The Manuscript, Orthography, and Dialect of the Hildebrandslied

Frederick H. Wilkens

doi:10.2307/456134

The Manuscript, Orthography, and Dialect of the Hildebrandslied

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020

Frederick H. Wilkens

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The Old Saxon (or Old High German) Hildebrandslied occupies a unique position among the remains of Germanic antiquity. It is the only specimen of the ancient German national epic preserved in the O.H.G. or the O.S. language. Interesting as this noble poem is, when considered by itself, it gains still more in interest when viewed as an older type of the epic poetry developed into perfection, at a later period, in works like the Nibelungenlied. Its orthography and dialect also offer most interesting problems. These considerations will explain why a renewed detailed examination of the manuscript, orthography, and dialect of the poem were deemed justifiable.

Type: Research Article
Information: PMLA , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , 1897 , pp. 226 - 250

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/456134 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1897

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Footnotes

This paper was read at the meeting of the Central Modern Language Conference at Chicago, December 31, 1895. A paper on the “Dialect of the Hildebrandslied,” read by Dr. Francis A. Wood at the same meeting, is published in the Publications of the M. L. Assoc., xi, p. 323 f. A contribution by Kauffmann in Philologische Studien (Festgabe für Eduard Sievers), 1896, was received after the manuscript was in the hands of the editor and could not, therefore, be considered here.

It is hardly necessary to give a comprehensive bibliography of the Hildebrandslied as the principal works are mentioned in Grein's edition2, 1880, p. 3 f; Müllenhoff-Scherer, Denkmäler deutscher Poesie und Prosa3, vol. ii, p. 8; Braune, Althochdeutsches Lesebuch3, p. 168 f; Kögel's Althoch- und altniederdeutsche Literatur in Paul's Grundriss der Germanischen Philologie, vol. II, p. 174; Kögel's Geschichte der deutschen Litteratur, vol. i, 1 Teil, p. 211; furthermore in the Jahresberichte für germanische Philologie, 1878 f.

The text employed in this investigation is that of the manuscript unchanged, on the basis of Braune's Althochd. Lesebuch3, xxviii, pp. 76, 77. A German translation of the poem is given by Grein, p. 19 f., and by Kögel, Gesch. d. d. Litt., p. 212.

Foremost among articles on the Hildebrandslied are Kögel's, in Paul's Grundriss and H. Möller's Zar althochdeutschen Alliterationspoesie, 1888, ii. Zum Hildebrandsliede. 1. Der Dialekt des Hildebrandsliedes, p. 53-80. Kögel seems to have settled the vexed question of S. or H. G. origin in favor of S. origin. Möller's searching investigation sought to establish the Hildebrandslied a purely H. G. poem. On account of this view held by Möller, and from facts developed in the course of this investigation, it is possible to agree with him only in parts. The following works may be mentioned because they will be referred to: Schröder, Bemerkungen zum Hildebrandsliede, 1880; G. Kossinna, Über die ältesten hochfränkischen Sprachdenkmäler, 1881; and the author's treatise, Zum hochalemannischen Konsonantismus der althochdeutschen Zeit, 1891.

References

^{page 227 note 1} De Hildebrando antiquissimi carminis teutonici fragmentum, 1830.

The Hildebrandslied covers the first and last page of cod. Theol., fol. 54, of the Library at Kassel (Grein, p. 8). The fac-simile employed in this investigation is that of Könnecke's Bilderatlas zur Geschichte der Deutschen Nationallitteratur, 1887, pp. 6, 7. The facsimile of Grein's edition is worthless for the purpose of minute examination of the script. Sievers’ edition was not accessible to me.

^{page 228 note 1} According to W. Grimm, a new hand begins with inwit; according to Sievers (Schröder, p. 4), with ewin.

^{page 232 note 1} The subject is treated by Schröder, p. 6.

^{page 233 note 1} Pfeiffer's Germania, vol. ix, p. 290.

^{page 233 note 2} Pfeiffer's Germania, xv, p. 19.

^{page 236 note 1} Möller, p. 66.

^{page 236 note 2} Schröder, p. 6.

^{page 237 note 1} Paul's Grundriss, vol. ii, p. 155.

^{page 237 note 2} Möller, p. 58, propounds the view that tt is simply an archaic orthography for H.G. z. This view cannot find consideration in our investigation inasmuch as Möller supposes the original of the Hildebrandslied to have been H.G.

^{page 237 note 3} In chind, v. 13, 53, we have an agreement of final consonant in O.H.G. and O.S., on account of different Ablaut in the two dialects.

^{page 237 note 4} Cf. Wood, Publ. of M. L. A., vol. xi, p. 326.

^{page 237 note 5} Cf. Braune, Ahd. Gramm.², § 163.

^{page 238 note 1} The question might be asked whether a system of Saxon orthography existed when the Hildebrandslied was first written down.

^{page 238 note 2} Behaghel, Paul's Grundriss, i, p. 588, § 94, 4; Leidolf, Die Naunheimer Mundart, pp. 3, 36; Lienhart, Mundart des Zornthales, p. 18; Mankel, Mundart des Münsterthales, p. 6.

