Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized "The Tannhäuser", was a German

Minnesinger (; "love song") was a tradition of lyric- and song-writing in Germany and Austria that flourished in the Middle High German period. This period of medieval German literature began in the 12th century and continued into the 14th. People who w ...

and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and 1265. His name becomes associated with a "

fairy queen In folklore and literature, the Fairy Queen or Queen of the Fairies is a female ruler of the fairies, sometimes but not always paired with a king. Depending on the work, she may be named or unnamed; Titania and Mab are two frequently used name ...

"–type folk ballad in

German folklore German folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Germany over a number of centuries. Partially it can be also found in Austria. Characteristics It shares many characteristics with Nordic folklore and English folklore due to th ...

of the 16th century.

Historical Tannhäuser

The most common tradition has him as a descent from the ''Tanhusen'' family of Imperial ''ministeriales'', documented in various 13th century sources, with their residence in the area of Neumarkt in the Bavarian Nordgau. These sources identify him as being descended of an Old Styrian noble family. The illustrated ''

Codex Manesse The Codex Manesse (also Große Heidelberger Liederhandschrift or Pariser Handschrift) is a ''Liederhandschrift'' (manuscript containing songs), the single most comprehensive source of Middle High German ''Minnesang'' poetry, written and illustrat ...

'' manuscript (about 1300–1340) depicts him clad in the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

habit, suggesting he might have fought in the Sixth Crusade led by Emperor Frederick II in 1228/29. For a while, Tannhäuser was an active

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...

at the court of the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

duke Frederick the Warlike, who ruled from 1230 to 1246. Frederick was the last of the Babenberg dukes; upon his death in the

Battle of the Leitha River The Battle of the Leitha River was fought on 15 June 1246 near the banks of the Leitha river between the forces of the King Béla IV of Hungary and Duke Frederick II of Austria. The Hungarian army was routed, but Duke Frederick was killed, endin ...

, Tannhäuser left the

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

court. Tannhäuser was a proponent of the '' leich'' (''lai'') style of minnesang and dance-song poetry. As literature, his poems

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

the traditional genre with irony and hyperbole, somewhat similar to later

commercium song Commercium songs are traditional academic songs that are sung during academic feasts: commercia and tablerounds. Some very old commercium songs are in Latin, like '' Meum est propositum'' or '' Gaudeamus igitur''. In some countries, hundreds ...

s. However, his ''Bußlied'' (Poem on Atonement) is unusual, given the eroticism of the remaining ''Codex Manesse''.

Tannhäuser legend

Tannhäuser en el Venusberg, por John Collier

Based on his ''Bußlied'', Tannhäuser became the subject of a legendary account. It makes Tannhäuser a knight and poet who found the Venusberg, the subterranean home of

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

, and spent a year there worshipping the goddess. After leaving the Venusberg, Tannhäuser is filled with remorse, and travels to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to ask

Pope Urban IV Pope Urban IV ( la, Urbanus IV; c. 1195 – 2 October 1264), born Jacques Pantaléon, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1261 to his death. He was not a cardinal; only a few popes since his time hav ...

(reigned 1261–1264) if it is possible to be absolved of his sins. Urban replies that forgiveness is impossible, as much as it would be for his papal staff to blossom. Three days after Tannhäuser's departure, Urban's staff bloomed with flowers; messengers are sent to retrieve the knight, but he has already returned to Venusberg, never to be seen again.D. L. Ashliman,
Forgiveness and Redemption: folktales of Aarne-Thompson types 755 and 756
The earliest version of the narrative of the legend, not yet associated with name of Tannhäuser, is first recorded in the form of a ballad by the Provençal writer

Antoine de la Sale Antoine de la Sale (also ''la Salle'', ''de Lasalle''; 1385/861460/61) was a French courtier, educator and writer. He participated in a number of military campaigns in his youth and he only began writing when he had reached middle age, in the late ...

(c. 1440). The association of this narrative of La Sale's ballad, which was likely based on an Italian original, with the name of Tannhäuser, appears to take place in the early 16th century. A German ''Tannhäuser'' folk ballad is recorded in numerous versions beginning around 1510. The popularity of the ballad continues unabated well into the 17th century. The motif became most popular as the principal source for Richard Wagner's large three-act opera ''

Tannhäuser Tannhäuser (; gmh, Tanhûser), often stylized, "The Tannhäuser," was a German Minnesinger and traveling poet. Historically, his biography, including the dates he lived, is obscure beyond the poetry, which suggests he lived between 1245 and ...

'' (1845), which changes a few story elements and is known for including a scandalous depiction of the revels of Venus's court in its first scene. The plot of the opera covers both the ''Tannhäuser'' legend and the epic of the ''

Sängerkrieg The ''Sängerkrieg'' (minstrel contest), also known as the ''Wartburgkrieg'' (Wartburg contest), was a contest among minstrels (''Minnesänger'') at the Wartburg, a castle in Thuringia, Germany, in 1207. Whether the contest was purely legend or h ...

'' at

Wartburg The Wartburg () is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a precipice of to the southwest of and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the ...

Castle.

References

Bibliography

External links

Wikipedia of the Rindsmaul family

Laus Veneris, and other poems (1900), Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 1837–1909

Encyclopædia Britannica Online – Tannhäuser
* James G. Nelson, ''Publisher to the Decadents: Leonard Smithers in the Careers of Beardsley, Wilde, Dowson''. Rivendale Press, May 2000. .

at the Bibliotheca Augustana—a collection of his works (original language) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tannhauser 13th-century German poets Male composers Medieval German knights Medieval legends Minnesingers Middle High German literature

Historical Tannhäuser

Tannhäuser legend

See also

References

Bibliography

External links