Unibos

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Unibos ( Versus de Unibove ) is a medium-Latin small epic that was created in the 10th or 11th century in the Belgian-Dutch space by an unknown poet.

It was discovered by Jacob Grimm in an 11th century manuscript. The work, which combines many popular narrative motifs, should have served the entertainment of an educated, spiritual audience. It consists of 216 four-line stanzas.

content

The work tells of the dispute between the poor farmer Unibos, who only owns one ox (therefore called Unibos "Einochs"), with the rich and powerful village leaders, the Vogt ( prepositus ), the village head ( ville maior ) and the village priest ( templi sacerdos ).

On his return from the city market, where he only got a ridiculous price for the skin of his suddenly dead ox, Unibos accidentally discovers a great treasure trove of silver coins. When the village leaders ask about the origin of his sudden wealth, he tells them that he had received so much money for the skin of his ox. They immediately kill their oxen, but are scolded and disgraced in the market for their excessive price demands. Unibos surprises the returnees who are looking for revenge with the simulated death of his wife, whom he brings back to life and youthfulness with an alleged magic flute. The three buy the flute from him, kill their wives, but fail when trying to awaken them. When they want to kill Unibos, Unibos succeeds a third time in blinding them with a new miracle, a mare giving off silver coins instead of feces. They buy the mare from him and, one after the other, try in vain to coax coins from her. Unibos should now finally die.

According to his wishes, it should be sunk in the sea, locked in a barrel. When they get to the seashore, Unibos suggests they drink the last of their money in the tavern. He induces a swineherd passing by with his herd, under the pretense of rich reward, to swap places in the barrel with him and escapes with the pigs. Three days after his alleged death, Unibos appears in the village with the herd of pigs. Because he declares the herd to be owned by the wealth of pigs on the seabed, his three opponents rush greedily for pigs into the sea.

expenditure

  • Jakob Grimm (with Andreas Schmeller). In: Latin poems of the X. and XI. Century Göttingen 1838. pp. 354–383.
  • Paul van de Woestijne, De Klucht van boer Eenos naar een Latin poem uit de 11e eeuw Versus de Unibove. Antwerp 1944 (with Dutch translation).
  • Karl Langosch : Waltharius, Ruodlieb, fairytale epics. Berlin 1956, pp. 252-305 (with German translation).
  • Andries.Welkenhuysen, Het Lied van boer Eenos. Leuven 1975. In: Syrinx-reeks (with Dutch translation).
  • Thomas A.-P. Small, Versus de Unibove. New edition with critical comment. In: Studi Medievali, ser. III 32, Spoleto 1991, pp. 843-86.

literature

  • Bernhard Schmeidler, Small research in literary sources of the 11th century, in: Historische Vierteljahrsschrift, 20, 1920/21, p. 138.
  • Joseph Müller, Das Märchen vom Unibos, Diss. Cologne 1934.
  • Maurits de Meyer, Vlaamsche sprookjesthema's in het licht der Romaansche en Germaansche kultuurstroomingen, Leuven 1942, pp. 133–163.
  • Aaron J. Gurjewitsch, silent witnesses of the Middle Ages, worldview and culture of the common people, Weimar Cologne Vienna 1997.
  • Ferruccio Bertini and Francesco Mosetti Casaretto, La Beffa di Unibos, in: Gli Orsatti Testi dell'Altro Medioevo 9, Alessandria 2000 (with Italian translation).
  • Teja Erb, The revolt of the peasant Einoch. Reflections on a Middle Latin poetry discovered by Jacob Grimm. In: Brothers Grimm Gedenken, Vol. 15, Stuttgart 2003, pp. 186–200.