Volume 132, Issue 2

This is a comparative investigation of anacrusis – optional occurrence in verseinitial position of one or more unstressed syllables – in two Eddic meters, fornyrðislag and málaháttr , with particular reference to type A1 (/ × / ×) with anacrusis. Through a statistics-based close comparison with their West Germanic cognates, Beowulf and the Heliand , I will determine the synchronic identity of anacrusis in the two Norse meters and provide a diachronic account of its divergent treatment in the respective metrical systems: in fornyrðislag anacrusis was implemented only sparingly and exclusively for the minimal variant of type A1 with the monosyllabic first drop; by contrast, in málaháttr the metrical device was manipulated as a fifth metrical position to be added almost obligatorily to the lightest variant of type A1 in the b-verse in which the first drop was occupied by a word-final unstressed syllable -x#.

Besides numerous linguistic changes, the emergence of linking elements in n+n-compounds is one decisive characteristic of Early Modern German. The syntactic postposition of the attributively used genitive and the concomitant reanalysis of the nominal phrase as a nominal compound lead to the reinterpretation of the inflectional element as a linking element. By means of the analysis of an Early Modern German dictionary, this contribution extensively tries to present the stock and distribution of linking elements of this epoch for the first time. A comparison with Modern German researches shall finally give a glimpse at interepochal changes.

Gervase of Tilbury, learned administrator and jurist of the Emperor Otto IV, presented in his encyclopedic ›Otia imperialia‹ (early 13 th century) numerous marvellous phenomena or events, classifying them as natural, but not comprehensible facts or as white or black (i. e. demonic) magic or as divine miracles, but all of them as absolutely true and testified by good authorities, in contrast to the lies of the mimi et histriones . This view of things must be accepted by us as the usual and valid one among medieval scholars and connoisseurs of literature and may explain the widespread contemporary misunderstanding of purely fictional romances (like Chrétien's) which are not concerned with reality at all. It is only a slight exaggeration to say: The medieval audience expected – apart from fables and allegories – true or made-up facts, nothing but facts.

Since the year 1833 Karl Lachmann's edition has been the basis for every literary analysis of ›Parzival‹. The new edition by Joachim Bumke derived from the St. Gallen manuscript D provides for the first time a basic text that complies with today's requirements. The current article deals with the principles of Bumke's edition and discusses the consequences this new textual basis could have for the text analysis.