Der dankbare Wiedergänger (Rittertreue, 1250–1270)
|
|
Maere and Novellas
Der dankbare Wiedergänger (Rittertreue, 1250–1270)
von der Hagen, H.H.: Gesammtabenteuer. Hundert altdeutsche Erzählungen, 3 vols. Stuttgart/Tübingen 1850. Reprint Darmstadt 1961. Vol. 1, Nr. 6, p. 105–128.
DanW-1:
Promythion: A knight has to stick to his once given promises. Count Willekin von Munaburk has spent two thirds of his paternal possessions for knightly requirements. When his father refuses to give him more he has to stay at home for five years. When a rich landlady announces a tournament and as prize her hand, he is given seventy Marks and rides to tournament. He sends a page in advance in order to find accommodation at a citizen who has agreed to give him a great amount of money for his expenses on loan. The page finds a citizen, it is the coin master, but he demands that Willekin redeems a knight who has died in the coin master’s house with a debt and is buried under the garbage in the stable.
Motif References:
T 68 Princess offered as prize
Q 271.1 Debtor deprived of burial
P 561 Tournaments
DanW-300:
The count gives him the 70 Marks out of respect for the knightly honor and the dead is buried honorably. Then he prepares with the help of his host for the tournament but isn’t able to find a good battle horse. At last a foreign knight gives him his, but the count has to promise the half of his tournament price.
Motif References:
M 241 Bargain to divide all winnings
E 341.1 Dead grateful for having corpse ransomed. Corpse is being held unburied because of non-payment of debt. Hero pays debt and secures burial of corpse.
E 341 The grateful dead
DanW-775:
The count wins the tournament and marries the landlady. But on the evening of the first wedding night the knight appears and demands the half of the price. In vain Willekin tries to persuade him to stand of his demand. To keep his promise he has to give him the second night with his wife. When he leaves the chamber crying the foreigner reveals that he was the spirit of the dead knight and renounces his demands. Count Willekin pays his debts to the coin master and proofs his reliability. Epimythion: All knights shall estimate faithfulness as this one.
Motif References:
T 66.1 Grateful dead man helps hero win princess
M 241.1 Dividing the winnings: half of the bride demanded. When the hero shows that he is willing to carry out the bargain his helper relents
|