Chapter 27

The dead march like captives in Death's bonds; to the Indian imagination likewise he leads them away bound. (15) 'ei, waz nû dem Tôde geschicket wart an sîn seil (to his rope)!' Lohengr. 115. 'maneger quam an des Tôdes seil' 123. 'in Tôdes sîl stigen,' Ls. 3, 440. 'zuo dem Tôde wart geseilet,' Geo. 2585. 'wê dir Tôt! dîn slôz und dîn gebende bindet und besliuzet,' Wigal. 7793. 'der Tôt hât mich gevangen,' Karl 81b. Greg. 50.

As the old divinity of the lower world fell into the background, and Death came forward acting for himself, there could not but ensue a harsher reading of his character, or a confounding of him with other gods. From the silent messenger who did no more than punctually discharge his duty, he becomes a grasping greedy foe, who will have his bond, who sets traps for mortals. Already O. v. 23, 260 imputes to him crafty besuîchan (decipere), and Conrad strik (meshes) and netzegarn, Troj. 12178, which reminds of the goddess Rân with her net (pp. 311. 840). We think of him still under the familiar figure of a fowler or fisher, spreading his toils or baiting his hook for man: 'dô kam der Tôt als ein diep (thief), und stal dem reinen wîbe daz leben ûz ir lîbe (the life out of her body),' Wigal. 8033. (16) But he uses open violence too, he routs out, pursues and plunders, Nib. 2161, 3. 2163, 1; he 'bifalta sie,' felled them, O. iii. 18, 34; 'mich hat der Tôt gevangen,' clutched, Greg. 50; he jaget, hunts, Roth. 2750, bekrellet (claws?), Fundgr. 196, 20; and the Bible has the same thing: in Ps. 91, 3-6 he comes out as a hunter with snares and arrows. His messenger-staff has turned into a spear which he hurls, an arrow which he discharges from the bow. Worth noting are the Renn. 24508: 'wirt dem des Tôdes sper gesandt;' and Freid. 177, 24: 'der Tôt gât her, der widerseit uns an dem sper,' defies us at point of lance; a reading which I prefer to the accepted one 'âne sper,' without spear. Oðinn has a spear Gûngnir (p. 147) whose thrust or throw was fatal. The Lith. Smertis comes as a warrior with sword and pike, riding in a chariot, i.e. in the form of a god. All this carries with it the idea of Death having a regular fight and wrestle with man, whom he overpowers and brings to the ground: 'mit dem Tôde vehten,' fence with D., MS. 2, 82b. 'der Tôt wil mit mir ringen (wrestle),' Stoufenb. 1126. 'dô ranc er mit dem Tôde,' Nib. 939, 2. 'alsô der Tôt hie mit ime rank,' Ecke 184; and we still speak of the death agony, though without any thought of a personality. In a Mod. Grk song a daring youth wrestles with Charos on smooth marble from morn till midday; at the hour of eve Death flings him down. In another case Charos takes the shape of a black swallow, and shoots his arrow into a maiden's heart. (17) A doubtful passage in Beow. 3484 we ought perhaps to refer to Death, who is there called a destroyer that shoots with arrow-bow of fire: 'bona, se þe of flânbogan fýrenum sceoteð;' conf. the Serv. krvnik, bloodshedder p. 21. Brun von Schonebeke makes Death wield a scourge of four strings; and our MHG. poets lend him an arrow and battle-axe: 'des Tôdes strâle het si gar versniten,' cut them up, Tit. 3770. 'wâ snîdet des Tôdes barte,' Wh. 3, 220 (Cod. cass.). The 'isernporte' in a Meister-song of the 14^th cent. (Hagen's Mus. 2, 188) means surely îsernbarte? Here Death promises a thousand years' grace, should his adversary gain the victory (see Suppl.). (18)

In such a conflict, however, Death must appear as the leader of a large and ever increasing army. There is a following, a retinue assigned him: 'der Tôt suochte sêre dâ sîn gesinde was,' Nib. 2161, 3. The Greeks set us the fashion of calling the dead oi pleonej the majority, and ej pleonwn ikesqai meant the same as ej Aidou ik ., to reach the abode of the great multitude, join the great host, as we still say. In the 'Bohemian Ploughman,' Death is styled captain of the mountain; because, as in the Greek song (p. 845), the march of his army covers the mountains? 'In des Tôdes schar varn,' fare to D.'s host, Wh. v. Orl. 2113. 'ist an die vart,' gone his way (obiit), Walth. 108, 6. Though taking no part in the fight, the dead seem to bear a badge (flag or lance), which, so to speak, he fastens on the dying, with which he touches them, enrolls them in his band. (19) That is how I understand 'des Tôdes zeichen tragen,' Nib. 928, 3. 2006, 1, though it may include the collateral sense of having received a death-wound, which now serves as his badge and cognisance. Hence in Nib. 939, 3: 'des Tôdes zeichen ie ze sêre sneit,' D.'s token aye too sore he cut; where one MS. reads wâfen (arms), and elsewhere we find 'eines wâfen tragen,' carry some one's arms, Parz. 130, 4. Freidank 74, 18. Wigal. 7797, and even 'des tôdes wâpen (coat of arms) tragen,' Wh. 17, 16. 'Tristandes zeichen vüeren,' Heinr. Trist. 2972, is to be wounded like him. So far back as Ælfred's Boeth. p. 16 (Rawl.) we have 'Deáðes tâcnung'; even Zio's or Tiwes tâcen p. 200, and Oðin's spear p. 147 are worth considering (see Suppl.). (20)

