Schondoch, Der Litauer (1365/1402)
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Maere and Novellas
Schondoch, Der Litauer (1365/1402)
Heintz, H. (ed.): Schondochs Gedichte (=German. Abhandl. 30) Breslau 1908, Reprint Olms 1977. p.42–55
SchLit-1:
Prologue about the story’s topic: the fight between the Teutonic Order and the heathens in Prussia, who have already been defeated several times.
Motif References:
V 301 (Li) Heathens and Christians
V 350 Conflicts between religions
P 550.1 (Li) Battle. War
SchLit-27:
The Lithuanian king is advised by one of his knights to summon his forces and dispatch him to spy in the Christian army. The heathen knight rides into the town Toran where he has learnt Pruzsch when he was a boy. As the master learns that the Russens, Tarters and Littoweres have gathered an army he sends for his men. One morning the Christian knights come together and hear the Holy Mass. The heathen spy attends the ceremony and enjoys the singing without knowing its meaning.
Motif References:
V 49 Mass – miscellaneous motifs
P 551 Army
P 557.0.2 (Li) Spy. Messenger
SchLit-76:
He watches the priest breaking a strong man into three pieces which are transformed into three giants. After the priest has eaten the giants the spy notices the brothers coming forward and receiving the Holy Communion. He returns to the heathens who hide in a forest and relates the events he has observed to the king.
Motif References:
V 39.4 Vision of sacrament in form of young child [three giants]
V 331.1 Conversion to Christianity through miracle
V 340 Miracle manifested to non-believers
SchLit-129:
The king considers this to be the reason for the impossibility to defeat the Christians: when one warrior is wounded or killed, another man slides out of him and continues to fight. The king wishes to observe the miracle himself. He and the heathen spy go to Toran, both knowing the language of Priuzen.
Motif References:
J 1824.1 Other misunderstandings of the communion
SchLit-158:
The king and the knight attend the mass and God reveals the nature of the Eucharist to them by transforming the host into a strong man. The king offers 1000 marks to the priest for giving him the three men to eat. The priest asks him to wait in the back of the church until the end of the mass. Then the king tells him what he has seen. The priest explains to him the nature of communion and exhorts him to confess his sins and get baptized. The king wishes to convert to Christianity.
Motif References:
V 201 God
P 426.1 Parson (priest)
SchLit-269:
The priest hurries to see the lords and informs them of the presence of the Lithuanian king and his wish to convert. Knights and servants rush out of the hall to see the king who is then baptized together with the other heathen. Afterwards both are led into the Great Hall where they have meal and are entertained by music (rotte, gîgen, phîfen). The two proselytes will remain faithful to the Christian faith. Epilogue: prayer to Virgin Mary. The author mentions his name: Schondoch.
Motif References:
V 332 Baptism of heathen
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