The use of t in O.H.G. does not necessarily point to a fortis as Behaghel assumes (1. c. (2)); it may in many cases have been employed to distinguish a voiceless sound from the voiced d (= Germ. th). Even if part of the Franconian should have fortis t at the present day (Wrede, Zeitschr. f. d. Altert., xxxvi, p. 137) this does not prove fortis for the O.H.G. period.

^{page 238 note 3} Braune, Ahd. Gramm.², § 163, Anm. 3. This d may have been employed extensively in the Rhenish-Franconian dialect because Germ. th long kept its spirant character in this dialect (Braune, Ahd. Gr.2, § 167^b), so that the sign d was available for Germ. d. It does not necessarily prove a different pronunciation from that used in other O.H.G. dialects.

^{page 239 note 1} Cf. Author's Zum hochal. Konsonantismus, p. 82, § 120.

^{page 239 note 2} Such a sound may be inferred for the O.S. from the quality of the t in the Low G. and English of to-day.

^{page 239 note 3} Examples in Sievers’2d. ed. of the O.H.G. Tatian, § 43; Weissenburger Katechismus, hluttru, eittar; Isidor, Cap. 3, § 6, hluttror; furthermore forms like leitta in Tatian and Otfrid. Is it possible that in these cases tt is a fortis rather than a geminate?

^{page 240 note 1} Die Schriften Notkers, hsg. von Piper, i, p. 5, l. 17.

^{page 240 note 2} Möller, p. 56, assigns the to the source of our manuscript: “Im Anfang pflegen Die Abschreiber der Vorlage genauer zu folgen.” His explanation loses its force when we recognize a number of hands.

^{page 240 note 3} Braune, Ahd. Gramm.², § 167^b.

^{page 240 note 4} Cf. Author's Hochalem. Konsonantismus, p. 82, § 119; Sievers’Angels. Gramm.², § 199, Anm. 1. The Alemannic Benedictinerregel undoubtedly designated a spirant by d, likewise an old Franconian monument like the Frankfurter Glossen (Steinmeyer-Sievers’Ahd. Glossen, ii, 144 f., Pietsch, Zeitschr. f. d. Phil, vii, 414 f. Möller suggests, p. 56, that d in the Hildebrandslied may be an archaic orthography for th.

^{page 241 note 1} Braune, Ahd. Gramm.², § 143, Anm. 2, 3; § 144.

^{page 241 note 2} Kossinna, p. 51.

^{page 241 note 3} For this common use of ch in O.H.G., cf. Braune, Ahd. Gramm.², § 145.

^{page 241 note 4} Behaghel, Paul's Grundriss d. g. Phil., i, p. 537.

^{page 242 note 1} Möller, p. 75. methi (= meti, mili?) occurs in the Altdeutsche Gespräche (Zeitschr. f. d. A., xxxix, p. 11 (101)). The Gespräche are localized by Martin at Münster in the Alsace. But the form may be Low G., since Low G. elements occur in the piece (ibid., p. 20).

^{page 242 note 2} Behaghel, Paul's Grundr., i, p. 629.

^{page 242 note 3} Braune, Ahd. Gramm.², § 145, Anm. 1; Author's Hochal. Kons., § 80.

^{page 242 note 4} Möller (p. 60) assumes for p the value of an affricate, which assumption is of no interest if the Hildebrandslied is O.S.

^{page 243 note 1} Gallee, Altsächsische Gramm., § 106; Sievers, Angels. Gr., § 191.

^{page 243 note 2} Möller, p. 71.

^{page 244 note 1} Braune, Ahd Gramm.², § 153, Anm. 1.

^{page 244 note 2} Braune, Ahd. Gramm.², § 153, Anm. 1.

^{page 244 note 3} Wood, Publications of the M. L. Ass., xi, p. 326.

^{page 244 note 4} Braune, Ahd. Gramm.², § 28, Anm. 2.

^{page 244 note 5} Braune, Ahd. Gramm.², § 43, Behaghel, Paul's Grundr., i, p. 567.

^{page 244 note 6} About the quality of this sound in Middle Low G. cf. Behaghel, Paul's Grundr., i, p. 567.

^{page 244 note 7} Paul's Grundr., ii, p. 176.

^{page 245 note 1} Braune, Ahd. Gramm., § 35 with § 43.

^{page 245 note 2} P. 66.

^{page 245 note 3} Braune, Ahd. Gramm., § 45.

^{page 245 note 4} Behaghel, Paul's Grundr., i, p. 567.

^{page 246 note 1} Cf. Braune, Ahd. Lesebuch ³, xiv, p. 37.

^{page 246 note 2} P. 71.

^{page 246 note 3} Cf. Sievers’ ed.² of the Tatian, p. xii.

^{page 246 note 4} Cf. Sievers’ ed.², p. xxii.

^{page 246 note 5} Cf. Grein's edition², p. 12 f.

^{page 247 note 1} Möller, p. 55.

^{page 247 note 2} Cf. chap. ii, where ao and ae are treated.

^{page 247 note 3} Möller, p. 72.

^{page 248 note 1} Cf. Kögel, Gesch. der d. Litt., p. 228.

^{page 248 note 2} Cf. chapter ii, treatment of Germ. k in this paper.

^{page 248 note 3} Cf. Kögel, Litteraturgesch., p. 221.

^{page 248 note 4} Ibid., p. 218. The O.S. would be fader (or fater in the orthography of our poem).

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The Manuscript, Orthography, and Dialect of the Hildebrandslied

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