With the idea of messengership and that of the great company were associated some others, which probably reach a long way back. Messengers in ancient times were often fiddlers and pipers: it was nothing out of the way, to make Death and his men perform a reihen (rig, round dance); with fife and fiddle he seeks to win recruits. Really a pleasant fancy, tending to mitigate the harshness of dying: the souls of the dead enter at once upon dancing and revelry. To the ancient Romans there were songs and dances in the Elysian fields; (21) and it accords with the resemblance of departed spirits to elves, who also love music and dancing (p. 470). Yet our poets of the 13^th cent. never once allude to the Dance of Death, which from the 15-16th became such a favourite subject. The oft-recurring phrase 'er hât den Tôt an der hant,' by the hand (Nib. 1480, 4. 1920, 4. 1958, 4. Wigal. 2453. 4700. Alph. 286. 345. 359) seems to mean, not catching hold for the purpose of dancing, but of leading away (like 'dôd is at hendi,' p. 406).

Holy Scripture having already likened our fleeting life to grass, it was not difficult to see in Death a mower or reaper, who cuts men down like flowers and corn-stalks. Knife, sickle, or scythe is found him in this connection: 'There's a reaper they call Death, Power from God most high he hath, He whets his knife to-day, Keener it cuts the hay; Look to thyself, O flowret fair!' Pop. Hymn. The older poets never give him these implements, but the figure of 'Death carried out' is sometimes furnished with a scythe (p. 772). In later times the harpé (sickle) of the Greek Kronos (O. Müller's Archäol. p. 599) may have had an influence too, conf. falcitenens in Radevicus 2, 11. To 'match men with flowers, make them bite the grass,' Lohengr. 138, is said equally of other conquerors beside Death. But he weeds out the plants: 'in lebens garten der Tôt nu jat,' Turl. Wh. 23b. Conversely Death, like the devil, is called a sower, who disseminates weeds among men; 'dô der Tôt sînen sâmen under si gesæte,' Wh. 361, 16. 'er ier durch in des Tôdes furch,' he earned through him D.'s furrow, Ulr. Trist. 3270, simply means: he planted in him a mortal wound (see Suppl.).

Before explaining certain other conceptions, I have to enumerate the names and epithets of Death in our old poetry.

Very commonly he is called 'der grimme,' furious, Roth. 2750. Nib. 1360, 4. 1553, 3. Mar. 218. Flore 1931. Troj. 2317-25. 10885. Ls. 3, 124; (22) 'der ferchgrimme,' Morolt 4059, a felicitous compound, as Death has designs upon the life or soul (ferch); --der grimmige,' Roth. 517. Reinh. 360. 1248. Berthold 303;--'der bittere' (pikroj qanatoj ) and 'amara Mors,' (23) Rudl. 1, 110. Unibos 117, 4. Diut. 3, 89. Mar. 206. Alex. (Lampr.) 820. 1097. 3999. 4782. Gr. Ruod. Cb 15. Wh. 253, 28. Wigal. 1113; ---der bitterlîche, Troj. 3521. 22637; ---'der sûre,' sour, Parz. 643,24;---'der scharfe' : ein scharpher bote, Freid. 21, 6; ---'der irre,' Amgb. 29ª in Wizlau neighbhd. therefore prob. for ërre, ireful; ---'der gemeine,' common (qui omnes manet), En. 2081. All, so far, epithets taken from his unavoidableness, cruelty, bitterness; not a hint about his personal presence. Nowhere is he the black, the pale, after the Latin 'mors atra, pallida.' Otto II was called 'paliida mors Saracenorum,' Cod. lauresh. 1, 132; and in Renner 23987. 80 I find 'der gelwe tôt,' yellow d. ; in both cases the aspect of the dead, not of Death, is meant. So when Walth. 124, 38 says of the world, that it is 'innân swarzer varwe, vinster sam der tôt,' inwardly black of hue, dark as death, he means the abode of the dead, hell, not the figure of Death. In one song he is addressed as 'lieber Tôt!' dear D. (Hagen's Mus. 2, 187), and H. Sachs i. 5, 528d speaks of him as 'der heilig Tod,' holy D.; 'her Tôt!' Sir D., again in voc. case only, Apollonius 295 and often in the Ackermann aus Böhmen (see Suppl.).

