Die Schwertleite in den Dichtungen „Tristan“ und „Der guote Gêrhart“. Eine interdisziplinäre Analyse der Materialität des Schwertleite-Rituals

Abstract

The Schwertleite in the poems “Tristan” and “Der guote Gêrhart”. An interdisciplinary analysis of the materiality of the Schwertleite-ritual

This paper takes an interdisciplinary approach to the topic of the Schwertleite-ceremony. On the basis of two medieval poems, an attempt is made to gain insights into the historical ritual. The question of which material things play a role in the Schwertleite of Tristan and the son of the good Gêrhart yielded results that differ from the meaning of the word. The weapons do not characterise the materiality of the ritual, rather they are one thing among others. The work shows how literary and historiographical methods can  complement each other.