The Lexicon of ›Muspilli‹

The Lexicon of Muspilli offers a comprehensive lexical analysis of the eponymous Old High German text, one of the most enigmatic and debated works of ninth-century literary production. The Muspilli, a Christian poetic fragment dealing with individual judgment as well as with the end of the world and the Last Judgment, has long been the subject of scholarly discussion due to its conceptual, stylistic, and linguistic complexity.

This volume systematically investigates the poem’s lexicon, organized into three semantic fields – the human world, the legal sphere, and the divine dimension – with the goal of clarifying the meaning and usage of individual terms. This is achieved through comparisons with other Old High German and broader Germanic attestations. Each entry includes an etymological analysis, a review of occurrences, and a reflection on its conceptual value within the context of the Muspilli.

The work makes a valuable contribution to the study of Old High German and Carolingian eschatological thought. It offers new perspectives for interpreting the Muspilli and for deepening our understanding of the religious culture of the early medieval German world.

Lidia Francesca Oliva, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Salerno, Italy.