A special lecture for the Old Frisian Summer School in Groningen 2025 on ‘Code-Switching between Latin and the vernacular’. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>More features available via the panopto <a href=\"https:\/\/ox.cloud.panopto.eu\/Panopto\/Pages\/Viewer.aspx?id=b3fc3ebb-aa1d-4e19-834f-b31600ed137a\">recording of the talk here<\/a>, see below for the <a href=\"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Codeswitching-handout.pdf\">English handout<\/a>. Also, to celebrate the publication of the paperback edition of the ‘Unerh\u00f6rte Frauen’ with an added chapter on ‘Love and Friendship’, the handout for the lecture provides a group of three letters from the first L\u00fcne letterbook which expand on the theme of ‘Love and Friendship’ from the nuns’ own perspective. These are used as a case study for talking about code-switching between Latin and the vernacular as a convent-specific ‘language of intimacy’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Au\u00dferdem: <a href=\"https:\/\/ox.cloud.panopto.eu\/Panopto\/Pages\/Viewer.aspx?id=5d4d3c6c-56ab-4596-a545-b3170121e547\">Aufzeichnung<\/a> des <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kloster-luene.de\/events\/bei-uns-zu-gast-das-lueneburger-bachorchester-3-2-2-2-784-868-700-821-906-417-276\/?occurrence=2025-07-11\">Vortrags am 11. Juli 2025 im Kapitelsaal des Klosters L\u00fcne<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Luene-Leseheft-Liebe-und-Freundschaft-A5.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Handout f\u00fcr den Vortrag in Kloster L\u00fcne Luene-Leseheft-Liebe-und-Freundschaft-A5.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-340add87-a137-4f32-8953-02734e833dfa\" href=\"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Luene-Leseheft-Liebe-und-Freundschaft-A5.pdf\">Handout f\u00fcr den Vortrag in Kloster L\u00fcne Luene-Leseheft-Liebe-und-Freundschaft-A5<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Luene-Leseheft-Liebe-und-Freundschaft-A5.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-340add87-a137-4f32-8953-02734e833dfa\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Texts from the edition: Netzwerke der Nonnen. Kritische Edition der Briefsammlung der L\u00fcner Benediktinerinnen (Hs. 15, ca. 1460-1555), hg. von Eva Schlotheuber und Henrike L\u00e4hnemann, T\u00fcbingen: Mohr Siebeck 2025. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mohrsiebeck.com\/buch\/netzwerke-der-nonnen-9783161608988\/\">Open access pdf<\/a>. Diplomatic text and English summaries in the <a href=\"http:\/\/diglib.hab.de\/edoc\/ed000248\/start.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Digital Library of the Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenb\u00fcttel<\/a>. Cf. particularly the introduction on education and language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further reading: Chapter 3 (Education) and 4 (Love & Friendship) in: Henrike L\u00e4hnemann & Eva Schlotheuber: <em>Unerh\u00f6rte Frauen. Die Netzwerke der Nonnen<\/em>. Berlin: Propyl\u00e4en <sup>2<\/sup>2025 (paperback), or English: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.openbookpublishers.com\/books\/10.11647\/obp.0397\"><em>The Life of Nuns<\/em><\/a><em>. Love, Politics, and Religion in Medieval German Convents<\/em>, transl. by Anne Simon, Cambridge: Open Book Publishers 2024, Open access html, pdf, and audiobook versions <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.11647\/OBP.0397\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.11647\/OBP.0397<\/a>. Linguistic backgroundTimo B\u00fclters \/ Simone Schultz-Balluff, Codemixing in den L\u00fcneburger Frauenkl\u00f6stern, in: <em>Historisches Codeswitching mit Deutsch: Multilinguale Praktiken in der Sprachgeschichte<\/em>, ed.by Elvira Glaser, Michael Prinz u. Stefaniya Ptashnyk, Berlin \/ Boston: de Gruyter 2021, pp. 175\u2013210.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"453\" src=\"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-1024x453.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-1024x453.png 1024w, https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-300x133.png 300w, https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-768x340.png 768w, https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-1536x679.png 1536w, https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-2048x906.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Header image: Two nuns wearing crowns, the initials GLM und GF on a capital in the cloisters of Kloster Ebstorf. Photograph: Wolfgang Brandis \u00a9Kloster Ebstorf. Discussed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/books.openbookpublishers.com\/10.11647\/obp.0397\/ch4.xhtml#TextAnchor054\">chapter IV.1 ‘The Idea of Love and Friendship in the Convent’<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Codeswitching-handout.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Codeswitching-handout.