Merseburg charms

The Merseburg Incantations (German: die Merseburger Zaubersprüche) are two medieval magic formulae or incantations, written in Old High German. The incantations are the only known example of pagan Germanic religiosity written in this language. They were rediscovered in 1841 by Georg Waitz, who found them hidden inside of a theological scripture from Fulda, composed in the 9th or 10th century. The scripture was stored in the library of the cathedral chapter of Merseburg – hence their name.

Form

Both incantations are binomial. Its magic formulae follows an epic-telling prologue, that portrays a former event, in the form of an analogy magic (just like it was before... also now shall it be so...). In the form of its verses, the spells represent a transition work - the verses partly show alliteration, partly the end-rhyme, like poems in the Christian era of the 9th century it was invented.

History

In the pagan-ruled dawn of Germanic kingdom, incantations were used, which were believed to give the power people wanted through specifically arranged words (Simek, 1995). Incantations from the Germanic language area are passed on in large number. However, all these come from the Middle ages and are therefore embossed by Christian influences. What is unique about the Merseburg Incantations is its pagan kingdom origin, before the Christian era (750 n. Chr.), therefore it shows the pagan religiosity in its purer form. They came in the 10th century from the library of a well-read cleric who supposedly belonged to the Fulda monastery, on a remaining portion of a registered liturgical book for which purpose is unknown. So the incantations became available for us in Carolingian minuscule on the flyleaf of the Latin sacramentary.

The incantations became famous in the modern time through the evaluation of the Grimm brothers who wrote the following:

Lain Jena near Leipzig, the extensive library of the Domkapitels was often visited by Merseburg scholars and been used. All passed a codex while taking only well-known church scriptures in detail. Now however, after its whole content is examined, a jewel is found, which reminds most famous libraries don't have anything to put down aside...

The incantations then were published later in the edition About two discovered poems from the time of the German Heldenthums (1842) by the Grimm brothers and now are stored in the Merseburg Domstifts Library.

Incantation 1 - liberation of prisoners

The first spell is a "Lösesegen" type. It describes a number of "Idisen" (Valkyrie women) being told to free warriors caught during the battle from their shackles. The last two lines puts the magic words "Leap forth from the fetters, escape from the foes" that should redeem the warriors.

Eiris sazun idisi
sazun hera duoder.
suma hapt heptidun,
suma heri lezidun,
suma clubodun
umbi cuoniouuidi:
insprinc haptbandun,
inuar uigandun.

Once the Idisi set forth,
to this place and that.
Some fastened fetters,
Some hindered the horde,
Some loosed the bonds
from the brave:
Leap forth from the fetters,
escape from the foes.

Incantation 2 - horse cure

Balder (also known as Phol) is with Wotan when Balder's horse dislocates its foot while riding through the forest (holza). Wotan is saying as a result: "Bone to bone, blood to blood, limb to limb, like they were glued". The depictions from the 5th-6th century show Wotan healing a horse. Unfortunately, the other Gods' name cannot be identified unequivocally. Only clear names are "Uuôdan" (Wodan, Wotan, Odin) and. "Frîia" (Freya, his spouse). With the other names, it is not even sure whether they really are names of Gods since different interpretations of their translation are available.

File:Brakteat Odin Runen.jpg

Scandinavian Bracteate from the migration time. Odin riding his horse.

Phol ende uuodan
uuorun zi holza.
du uuart demo balderes uolon
sin uuoz birenkit.
thu biguol en sinthgunt,
sunna era suister;
thu biguol en friia,
uolla era suister;
thu biguol en uuodan,
so he uuola conda:

sose benrenki,
sose bluotrenki,
sose lidirenki:
ben zi bena,
bluot zi bluoda,
lid zi geliden,
sose gelimida sin.

Phol and Wodan
rode into the woods,
There Balder's foal
sprained its foot.
It was charmed by Sinthgunt,
her sister Sunna
It was charmed by Frija,
her sister Volla
It was charmed by Wodan,
as he well knew how:

Bone-sprain,
like blood-sprain,
Like limb-sprain:
Bone to bone,
blood to blood,
Limb to limb,
like they were glued.

Explanations

Idisen: Possibly identical with the Dísir, female deities from the Norse mythology, probably used for both Norns and Valkyries, the ones that decide who should fall on the battlefield.

Balder: the God of the light in the northern mythology.

Wotan: the Old High German form of Odin.

Volla: may be identical with Fulla, one of Frigg's handmaids.

Sunna: may refer to the goddess Sol.

Adaptations

Many german rock groups and musicians were inspired by the Merseburg Incantations and brought out their own version. The already "classic" adaptation of the first incantation comes from the group Ougenweide; it is a free invention and on no real tradition based. The group In Extremo, whose song Küss mich (Kiss me) was in the 2003 charts, brought the first incantation in their album Verehrt und angespien in 1999 and published the second incantation in their album Sünder ohne Zügel (Sinners without reins) in 2001. In the same year, they did it also with the project Helium Vola in a quite different context. The band Corvus Corax has these incantations on the album Ante Casu Peccati, having made it into a song. Another adaptation was featured by Tanzwut, a musical project of Corvus Corax, in the album of the same title. Another band is Nagelfar whose die Sprüche auf Virus West has the incantations included. None of these reinterpretations is based on the medieval melodies.

Currently

The Merseburg Incantations was recently (until 14. November 2004; extend until 30. November 2004) in the framework of the exhibition "Inter cathedral and world - 1000 years of Domkapitel Merseburg", to be shown in the cathedral in Merseburg. They were shown after the last exhibition 1939 to be admired for the last time in this year. Now, they vanished again behind safe doors.

The incantations can be found "freely translated" into English by D. L. Ashliman at his website.

References

Rudolf Simek: Lexikon der germanischen Mythologie. 2nd Edition 1995. ISBN 3520368021

External links