Literature. 21, 1877, ISSN  0044-2518 , pp. 307-412.
  • Gottfried von Strasbourg : Tristan and Isolde and Flore and Blanscheflur. Edited by Wolfgang Golther . Volume 2: Tristan and Isolde (conclusion). The continuers of Gottfried. Ulrich von Türheim and Heinrich von Freiberg. Union Deutsche Verlags-Gesellschaft et al., Stuttgart 1889, pp. 235–246 (Joseph Kürschner (Ed.): Deutsche National-Litteratur. Dept. 3, Vol. 4).
  • JH Winkelman: The bridge leaseholder and the tower guard episode in “Trier Floyris” and in the “Version Aristocratique” of the old French Floris novel. Rodopi, Amsterdam 1977, ISBN 90-6203-499-3 ( Amsterdam publications on language and literature 27), (also: Leiden, Univ., Diss., 1977).
  • Johan H. Winkelman: Floris Novels. In: Pérennec, René / Schmidt, Elisabeth (Hrsg.): Courtly novel in verse and prose. Berlin / New York 2010, pp. 331–367.
  • Johan H. Winkelman: 'die greue bernhart sprac do' ('Trierse Floyris', verse 273). Het signalement van een mecenas. In: Voortgang 26 (2008), pp. 7-27.
  • Johan H. Winkelman: About Floyris in Trier. In: Neophilologus 66 (1982), pp. 391-406.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jan van Dam: The language of the Floyris . In: Elisabeth Karg- Gasterstädt (Hrsg.): Questions and research in the field and area of ​​Germanic philology: Festgabe for Theodor Frings on his 70th birthday . Berlin 1956, p. 129 .
  2. ↑ Johan Winkelmann: Flori novels . In: Pérennec, René / Schmidt, Elisabeth (Hrsg.): Courtly novel in verse and prose . Berlin / New York 2010, p. 337 .
  3. ↑ Gilbert Smet: The Trier Floyris and its French source . In: Werner Schröder (Hrsg.): Festschrift for Ludwig Wolf on his 70th birthday . Neumünster 1962, p. 206 .