Traditionele zanger of geleerde? Over de dichter van de Heliand

This research focuses on the question of the authorship of the (anonymously transmitted) Heliand. The Heliand is an epic poem in Old Saxon about the life of Christ. It is a poetic adaptation of the Tatian, a Gospel harmony. Engaging with Audiences and Sources Part one concerns the poet’s strategy for engaging with his target audience and explores how he makes use of his most important sources. The poem was intended for those who could not read or understand Latin. There are indications that it was intended not only for monks who entered the monastery later in life, but also for the lay elite. On the one hand, the poet is eager to follow the message of the Gospel faithfully. On the other hand, he connects this message with the codes of loyalty and other virtues that were required of the retinue of a noble lord at the time. The poet makes his own selection of texts from the Tatian, most likely drawing upon the version preserved in the Codex Fuldensis or a copy thereof. When he deems it necessary, he draws upon respected Gospel commentaries. It is clear that the poet of the Heliand aims for a poetic translation of the Gospel. Profile of the Poet Part two explores the poet’s profile. Was he a clerical scholar or a traditional epic singer? Several details support the conclusion that an oral composition method must have been used by a poet trained in this tradition. The poet possesses a profound knowledge of the West Germanic epic tradition. The ability to consult scholarly sources and commit the poem to writing would therefore have to be attributed to a team that included at least one additional learned mentor and scribe. Name for the poet? Part three addresses the following question: can a name or names be linked to the poet’s profile? Of the five names proposed in existing research on the Heliand, the singer Bernlef fits this profile best. Bernlef first encountered Liudger around 790 in Hunsingo, in the north of the present-day Dutch province of Groningen. The preacher is said to have cured him of blindness. Bernlef was highly esteemed by his compatriots because he ‘could recount with great Several points emerge that could support the identification of Bernlef as the author of the Heliand: - Both Bernlef and the unknown author are lay singers renowned in their circles. - After a divine miracle, poetry related to passages from the Scriptures follows. - Both the poet and his work are characterized in superlative terms. - The Old English singer Cædmon serves as a model for both poets. - Regarding both poets, a miracle occurring without clerical intervention is reported. - The poet seems to be familiar with life along the coast of the North Sea, which is Bernlef’s region of origin. - Reports concerning Bernlef and the dating of the manuscripts stem from the same period Not only the monastery of Fulda, but also Werden played a role in the development of the Heliand. A variety of details provide evidence of activity at Werden. Possible challenges to Bernlef’s authorship include the Praefatio’s statement that the poet was ‘from the tribe of the Saxons’ and that the language of the Heliand is Old Saxon, which can be localised in the vicinity of Werden in southwest Saxony. However, according to Liudger’s Second Life, Bernlef remained a part of the preacher’s entourage for a considerable time, and the preacher left permanently for West Saxony shortly thereafter, in 792. Therefore, Bernlef may have joined the Saxon tribe as a member of Liudger’s entourage.