''Titurel'' is a fragmentary

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...

romance written by

Wolfram von Eschenbach Wolfram von Eschenbach (; – ) was a German knight, poet and composer, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Life Little is known of Wolfram's life. There ar ...

after 1217. The fragments which survive indicate that the story would have served as a

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

to Wolfram's earlier work, ''

Parzival ''Parzival'' is a medieval romance by the knight-poet Wolfram von Eschenbach in Middle High German. The poem, commonly dated to the first quarter of the 13th century, centers on the Arthurian hero Parzival (Percival in English) and his long ...

'', expanding on the stories of characters from that work and on the theme of the

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracul ...

. ''Titurel'' was continued by a later poet named Albrecht, who tied the story together in a work generally known as ''

Jüngere Titurel Albrecht von Scharfenberg (fl. 1270s) was a Middle High German poet, best known as the author of ''Der jüngere Titurel'' ("The Younger Titurel") since his two other known works, ''Seifrid de Ardemont'' and ''Merlin'', are lost. Linguistic evidence ...

'' ("Younger Titurel").

History

Wolfram's ''Parzival'' was an adaptation of the unfinished French romance ''

Perceval, the Story of the Grail ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'' (french: Perceval ou le Conte du Graal) is the unfinished fifth verse romance by Chrétien de Troyes, written by him in Old French in the late 12th century. Later authors added 54,000 more lines in what are kn ...

'', by

Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (Modern ; fro, Crestien de Troies ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on Arthurian subjects, and for first writing of Lancelot, Percival and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's works, including ...

. ''Titurel'' provides the back-stories of Wolfram's characters, principally the wounded Grail-king Titurel and the tragic lovers Sigune and Schionatulander. ''Titurel'' was written some time after 1217, as indicated by its mention of the death of

Hermann I, Landgrave of Thuringia Hermann I (died 25 April 1217), Landgrave of Thuringia and (as Hermann III) Count Palatine of Saxony, was the second son of Louis II, Landgrave of Thuringia (''the Iron''), and Judith of Hohenstaufen, the sister of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. ...

, which occurred that year. It survives in three fragments and in Albrecht's ''Jüngere Titurel''. The fragments primarily deal with the love between the young knight Schionatulander and the princess Sigune, the granddaughter of Titurel and a cousin of

. Like ''Parzival'' the poems focus on the relationship between secular and spiritual obligations.

''Jüngere Titurel''

The Albrecht who wrote ''Jüngere Titurel'' is generally presumed to be Albrecht von Scharfenberg. He completed his continuation around 1272. Albrecht synthesized the fragments into a cohesive narrative and expanded it to over 6300 lines. He adopts Wolfram's narrative persona, and due to this the work was assumed to be Wolfram's own for many years.

In Wagner

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's 1882 opera ''

Parsifal ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival ...

'', Titurel is the former leader of the Knights of the Grail, and the father of Amfortas, the current leader. He is an aged offstage presence in Act I, and has today died in Act III.

References

* Christoph, Siegfried Richard,
Wolfram Von Eschenbach's Couples
" 1981, . * Jeep, John M.,
"Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia"
2001, . * Wolfram von Eschenbach: ''Titurel. Mit der gesamten Parallelübersetzung des Jüngeren Titurel''. Niemeyer, Tübingen 2006, . * Andrea Lorenz: ''Der Jüngere Titurel als Wolfram-Fortsetzung. Eine Reise zum Mittelpunkt des Werkes''. Lang, Frankfurt/M. 2002, . * Thomas Neukirchen: ''Die ganze "aventure" und ihre "lere". Der "Jüngere Titurel" Albrechts als Kritik und Vervollkommnung des "Parzifal" Wolfram von Eschenbachs''. Winter, Heidelberg 2006, . * Sager, Alexander. ''Minne von mæren: on Wolfram's "Titurel."'' Göttingen: V&R, 2006. {{Authority control 13th-century books 13th-century poems Arthurian literature in German Medieval German poems Middle High German literature Parzival Poetry based on works by Chrétien de Troyes Works based on Perceval, the Story of the Grail