Prosafassung / Prose Version
The enormously popular prose versions of the Sieben Weise Meister, the German version of the Historia Septem Sapientum, proliferated throughout the fifteenth century. The prose version, or Prosafassung, emerged as translations of multiple different Latin originals, and was embedded within the Gesta Romanorum, though the popularity of the Sieben Weise Meister outlived that of the Gesta (Gerdes 1992).
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 (the 'vulgate') 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).
General Information
Language & Composition
Literature & Editions
Recorded Branch of This Secondary Version
- H (Historia Septem Sapientum)
- Czech Version H: Kronika sedmi mudrců
- Danish Version H
- Dutch Version H
- English Version H
- French Version H
- German Version H
- Hungarian Version H: Pontianus tsaszar historiaia
- Icelandic Version H
- Latin Version H
- Polish Version H
- Scots Version H: Rolland, Seuin Seages
- Spanish Version H: Los Siete Sabios de Roma
- Swedish Version H: Sju vise mästare
- Yiddish Version H
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Adaptations
Pattern of Embedded Stories in This Version
| Has Short Title | Has Sequence Number | Has Narrator | Has Name Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbor – The Tree | 1 | Empress | |
| Canis – The Faithful Dog | 2 | Bancillas | Bacillas, Vontillus, Bantzillas |
| Aper – The Boar and the Fruit | 3 | Empress | |
| Puteus – The Well | 4 | Lentulus | |
| Gaza – The Treasure | 5 | Empress | |
| Avis – The Bird | 6 | Cato | Katho, Catho, Chatho |
| Sapientes – The Wise Men | 7 | Empress | |
| Tentamina – The Test | 8 | Malquidras | Malderach, Malquidrach, Malqwidrat |
| Virgilius – Virgil's Marvels | 9 | Empress | |
| Medicus – The Doctor | 10 | Josephas | |
| Senescalcus and Roma – The Steward, and Rome Beseiged | 11 | Empress | |
| Amatores – The Three Lovers | 12 | Cleophas | Cleopfas |
| Inclusa – The Imprisoned Wife | 13 | Empress | |
| Vidua – The Widow | 14 | Joachim |
Connected Manuscripts
Prosafassung / Prose Version