German Version H

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The numerous prose and verse redactions of the Historia Septem Sapientum in German throughout the fifteenth century demonstrate a particular peak in the popularity of the Seven Sages storymatter. The German prose Historia, titled the Sieben Weise Meister, was especially successful, with twenty-seven surviving manuscript witnesses. Two distinct verse versions - one anonymous, one by Hans von Bühel - also survive. Many of these versions, which were translated from Latin originals, were embedded within the Gesta Romanorum, though the popularity of the Sieben Weise Meister outlived that of the Gesta (Gerdes 1992). Eventually, the material was also adapted into a theatrical performance, scripted by Sebastian Wild.

Udo Gerdes broke down the Prosafassung / Prose Version of the Sieben Weise into seven separate redactions, lettered A-G, each representing distinct textual versions of the narrative (1992). Of these, Redaction G is the most elaborate and detailed, and is also the only redaction to survive into the sixteenth century as a Volksbuch. Redaction B is closely associated with the German Gesta Romanorum, and contains an additional corpus of moralisations in keeping with the Latin Gesta's original form (Gerdes 1992).

The Sieben Weise Meister narrative was particularly popular in south-west Germany, though it was also disseminated further north. It appeared in print in the Netherlands, before being eventually translated into Swedish, Yiddish, Polish, and Czech.

General Information


Parent Versions
H (Historia Septem Sapientum)
Child Versions
German Prints (H), Prosafassung / Prose Version, Versfassung / Verse Version
Title
Sieben weise Meister
Branch of the tradition
Seven Sages of Rome

Language & Composition

Language of version
German (High and Low German)
Translated into (languages)
Yiddish, Old Swedish, Polish, Czech
Place of composition
Germany
Date of Composition
1401 - 1425

Literature & Editions

Modern research literature
Gerdes (1992), Gerdes (2004), Roth (2003), Roth (2008), Schmitz (1904), Hommers (1968), Runte, Wikeley, Farrell (1984), Runte, Society of the Seven Sages Portal (2014), Kunkel (2023)

Recorded Branch of This Secondary Version

Connected Prints

 Has LanguageHas LocationHas Sort Date Of Print
DIe Sieben Weisen Meyster. Wie Pontianus keiser […]. Straßburg: Jakob Cammerlander, 1537German (High and Low German) 1537 JL
DIe Sieben Weisen Meyster. Wie Pontianus keyser […]. Straßburg: Jakob Cammerlander, 1536German (High and Low German) 1536 JL
De souen wysen Meister. Wo Pontianus de Romische Keyser […]. Hamburg: Hermann Möller, 1601German (High and Low German) 1601
De souen wysen Meister. Wo Pontianus de Romische Keyser […]. Hamburg: Paul Lange for Heinrich Dose, 1618German (High and Low German) 1618
De souen wysen Meister. Wo Pontianus de Romische Keyser […]. Hamburg: Paul Lange, 1605German (High and Low German) 1605
Die Siben weisen Meister. Wie Pontianus der Keiser […]. Frankfurt am Main: Paul Reffeler for Kilian Han, 1577German (High and Low German) 1577 JL
Die Siben weisen Meister. Wie Pontianus der Keiser […]. Frankfurt am Main: Thomas Rebart and Kilian Han, 1570German (High and Low German) 1570 JL
Die Siben weisen Meister. Wie Pontianus der Keiser […]. Frankfurt am Main: Weigand Han, 1556German (High and Low German) 1556 JL
Die Siben weisen Meister. Wie Pontianus der Keiser […]. Frankfurt am Main: Weigand Han, [ca. 1556]German (High and Low German) 1556 JL
Die Siben weisen Meister. Wie Pontianus der Keyser […]. Frankfurt am Main: Weigand Han and Georg Rab, [around 1562]German (High and Low German) 1562 JL
Die Siben weisen Meister. Wie Pontianus, der Keiser […]. Frankfurt am Main: Weigand Han and Georg Rab, 1565German (High and Low German) 1565 JL
Die Siben weysen Meyster. Wie Pontianus der Keiser […]. Augsburg: Matthäus Francke, 1570German (High and Low German) 1570 JL
Die Siben weysen Meyster. Wie Pontianus der Keyser […]. [Augsburg: Michael Manger, ca. 1580]German (High and Low German) 1580 JL
Die Sieben Weisen Meyster. Wie Pontianus der keyser […]. Straßburg: Jakob Cammerlander von Mentz, 1538German (High and Low German) 1538 JL
Die Sieben weisen Meister. Wie Pontianus der Keiser […]. Frankfurt am Main: Hermann Gülfferich, 1554German (High and Low German) 1554 JL
Die historÿ der süben wisen meister. Kirchheim: [Printer of S. Brandan (Matthias Hupfuff)], 1497German (High and Low German) 1497 JL
Die nutzliche Unterweisung der Sieben Weisen Meister: Wie Pontianus der Kayser (...). s.l.: s.n., [ca. 1800]German (High and Low German) 1800
Die nutzliche Unterweisung der Sieben Weisen Meister: Wie Pontianus, der Kayser […]. [Hamburg: Johann Michael Brauer, ca. 1800]German (High and Low German) 1800
Die nutzliche Unterweisung der Sieben Weisen Meister: Wie Pontianus, der Konig (...). s.l.: s.n., [ca. 1800]German (High and Low German) 1800
Die nutzliche Unterweisung der sieben Weisen Meister, Wie Pontianus der Konig (...). s.l.: s.n., [ca. 1700]German (High and Low German) 1700
Die nutzliche Unterweisung der sieben Weisen Meister, Wie Pontianus, der Kaiser […]. Köln: Christian Everaerts, [ca. 1780]German (High and Low German) 1780

Adaptations

Adapted from (version)
Latin Version H
Adapted into (version)
Old Swedish Version H, Yiddish Version H, Polish Version H, Czech Version H
Source for composition and adaptation information
Gerdes (1992)



Pattern of Embedded Stories in This Version

Connected Manuscripts








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This page was last edited on 23 February 2026, at 11:27.
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