GERMAN HISTORY.
P. 63, c. 1.—“Hermann.” The Latinized form of whose name was Arminius. He had learned the language and the military discipline of the Romans when he led his tribe as auxiliaries to their legions.
“Varus,” va´rus. He had been consul at Rome in B. C. 13, and afterward governor of Syria, where he accumulated great wealth. After this battle Varus put an end to his life.
P. 63, c. 2.—“Alemanni,” al-e-man´ni.
“Sicambrians,” si-cam´bri-ans. In early German history one of the most powerful tribes. They lived in Westphalia, between the Rhine and Weser.
“Chatti,” or “Catti,” so called from an old German word cat or cad, meaning “war.” They dwelt south of the Sicambrians in the modern state of Hesse.
“Batavi.” A Celtic people who had settled in the portion of the present Netherlands lying at the mouth of the Rhine. Their chief city was Leyden. The country was afterward extended and called Batavia.
P. 64, c. 1.—“Salzburg,” sälts´boorg; “Ratisbonne,” ra´tis-bon; “Augsburg,” owgs´boorg; “Basle,” bâl, or “Basel,” bä´zel; “Baden,” bä´den; “Spires,” spīr´es; “Metz,” mĕts; “Treves,” treevz.
“Ammianus,” am´mi-a´nus mar´cel-li´nus. A Greek serving under the emperor Julian 363. Later we find him in Rome where he wrote a history from the time of Nerva, 96, to the death of Valens, 378. Many of the events were contemporaneous, so that the descriptions and incidents are particularly valuable.
P. 64, c. 2.—“Vandals.” This tribe first appeared in the north of Germany, from whence they went to the Reisengebirge, sometimes called from them the Vandal Mountains. In the fifth century they worked their way from Pannonia into Spain, marched southward and founded the once powerful kingdom of Andalusia (Vandalusia). In 429 they conquered Africa. An hundred years afterward Belisarius overthrew their power, and the race disappeared. Many claim that descendants of the Vandals are to be seen among the Berber race, with blue eyes and light hair.
“Troyes,” trwä.
“Catalaunian,” cat´a-lau´ni-an. A people formerly living in northeastern France, their capital the present Châlons-sur-Marne.
“Méry-sur-Seine,” mā-rē-sur-sane.
“Visigoths.” In the fourth century the Goths were divided into the Ostrogoths and Visigoths or the Eastern and Western Goths; the latter worked their way from the Danube westward to France and Spain where they built up a splendid kingdom which lasted until 711, when it was overthrown by the Moors.
P. 65, c. 1.—“Genseric,” jĕn´ser-ik. A king of the Vandals under whom the tribe invaded Africa in 429. They conquered the entire country, capturing Carthage in 439 and making it their capital. After the sack of Rome, the entire coast of the Mediterranean was pillaged. Genseric ruled until his death in 477.
“Heruli,” her´u-li; “Sciri,” si´ri; “Turcilingi,” tur-cil-in´gi; “Rugii,” ru´gi-i.
“Theodoric.” The king of the Visigoths, who in 489 undertook to expel Odoacer from Italy. He defeated him in several battles and finally laid siege to Ravenna, where Odoacer had taken refuge. After holding out three years, Odoacer submitted on condition that he rule jointly with Theodoric, but the latter soon murdered his rival. For thirty-three years Theodoric ruled the country. He was a patron of art and learning and his sway was very prosperous. The porphyry vase in which his ashes were deposited is still shown at Ravenna.
“Thuringians,” thu-rin´gi-ans. Dwellers in the central part of Germany between the Harz Mountains and the Thuringian forest.
“Dietrich,” dē-trich; “Hildebrand,” hĭl´de-brand.
“Siegfried,” seeg´freed. See notes on “Nibelungenlied” in this number.
P. 65, c. 2.—“Langobardi” or Lombards. A German tribe which migrated southward from the river Elbe. In 568 they conquered the plains of northern Italy and founded a kingdom which lasted two centuries.
GERMAN LITERATURE.
The article on German Literature is abridged from Sime’s article on this subject in the “Encyclopædia Britannica.”
P. 66, c. 1.—“Nibelungelied.” The song of the Nibelungen. “The work includes the legends of Siegfried, of Günther, of Dietrich, and of Attila; and the motives which bind them into a whole are the love and revenge of Kriemhild, the sister of Günther and Siegfried’s wife. She excites the envy of Brunhild, the Burgundian queen, whose friend Hagen discovers the vulnerable point in Siegfried’s enchanted body, treacherously slays him, and buries in the Rhine the treasure he has long before conquered from the race of the Nibelungen. There is then a pause of thirteen years, after which Kriemhild, the better to effect her fatal purpose, marries Attila. Thirteen years having again passed away her thirst for vengeance is satiated by slaying the entire Burgundian court. The Germans justly regard this epic as one of the most precious gems of their literature.”—Sime.
“Ulfilas,” ŭl´fĭ-las. (310-381.) The family of Ulfilas were Christians supposed to have been carried away by the Goths. In 341 he became the bishop of these people and soon induced a number of them to leave their warlike life to settle a colony in Mœsia. Here he cultivated the arts of peace, doing much to civilize the people. He introduced an alphabet of twenty-four letters and translated all of the Bible except the book of Kings. This work is the earliest known specimen of the Teutonic language.
