MS I.33 author?

[John_Clements]

I have a credible reference from the late Sir James Mann of the Tower Musuem who says the MS. I.33 sword & buckler fechtbuch ("Walpurgis" manual) was authored by "the secretay to the Bishop of Wurzburg...??? Anyone ever run across this claim before?

JC

[Brian Hunt]

Hi John,

I hadn't run accross that one, but I have reason to believe that Walpurgas is Saint Walpurgus, who is celebrated in a pagan ceremony called Walpurgasnach (Walpurgas night.) I have also read a theory that the author of the I.33 may be named 'Luteger' because 'Lutegerus' found on plate 2 of the I.33 would be a Latinized version of Luteger. However, I would be very interested in any credible information about the author of the I.33.

Thanks for sharing.

Brian Hunt
GFS

[John_Clements]

Hi BH
Maybe you can cross ref that name then with info on the Bishop?

[Brian Hunt]

Hi John,

I will have to do some research and see if I come up with anything on this. If I do, I will let you know.

Laters.

Brian Hunt.
GFS

[JeanryChandler]

I don't know if y'all have already seen this or been participating in it, but there seems to be a discussion thread on this subject on sword forum.

http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=24856

[Jeffrey Hull]

It may be addressed by Forgeng. Even though I read his book three times, I cannot now recall (ugh!) if he mentioned that. But I think it seems familiar somehow. JH

[Brian Hunt]

Just a side note on this, I have found this reference that says

About 1300: A secretary to the Bishop of Wurzburg produces a manuscript depicting unarmored German fighters. Known today as Manuscript I.33 (pronounced one, thirty-three), the text is in Latin while the technical terms are in German. Most of the work, however, involved a series of watercolor drawings showing students, monks, and even a woman training in a variety of sword-and-buckler techniques.

from this website on women in martial arts. http://ejmas.com/proceedings/GSJSA03svinth.htm

Brian Hunt
GFS

[JeanryChandler]

Wasn't there some rather scandalous text about monks and women at the beginning of I.33? I seem to remember John C. telling us about something like that at the Southern Knights event.

J

[Brian Hunt]

The closest thing I can think of as scandalous in the first part of the text of the MS.I33 is on the top of plate #1

"Non audet stygius pluto tentare, quod aude[t]
Effrenis monachus plenaque dolis anus"

which translates as

"Pluto, the king of the stygian underworld dares not to handle that which the unbridled monk and the tricky old hag intend (to do)."

The interesting thing is that they are discusioning the king of the under world. Which is a rather pagan reference, as is "the tricky old hag." It is also a rather arrogant statement to claim to be doing something that a god wouldn't dare do. Hmmmm.

Brian Hunt.
GFS

[Casper Bradak]

I haven't heard it translated like that before. I wonder how she felt about that text?