Von Falken, Trappen, Eulen und Hirschen. Ein liederlicher Liebeszoo

Abstract

Starting with some songs of the late middle ages that use the falcon-motif (among other birds), as well as a song about a hunt for a white hart this article leads to a description of a poetics of evocation as central to late medieval love songs. This is a recurrence of evocative and non-discursive modes of speech from early Minnesang, of which the falcon is an 'indicator animal'. Two basically different kinds of songs can be found: ballads, examples of an almost classical genre objectif, and, instead of the absent classical genre subjectif, a lyrical form which tries to achieve general appeal not only by leaving the identity of the speaker completely open, but also by using 'emotional cohesion'. This openness not only makes for a high level of appeal, but also guarantees a wide usage: the songs can be sung by male or female performers or groups before a socially exclusive or inclusive audience.