“Wolfram von Eschenbach,” fon esh´en-bäk. He lived at the close of the twelfth century. A nobleman by birth and a soldier in the civil wars. He joined the court of Hermann of Thuringia in the castle of Wartburg (where Luther escaped after the Diet of Worms) and was a contestant in the famous musical contest called “The war of the Wartburg.” Leaving here he afterward sang at many other courts, dying in 1225.
“Parzival” or Parcival, par´ci-val.
“Holy Grail.” The chalice said to have been used by Christ at the Last Supper and in which the wine was changed to blood. As the legend runs it fell into the hands of Joseph of Arimathea, by whom it was held for centuries, but finally, at his death, it passed to his descendants, with whom it remained until its possessor sinned; then the cup disappeared. The Knights of the Round-Table sought it, but until Sir Galahad no man was found so pure in heart and life that he could look upon it. Sir Galahad in some romances is called Sir Percival or Parzival. Eisenbach wrote another romance, “Titural,” founded on the same legend.
“Gottfried,” gott´freed; “Tristram and Iseult,” trĭs´tram, is´eult; “Gudrun,” gu´drun.
“Walther von der Vogelweide,” wäl´ter fon der fō´gel-wī´deh. (1165?-1228?) Walter “from the bird meadow.” He lived some time at Wartburg and was a friend of King Philip and of Frederick II. He died on a little estate the latter had given him.
“Sachenspiegel.” Codex of the Saxon law.
“Schwabenspiegel.” Codex of the Swabian law.
“Berthold,” bĕr´tōlt. (1215-1272.) His love for the poor led him to zealous work in their behalf. Through many years he preached in the open air in Germany, Switzerland and Hungary.
“Eckhart,” ĕk´hart. The father of German speculative thought, as Bach calls him, was a Dominician monk who attempted to reform his order but preached so exalted a philosophy that the Pope demanded a recantation. Eckhart never gave this but claimed that his views were entirely orthodox. His prose is among the purest specimens in the German language.
“Meistersänger.” Master-singer.
P. 66, c. 2.—“Shrove-Tuesday,” or confession Tuesday is the day before Lent. Although originally a day of preparation for the Lenten fast, it was soon changed to one of merry-making and feasting. As everything was devised to increase the gaiety of the occasion, these plays soon became a regular feature.
“Reineke Vos.” Reynard the fox.
“Barkhusen,” bark´hu-sen; “Rostock,” ros´tŏck.
“Ulrich von Hutten,” ul´rich fon hoot´en. (1488-1523.) His life was spent in hot contests with the enemies of his reforms. As an advocate of the new learning, he went from city to city teaching and writing; “Epistolæ Obscurorum Virorum” was written in defense of this theory. He espoused the cause of the Reformation more because it favored religious and secular progress than from sympathy with its principles.
“Hans Sachs.” (1494-1576.) “Honest Hans Sachs,” as he was called, was a cobbler of Nuremberg, who had learned verse-making from a meistersänger of Munich. His verses included every style of poetry known, but the “Shrove-Tuesday plays” were the best, being full of strong characters and striking situations. The hymn mentioned, “Why art thou cast down, O, my soul?” is but one of several by him.
“Leibnitz,” līp´nits. (1646-1716.) Educated at Leipsic, he says of himself, that before he was twelve, he “understood the Latin authors, had begun to lisp Greek and wrote verses with singular success.” After taking his degree he went to Frankfort under the patronage of a wealthy gentleman; here he devoted himself to composing treatises on religion, philosophy, law, etc. All manner of projects interested him. He tried to bring about a union between the Catholic and Lutheran Churches, to introduce a common alphabet for all languages, to urge the king of France to conquer Egypt, and other plans, more or less Utopian. In the latter part of his life he received high honor from Hanover, Vienna, and Peter the Great. His correspondence was voluminous, and his works covered almost the whole field of human thought.
“Klopstock,” klop´stok. (1724-1803.)
“Wieland,” wee´land. (1733-1813.)
“Lessing,” lĕs´ĭng. (1729-1781.)
“Oberon,” ŏb´er-on. The Oberon of Shakspere. The king of the fairies and the husband of Queen Titania.
“Agathon,” ag´a-thon. A tragic poet of Athens, who died about 400 B. C.
“Pietist,” pī´e-tist. The name was applied to a certain class of religious reformers in Germany, who sought to restore purity to the Church.
P. 67, c. 1.—“Herder,” hĕr´der. (1744-1803.)
“Kant.” (1724-1804.)
“Kritik.” Critique of pure reason.
“Fichte,” fik´teh. (1797-1879.)
“Hardenburg.” (1772-1801.)
“Wilhelm von Schlegel,” shlā´gel. (1767-1845.)
“Friedrich.” (1772-1829.)
“Tieck,” teek. (1773-1853.)
“Fouquè,” foo´ka´. (1777-1843.)
“Schleiermacher,” shlī´er-mä-ker. (1768-1834.)
“Feuerbach,” foi´er-bäk. (1804-1872.)
“Schopenhauer,” sho´pen-how´er. (1788-1860.)
“Freytag,” frī´täg; “Heyse,” hī´zeh; “Spielhagen,” speel´hä-gen; “Reuter,” roi´ter.