Die Merseburger Zaubersprüche

The Merseburg Incantations are the only Old High German textual evidence of purely pagan content. Since their discovery in the Merseburg Cathedral Library in 1841 and their presentation by Jacob Grimm, they have continually sparked the interest of the public and scholars alike. This book introduces the incantations to a wider audience for the first time, placing them in a broad context. In addition to the content and interpretation of the incantations, their reception in literature, painting, and music is also highlighted. The reader is thus provided, nearly 170 years after the discovery of the Merseburg Incantations, with a comprehensive access to a fascinating monument of Old High German literature.