Erfolgreiche und verhängnisvolle Strategien zum Wunschkind

Kinderlose Herrscher in der mittelhochdeutschen und altfranzösischen Epik

Abstract

European medieval literary texts commonly deal with the topic of voluntary and / or involuntary childlessness. There are stories about ruling couples with­out children, which still continue to hope for conceiving heirs in order to protect or expand their territory. On the one hand, some (Christian) heirless rulers pray to God for the birth of an heir until their prayers are heard. On the other hand, the other infertile (Pagan) rulers commit a breach of ethical standards by taking dubious measures or strategies – from polygamy through adoption and adultery up to incest – so that their desire to have chil­dren can be fulfilled.

This article aims to investigate the topic of invol­untary childlessness that affects both male and female characters in the Middle High German and Old French epic. The analysis will thereby focus on the following texts in which the destiny of heirless (Christian and Pagan) rulers is represented, namely Johann von Würzburg’s ‘Wilhelm von Österreich’, the anonymous ‘Reinfried von Braunschweig’, and ‘Le Roman de Cassidorus’.

Keywords Infertility; Rulers; Prayer; Dream; Heir