II. Calefurnia – eine römische Frau im Sachsenspiegel?

Abstract

Abstract Calefurnia – a Roman woman in the Sachsenspiegel? Written, oral, and iconographic traditions. The reference to Calefurnia in Sachsenspiegel Landrecht II 63 § 1 has sparked several theories about how Eike came to know the story of the Roman woman Carfania mentioned in D. 3,1,1,5. Did he have access to the Digest? Did he undergo higher education in a monastery? Was he educated in Roman canon law? This article argues that he might have been inspired by a broadly used exemplum of Carfania as a litigious and talkative woman. By pointing out differences between the Digest and an ordo iudiciarius ‘Tractaturi de iudiciis’, it strongly opposes Landau’s thesis about the source of Eike’s knowledge by pointing out resemblances to Val. Max. VIII,3. A Schwabenspiegel manuscript of 1287 adds the interesting detail of Kæfurna showing her bare backside to the emperor. This storyline can also be traced through medieval and early modern literature. Puzzlingly enough, a Dutch Sachsenspiegel manuscript from the 15th century tells yet another version of the story referring to calefurnan ‘breaking wind’. The Sachsenspiegel picture books show Calefurnia with an unidentifiable object in varying shapes that has been interpreted as a depiction of misbehaviour considering the different additions to the story. Overall, the alterations of the anecdote offer a glimpse into the rich tradition surrounding the story of Calefurnia respectively Carfania.