Vineta: the Vineta 'Sage' and its reception in German literary texts from the 1820s to 1989

Abstract

The dissertation explores the myth of the sunken city of Vineta, supposedly destroyed in the twelfth century, and its reception in German literature from the 1820s to the late twentieth century. It analyses the reports in the medieval chronicles of Adam of Bremen and Helmold of Bosau, who describe the city on the coast of the Baltic Sea. These reports are the major source of the story that was later passed on in the form of a legend. The creative literature that was written about the sunken city during the period under consideration is examined. The main versions of the Vineta myth are analysed and compared with the information contained in the chroniclers’ reports. The transmission of myths and legends is discussed, and their importance as repositories of cultural memory is highlighted. A large number of works in different literary genres is analysed, and the instrumentalisation of the myth in different time periods is discussed. While some of the creative texts are a development of the original legend, others use the sunken city in a metaphorical sense. The different motifs are set out and relevant texts examined with a view to determining how particular motifs are used to reflect contemporary philosophical, political and social ideas. Texts referring to Vineta by writers such as Heinrich Heine, Wilhelm Müller, Jura Soyfer, Günter Grass and others are analysed and discussed. The malleability of the Vineta trope becomes evident through the variety of texts and the purposes that they serve. It is clear that, despite its supposed destruction, Vineta has continued to remain relevant, and still does so in modern times.