Magic formulas of Mersebourg

The magic formulas of Mersebourg (in German Die Merseburger Zaubersprüche , in French also magic words) are two medieval magic incantations written into old High-German. They are the only existing documents nowadays relative to the old Germanic pagan beliefs preserved in their source language. They were discovered in 1841 by Georg Waitz in a theological manuscript of Fulda, which would have been written at the 9th century or 10th century. The date of writing of the formulas in themselves remains dubious. The manuscript (Cod. 136 F. 85a) is preserved in the Bibliothèque of the Cathédrale of Mersebourg, from where the name.

Form

Each formula breaks up into two parts: a preamble treating to the history of a mythological event; and formulates it in itself in the form of a magic Analogie ( as it was formerly… should also be today… ). In the form of theirs towards, the formulas are of transitional type: Allitération S mix with the Rime S terminals developed by the Christian Poésie with the 9th century.

History

Among the Germanic first Peuples, the incantations had the function “to make usable, thanks to the use of words envoutants, the magic capacities that the men wanted to see serving them” ( durch die Macht of the gebundenen Wortes die magischen Kräfte, die sich der Mensch dienstbar machen will, nutzbar zu machen ) (Simek, 1995). Those mainly survived time, particularly in the areas of Germanic Langue. However, they date all from the Moyen-âge, and are subject to consequently the influence of the Christianisme. What is single in the magic formulas of Mersebourg is that they reflect their origin pre-Christian woman very clearly (of before the year 750). They were transposed to the writing for an unknown reason at the 10th century by an ecclesiastical , probably in the abbey of Fulda on a white page of a thereafter last book of Liturgie to the library of Mersebourg. The formulas thus were transmitted in tiny Carolingians on a title page of a book of Latin masses.

Formulate 1: Release of the prisoners

The first formula is a “Lösesegen” ( blessing of release ) describing how “Idisen” (woman Valkyrie) deliver their irons of the warriors captured at the time of a battle. The two last lines contain the magic words “Jump out of the chains, escape the enemy” which are supposed to release the warriors.

Formulate 2: Cure of the horse

Phol (or Balder) is with Odin when the horse of Balder breaks the leg in the forest. Odin says then: “Os with bone, blood with blood, member with member, as if they were stuck”. Images of the {{Romanian|V|5}} ^e or 6th century show Odin curing a horse. Unfortunately, the names of the other gods cannot be identified with certainty; the only sure names are “Uuôdan” (Wodan, Wotan, Odin) and “Frîia” (Freyja, one of the amantes of Odin). As for the other names, it is not even certain that they are really the names of the gods since several interpretations of translation are possible.

Random links: