German Version H
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 | |
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| Language within Version | |
| Narrative / Scholarly Group | |
| Parent Versions | H (Historia Septem Sapientum) |
| Child Versions | German Prints (H), Prosafassung / Prose Version, Versfassung / Verse Version |
| Author | |
| Title | Sieben weise Meister |
| Siglum of the version of the Seven Sages | German Version H |
| Version Number | |
| Branch of the tradition | West |
| Language & Composition | |
|---|---|
| Original 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 |
| Source for date of composition | |
| 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) |
| Modern Editions | |
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| Adaptations | |
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| 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) |
| Languages in Use | |
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| Language of text | German (High and Low German) |
| Regional or specific language of version | |
| Notes | |
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| Note | |
| Notes on motifs | |
| Notes on the frame | |
| Pattern of embedded stories in this version |
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