The article on German Literature is abridged from Sime’s article on
this subject in the “Encyclopædia Britannica.”
P. 66, c. 1.—“Nibelungelied.” The song of the Nibelungen. “The work
includes the legends of Siegfried, of Günther, of Dietrich, and of
Attila; and the motives which bind them into a whole are the love and
revenge of Kriemhild, the sister of Günther and Siegfried’s wife.
She excites the envy of Brunhild, the Burgundian queen, whose friend
Hagen discovers the vulnerable point in Siegfried’s enchanted body,
treacherously slays him, and buries in the Rhine the treasure he
has long before conquered from the race of the Nibelungen. There is
then a pause of thirteen years, after which Kriemhild, the better to
effect her fatal purpose, marries Attila. Thirteen years having again
passed away her thirst for vengeance is satiated by slaying the entire
Burgundian court. The Germans justly regard this epic as one of the
most precious gems of their literature.”—_Sime._
“Ulfilas,” ŭl´fĭ-las. (310-381.) The family of Ulfilas were Christians
supposed to have been carried away by the Goths. In 341 he became the
bishop of these people and soon induced a number of them to leave their
warlike life to settle a colony in Mœsia. Here he cultivated the arts
of peace, doing much to civilize the people. He introduced an alphabet
of twenty-four letters and translated all of the Bible except the book
of Kings. This work is the earliest known specimen of the Teutonic
language.
“Wolfram von Eschenbach,” fon esh´en-bäk. He lived at the close of the
twelfth century. A nobleman by birth and a soldier in the civil wars.
He joined the court of Hermann of Thuringia in the castle of Wartburg
(where Luther escaped after the Diet of Worms) and was a contestant in
the famous musical contest called “The war of the Wartburg.” Leaving
here he afterward sang at many other courts, dying in 1225.
“Parzival” or Parcival, par´ci-val.
“Holy Grail.” The chalice said to have been used by Christ at the
Last Supper and in which the wine was changed to blood. As the legend
runs it fell into the hands of Joseph of Arimathea, by whom it was
held for centuries, but finally, at his death, it passed to his
descendants, with whom it remained until its possessor sinned; then the
cup disappeared. The Knights of the Round-Table sought it, but until
Sir Galahad no man was found so pure in heart and life that he could
look upon it. Sir Galahad in some romances is called Sir Percival or
_Parzival_. Eisenbach wrote another romance, “Titural,” founded on the
same legend.
“Gottfried,” gott´freed; “Tristram and Iseult,” trĭs´tram, is´eult;
“Gudrun,” gu´drun.
“Walther von der Vogelweide,” wäl´ter fon der fō=´=gel-wī´deh.
(1165?-1228?) Walter “from the bird meadow.” He lived some time at
Wartburg and was a friend of King Philip and of Frederick II. He died
on a little estate the latter had given him.
“Sachenspiegel.” Codex of the Saxon law.
“Schwabenspiegel.” Codex of the Swabian law.
“Berthold,” bĕr´tōlt. (1215-1272.) His love for the poor led him to
zealous work in their behalf. Through many years he preached in the
open air in Germany, Switzerland and Hungary.
“Eckhart,” ĕk´hart. The father of German speculative thought, as Bach
calls him, was a Dominician monk who attempted to reform his order but
preached so exalted a philosophy that the Pope demanded a recantation.
Eckhart never gave this but claimed that his views were entirely
orthodox. His prose is among the purest specimens in the German
language.
“Meistersänger.” Master-singer.
P. 66, c. 2.—“Shrove-Tuesday,” or confession Tuesday is the day before
Lent. Although originally a day of preparation for the Lenten fast, it
was soon changed to one of merry-making and feasting. As everything was
devised to increase the gaiety of the occasion, these plays soon became
a regular feature.
“Reineke Vos.” Reynard the fox.
“Barkhusen,” bark´hu-sen; “Rostock,” ros´tŏck.
“Ulrich von Hutten,” ul´rich fon hoot´en. (1488-1523.) His life was
spent in hot contests with the enemies of his reforms. As an advocate
of the new learning, he went from city to city teaching and writing;
“Epistolæ Obscurorum Virorum” was written in defense of this theory. He
espoused the cause of the Reformation more because it favored religious
and secular progress than from sympathy with its principles.
“Hans Sachs.” (1494-1576.) “Honest Hans Sachs,” as he was called,
was a cobbler of Nuremberg, who had learned verse-making from a
_meistersänger_ of Munich. His verses included every style of poetry
known, but the “Shrove-Tuesday plays” were the best, being full of
strong characters and striking situations. The hymn mentioned, “Why art
thou cast down, O, my soul?” is but one of several by him.
“Leibnitz,” līp´nits. (1646-1716.) Educated at Leipsic, he says of
himself, that before he was twelve, he “understood the Latin authors,
had begun to lisp Greek and wrote verses with singular success.” After
taking his degree he went to Frankfort under the patronage of a wealthy
gentleman; here he devoted himself to composing treatises on religion,
philosophy, law, etc. All manner of projects interested him. He tried
to bring about a union between the Catholic and Lutheran Churches, to
introduce a common alphabet for all languages, to urge the king of
France to conquer Egypt, and other plans, more or less Utopian. In the
latter part of his life he received high honor from Hanover, Vienna,
and Peter the Great. His correspondence was voluminous, and his works
covered almost the whole field of human thought.
“Klopstock,” klop´stok. (1724-1803.)
“Wieland,” wee´land. (1733-1813.)
“Lessing,” lĕs´ĭng. (1729-1781.)
“Oberon,” ŏb´er-on. The Oberon of Shakspere. The king of the fairies
and the husband of Queen Titania.
“Agathon,” ag´a-thon. A tragic poet of Athens, who died about 400 B. C.
“Pietist,” pī´e-tist. The name was applied to a certain class of
religious reformers in Germany, who sought to restore purity to the
Church.