Georgslied
Encyclopedia
The Georgslied is a set of poems and hymns to Saint George
in Old High German
.
Its likely origin is Saint George's Abbey on the Reichenau monastic island on Lake Constance
in Germany which was founded in 888 and was an important center for the veneration of Saint George. Georgslied was composed towards the end of the 9th century and was partially transcribed by around 1000.
The poem in 57 or so verses is found in the Heidelberg
manuscript which also contains one of the texts of the Evangelienbuch of Otfrid of Weissenburg
(to whom it was formerly attributed). The partial transcription by a scribe named Wisolf ran into difficulties and he ended with the words: "nequeo Vuisolf" ("I am unable. Wisolf"). There is no indication of whether Wisolf were writing down an oral text, or whether he was copying an earlier written version.
ISBN 0198157959 page 48
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
in Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
.
Its likely origin is Saint George's Abbey on the Reichenau monastic island on Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
in Germany which was founded in 888 and was an important center for the veneration of Saint George. Georgslied was composed towards the end of the 9th century and was partially transcribed by around 1000.
The poem in 57 or so verses is found in the Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
manuscript which also contains one of the texts of the Evangelienbuch of Otfrid of Weissenburg
Otfrid of Weissenburg
Otfrid of Weissenburg was a monk at the abbey of Weissenburg and the author of a gospel harmony in rhyming couplets now called the Evangelienbuch. It is written in the South Rhine Franconian dialect of Old High German. The poem is thought to have been completed between 863 and 871...
(to whom it was formerly attributed). The partial transcription by a scribe named Wisolf ran into difficulties and he ended with the words: "nequeo Vuisolf" ("I am unable. Wisolf"). There is no indication of whether Wisolf were writing down an oral text, or whether he was copying an earlier written version.
Sources
- John Bostock, A Handbook of Old High German, 1976 ISBN 0-19-815392-9
- Mary Garland, The Oxford Companion to German Literature Oxford University Press, 1997 ISBN 0198158963, page 274
- C. J. Wells, German, a linguistic history to 1945 Oxford University Press, 1985
ISBN 0198157959 page 48