Sententiarum series tertia

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek

Description

On margins and empty pages of the Latin manuscript collection the Old High German alliterated poem of the ninth century, called Muspilli after the word for end of the world, is recorded in 103 verses. The codex originates according to the information in the dedicatory verses by the Salzburg Archbishop Adalram (821-836) with the property of King Ludwig der Deutsche (the German). It was discovered in the Ratisbon monastery St. Emmeram. In 1812, the manuscript came to Munich to the State Library. Beginning and end of the poem are missing; the entry was obviously executed by a hand unused to writing. The otherwise regularly built alliterated verse is already shattered, incomplete and end rhyming verses alternate. As a substantial counter piece to the Wessobrunn creation hymn (Clm 22053) the Muspilli discusses at the beginning the fate of the soul after death and leads from verse 37 to the depiction of the fight between Elias and the antichrist, who triggers the global conflagration (vv. 44-54). Then the unavoidable world judgement is announced. With the contemplation of the Crucifix, the text suddenly ends (vv. 73-103). Two sermon-type insertions (vv. 18-24; vv. 63-72) structure the poem in two parts. Datum: 2016

Author

Peter Czoik

Rights Statement Description

CC0