It is more important to our inquiry, that in the Reinardus 3, 2162 a bone fiddle is said to be 'ossea ut dominus Blicero,' by which nothing but Death can have been meant, whether the word signify the pale (bleich), or the grinning (bleckend), or be, as I rather think, the proper name Blîdger, Blicker with a mere suggestion of those meanings. A bony horse's head is here handed in mockery to the wolf as a skilful player (joculandi gnarus) by way of fiddle, 'bony as a skeleton.' And now that unexplained caput caballinum at p. 661n. may be interpreted as in fact a symbol of Death (p. 844) and the dead-man's steed (p. 841). As the convent clergy set up human death's-heads in their cells for a memento mori, may not they also have nailed up horse's skulls inside their walls ? did an older heathen custom, here as in so many instances, have a christian thought breathed into it? If this holds good, we can see why the horse's head should have set the Flemish poet thinking of Death; it may even be, that fanatic sculptors used to fashion Death as playing on it instead of a fiddle or fife. (24)

In any case dominus Blicero proves that in the middle of the 12^th cent. it was the practice to represent Death as a skeleton. I do not know of any earlier evidence, but think it very possible that such may be hunted up. We know that to the ancient Romans fleshless shrivelled-up masks or skeletons served to indicate Death. (25) On tombs of the Mid. Ages, no doubt from an early time, corpses were sculptured as whole or half skeletons (see Suppl.). Poets of the 13^th cent. paint the World (p. 792n.) as a beautifully formed woman in front, whose back is covered with snakes and adders: (26) the notion itself may be of much higher antiquity; it is closely related to the story of three live and three dead kings. (27)




ENDNOTES:

15. Bopp's Sündflut, pp. 37. 50. In Buhez santez Nonn p. 205, Death says 'j'attire tout dans mes liens à mon gite.' [Back]

16. Life-stealer, man-slayer, names for Death. [Back]

17. Wh. Müller 2, 4. 6; conf. Tommaseo's Canti popolare 3, 301 seq. [Back]

18. Our poets too are no strangers to the idea of Death prosecuting at law his claim upon a man: 'do begunde der Tôt einen grâven beclagen und mit gewalte twingen ze nôtigen dingen,' accuse a count and drive him to straits, Iw. 5625 seq. the count is called 'der verlorne, wand' er muose im ze suone (satisfaction) geben beide sîn gesunt und sîn leben.' So Iw. 7161 speaks of having to 'gelten (pay) vür des Tôdes schelten' ; and the same perhaps is meant by 'der Tôt hât ûf si gesworn,' Nib. 2017, 5. In the 'Ackermann aus Böhmen' on the contrary, Death is the defendant, and a man whose wife he has carried off is prosecutor. Similar lawsuits are brought by the Devil. 'Nu kume vil grimmeclicher Tôt, und rihte Gote von uns beiden!' MS. 1, 17. Observe too 'mit des Tôdes hantveste übersigelet,' sealed with D.'s sign manual, Wh. 391, 27. The Indian god of death Yama, is a lord of law. [Back]

19. Conf. 'einem des Tôdes muoder (mieder) snîden,' Titur.; to cut D's. coat (on for ) a man. [Back]

20. It is worthy of note, that in the Meister-song already quoted (Mus. 2, 187) Death says: 'be ready when I send thee my messengers (the infirmities) to give thee the signs,' to mark thee for my own. Death, orig. a messenger himself, sends out under-messengers. Conf. Kinderm. no. 177. Even the O. Fr. Chanson des Saxons 2, 134 has: 'la Morz le semont sovent et menu,' viz. by fainting-fits. [Back]

21. Virg. Aen. 6, 664: pars pedibus plaudunt choreas et carmina dicunt. Tibull. 3, 59: hic choreae cantusque vigent. [Back]

22. Der grimme tôt, the name of a knife (Wolfd. 1313), is remarkable, as Hel's knife was called sultr (p. 313) from svelta esurire, which in the Goth. svittan takes the meaning of mori. [Back]

23. Isidore even says, 'mors dicta quod sit amara.' [Back]

24. Todenpfeife is a place in Lower Hesse, Rommel 5, 375. Remigius demonol. 145 says, at witches' gatherings they played on a dead horse's head instead of a cithern: a coincidence almost decisive. Philand. von Sittew. (p.m. 174) has also a Death with his lyre. [Back]

25. O. Müller's Archäol. 696-7. Lessing 8, 251-2. [Back]

26. The poem was printed before the Wigalois. [Back]

27. Staphorst i. 4, 263. Bragur 1, 369. O. Fr. 'les trois mors et les trois vis,' Roquefort 2, 780. Catal. de la Vallière p. 285-6; conf. Douce p. 31 seq. and Catal. of MSS. in Brit. Mus. (1834) 1, 22 (Cod. Arund. no. 83 sec. xiv), also plate 7. [Back]