Die Stimme des Heiligen in der frühmittelalterlichen Hagiographie

Abstract

This article examines the importance of the human voice and of the act of hearing in early medieval hagiography. Although it seems to be obvious that the voice was one of the most important media of premodern times, it often has been overlooked. On the one hand, saints act as speakers, they want to be heard and understood. On the other hand, their voice is often described as being humble and quiet. In their performance, they combine vi­sual signals with speaking as they have to face a loud and sometimes evil world. The soundscapes in which they are placed by the authors differ from at least one soundscape which is common only in early medieval Byzantium: the hippodrome. The comparison of the soundscapes of the Latin and the Greek hagiography shows that there are indeed differences, but also similarities.

Keywords Boniface; Lebuinus; Voice; Hearing; Hippo­drome