The Lorsch Bee Blessing (German: Lorscher Bienensegen) is a bee-keeping prayer intended to bring home honey bees in good health to their hives. It is believed to have been written in the 9th century, and was discovered in a manuscript (on fol. 58r of the Pal. lat. 220 in the Vatican Library, a copy of the Apocalypse of Paul) from the monastery in Lorsch, Germany, famous for the Lorsch Codex. Despite being a Christian prayer written in Old High German, it has remarkable similarities to the Anglo-Saxon and apparently pagan "For a Swarm of Bees" (Old English "wiþ ymbe") magic charm. It may reflect a common pre-Christian Germanic cultural heritage.
Text
Old High German
- Kirst, imbi ist hûcze
- Nû fliuc dû, vihu mînaz, hera
- Fridu frôno in munt godes
- gisunt heim zi comonne
- Sizi, sizi bîna
- Inbôt dir sancte Maria
- Hurolob ni habe dû
- Zi holce ni flûc dû
- Noh dû mir nindrinnês
- Noh dû mir nintuuinnêst
- Sizi vilu stillo
- Uuirki godes uuillon
Translation
- Christ, the bee swarm is out here!
- Now fly, you my animal, come.
- In the Lord's peace, in God's protection,
- come home in good health.
- Sit, sit bee.
- The command to you from the Holy Mary.
- You have no vacation;
- Don't fly into the woods;
- Neither should you slip away from me.
- Nor escape from me.
- Sit completely still.
- Do God's will.
Notes
- Grendon (1909:209)
External links
- Pal. lat. 220 (Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana) – digital facsimile (Bibliotheca Laureshamensis - digital)
- Meinolf Schumacher: Majas Ahnfrauen? Über Bienen in der mittelalterlichen Literatur
References
Grendon, Felix (1909), The Anglo-Saxon Charms, hdl:2027/njp.32101007059163
| Old German spells | |||||||||
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| Old High German |
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| Old Saxon | Contra vermes ( de.) · Spurihalz ( de.) · Trier blood charm ( de.) · Vienna worm charm ( de.) · Vienna horse charm ( de.) | ||||||||