Multilingualism in Medieval Sweden: The case of Codex Holmiensis D 4

Abstract

The present paper sees as a purpose the analysis of a Swedish Medieval multi-text book, namely the lekmannahandskrift Codex Holmiensis D 4, with a specific focus on its Latin and Middle Low German corpus, investigated either by resorting to edited texts or ad hoc transcriptions. More precisely, the core of this brief project aims to promote conjectures concerning the major role played by the aforementioned languages and their interaction with a variety of genres, namely historical, geographical and pseudo-scientific texts concerning oneiromancy, necromancy and medico-magical contents, thus accounting for the heterogenetic nature of D 4 and allowing for the formulation of hypothesis concerning the nature of its reception. To provide a more complete analysis of the phenomenon, a brief overview of the concept of medieval miscellany, along with taxonomical issues and codicological information, will be first presented. Furthermore, light will be shed on the presence of multilingual practices within the Swedish medieval panorama, thus accounting for the leading position of Latin and Low German from a social, cultural and political point of view, with a specific focus on the Swedish written culture. In this regard, emphasis will be given to the major role played by Vadstena Abbey as a literary locale in the promotion of multilingualism.