Der Stricker is the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

of a 13th-century

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...

itinerant poet An itinerant poet or strolling minstrel (also known variously as a gleeman, circler, or cantabank) was a wandering minstrel, bard, musician, or other poet common in medieval Europe but extinct today. Itinerant poets were from a lower class than je ...

whose real name has been lost to history. His name, which means "The

Knit Knitting is a method for production of textile fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. Knitting creates stitches: ...

ter," may indicate he was a commoner; he was likely from

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

but later worked in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. His works evince a knowledge of German literature and practical theology, and include both adaptations and works with no known sources.Gürttler, Karin R. (1991). "Der Stricker". In Lacy, Norris J., ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', p. 434. New York: Garland. . Der Stricker's oeuvre includes the

Arthurian According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a leader of the post-Ro ...

romance ''

Daniel von dem blühenden Tal ''Daniel von dem blühenden Tal'' (''Daniel of the Flowering Valley'') is an Arthurian romance composed around 1220 by the Middle High German poet Der Stricker,Gürttler, Karin R. (1991). "Der Stricker". In Lacy, Norris J., ''The New Arthurian E ...

'' and the epic ''Karl'', a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

adaptation of the ''

Song of Roland The ''Song of Roland'' () is an 11th-century based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French lite ...

'', based directly on Konrad der Pfaffe's earlier German version but updated for his time. However, he was chiefly a writer of

didactic poetry Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasises instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain. ...

and

exempla An exemplum (Latin for "example", exempla, ''exempli gratia'' = "for example", abbr.: ''e.g.'') is a moral anecdote, brief or extended, real or fictitious, used to illustrate a point. The word is also used to express an action performed by anot ...

or bispel, and was one of the early pioneers of the genre. These poems dealt not only with the religious and moral matters typical of the form, but also with the praise of women and

courtly love Courtly love ( ; ) was a medieval European literary conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry. Medieval literature is filled with examples of knights setting out on adventures and performing various deeds or services for ladies b ...

. Many of them focus on episodes from everyday life and make heavy use of

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

humor. The best known of these tales is ''Pfaffe Âmis'' (''Priest Amis''), which involves the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

clerk Âmis in the

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherw ...

role. These works show an emphasis on theological concerns, and were popular with priests, who used them to animate their sermons. Der Stricker was well known to later poets, being mentioned and commended by

Rudolf von Ems Rudolf von Ems ( – 1254) was a Middle High German narrative poet. Life Rudolf von Ems was born in the Vorarlberg in Austria. He took his name from the castle of Hohenems near Bregenz, and was a knight in the service of the Counts of Montfor ...

in his ''

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

'' and his ''Willehalm von Orlens''.

Der Pleier Der Pleier is the pen name of a 13th-century German poet whose real name is unknown. Three of his works survive, all Middle High German romances on Arthurian subjects: ''Garel'', ''Tandareis und Flordibel'', and ''Meleranz''. Little else is known o ...

wrote his Arthurian romance ''

Garel ''Garel von dem blühenden Tal'' () is a Middle High German Arthurian romance composed by Der Pleier around 1230-40. It appears to have been written in contradiction to Der Stricker's ''Daniel von Blumenthal''. It consists of 21,310 lines in ...

'' as a reaction to Der Stricker's ''Daniel'', the protagonist of which Der Pleier found to be too brutal and cunning for a hero.Tax, Petrus W. (1991). "Der Pleier". In Lacy, Norris J., ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', pp. 362–363. New York: Garland. . Where Der Stricker's hero exemplifies the warrior ethos of

epic poetry In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard t ...

, Der Pleier's Garel is specifically written as an embodiment of the courtly ideal.

References

* Lacy, Norris J. (Ed.) (1991). ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia''. New York: Garland. .

External links

* *
Meister Eckhart und seine Zeit – Literatur – Der Stricker
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stricker, Der Writers of Arthurian literature Middle High German literature German male writers 13th-century German poets Pseudonymous writers