The aim of this dissertation is to interpret the Old Saxon Heliand as a catalyst for change. Whereas recent studies have interpreted the poem as an agent of spiritual change, this study will examine the Heliand as an agent of social and political change. The basis of this study will be the text itself, with consideration of its main source, the Diatessaron. The approach will not only be textual in nature, but historical as well. The first order of the study will be to place the poem in its proper historical and cultural context. This will generate two possible contexts, as current scholarship is divided over the date of composition. This study will discuss both dates, but will select only one with which to continue. Following this, the study will examine the medium of epic and its influence on the poem. Here, significant motifs and elements of the epic will be outlined, discussed and applied to the text. In addition, this study will analyze significant figures of the poem, such as Jesus Christ, the apostles, King Herod, and Pontius Pilate. The study will also examine significant episodes of the poem, such as the birth and execution of Christ, Christ's battle with Satan in the forest, and the elimination of John the Baptist. Through examples from the text, the study will also demonstrate the poet's ability to reconcile pre-Christian concepts of spirituality with Christian Scripture, Germanic notions of power and authority with those of the Franks, and the social status of the Saxon as subjects of Frankish rule. In all, the study will demonstrate how the Heliand marks confluence of varying and conflicting notions of social order into a seamless reorganization of society.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.85215 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Zurla, Cynthia |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of German Studies.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002223842, proquestno: AAINR12969, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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