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-7f5cb55a-52b9-47e1-859c-107898526633\" href=\"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Codeswitching-handout.pdf\">Codeswitching-handout<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Codeswitching-handout.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-7f5cb55a-52b9-47e1-859c-107898526633\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"http:\/\/diglib.hab.de\/wdb.php?dir=edoc\/ed000248&pvpointer=0&pvID=pv_transcript_facs_212-LD&distype=optional&xmld1=texts\/Brief212-LD_tei-transcript.xml&xsld1=scripts\/tei-transcript.xsl&fd2=http%3A%2F%2Fdiglib.hab.de%2Fmss%2Fed000210%2Fstart.htm%3Fimage%3D00644%26distype%3Dimgs\">Letter 212<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Gertrud von Eltzen in L\u00fcne Convent to Gertrud von Eltzen in Medingen Convent, after 1489, before 1496<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The subprioress of L\u00fcne writes to her relative and namesake in Medingen and asks after her health and that of their relative, presumably Lucia von Eltzen. She thanks her for the gilded devotional images. She sends money for the gloves which the Medingen abbess recently sent to the prioress of L\u00fcne. She apologizes for her long silence towards the Medingen abbess and asks for the message to be passed on orally. She sends pickled fish and lets the abbess decide if she wants to share them with the recipient and her young relatives.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>L\u00fcne, Kloster L\u00fcne, Hs. 15, Quire 16, fol. 9v. Latin and Low German. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Address and Greeting formula <\/strong><br>Gertrud von Eltzen in Medinghen Fontem inundantis pietatis Jesum Christum, qui nobis in hoc vernali tempore paschalis iocunditatis reseravit vinarium sue suavitatis, pro salutatione condigna amicabiliter vestre caritati premissum! <\/td><td><strong>aligned with the liturgical season<\/strong><br>To Gertrud von Eltzen in Medingen The fountain of overflowing mercy, Jesus Christ, who has opened to us in this springtime of Easter festivity the wine-cellar of his sweetness, as an appropriate greeting amicably sent in advance to Your Grace!<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Health<\/strong><br>Precordialissima N, <em>ik do <\/em>caritati vestre <em>fruntliken<\/em> <em>to wetende,<\/em> <em>dat ik<\/em>, permittente divina bonitate Dei, <em>byn<\/em> in bona sospitate, idipsum <em>affectere<\/em> <em>ik van juw unde<\/em> <em>van<\/em> <em>user leven<\/em> <em>amitem<\/em>Lucia von Eltzen <em>to wetende <\/em>tempore longevo secundum beneplacitum divinum. <\/td><td><strong>Update<\/strong><br>Most dearly beloved N, <em>I kindly<\/em> <em>inform<\/em> your Grace <em>that<\/em>, thanks to God’s grace, <em>I am<\/em> in good health and <em>I hope to learn<\/em> the same f<em>rom you and our dear cousin <\/em>Lucia van Eltzen, as God pleases, for a long time to come. <\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Thanks for<\/strong><br>Ceterum, preamantissima amita, regratior vestre innate caritati pro multis et innumeris beneficiis, <em>sunderghen vor de groten lefmodicheyt,<\/em> <em>de gy my lest bewiseden <\/em>cum illis pulcherrimis foliis deauratis, in quibus manifestius declamastis fidele et benivolum cor vestrum cum caritate plenum, <em>dat is my noch nicht vorgheten,<\/em> <em>ik mud<\/em> <em>juw des dancken <\/em>toto tempore vite mee, <em>unde<\/em> <em>kan des ock<\/em> <em>nicht vorgheten<\/em> quamdiu vixero, nam quotiens ea intueor oculis corporeis totiens mirum et inauditum gaudium experior interius, <em>unde<\/em> <em>darvan<\/em> <em>werd myn herteken <\/em>sepius <em>recreert,wente wan ik <\/em>aliqua molestia <em>vexcert<\/em> <em>byn <\/em>ex multis occupationibus, <em>unde<\/em> <em>den <\/em>illos principes gloriosos <em>ansee,<\/em> <em>so lad ik my dunken,<\/em> <em>wo se my<\/em>pondus totius meroris statim <em>allevieren,<\/em> <em>undedarvan<\/em> <em>wert juwe leve<\/em> <em>jo me\u0364r unde<\/em> <em>meer aucmentert<\/em> in corde meo, <em>unde<\/em> <em>konde ik juw <\/em>versa vice <em>worane<\/em> <em>tho willen wesen,<\/em> <em>dat wolde ik <\/em>ex toto corde <em>gherne don<\/em>, et nil opto aut desidero <em>men allene,<\/em> <em>dat<\/em> <em>ik juw <\/em>illam caritatem <em>gruntliken <\/em>opere<em> mochte exiberen, de<\/em> <em>ik <\/em>cum stilo cotidie <em>exprimere<\/em> , quia secundum dictum beati Gregorii \u201eProbatio dilectionis exibitio est operis\u201c, tam insufficientiam meam <em>wil ik admitteren<\/em> summo largitori omnium gratiarum, a quo omne datum optimum et omne donum perfectum descendit,<em>de mote <\/em>hunc intime caritatis affectum <em>vorvullenunde<\/em> <em>juw <\/em>causa mei <em>geven<\/em> tot et tanta gratiarum munera, quanta celum continet gaudia et arva profert flores et gramina, quatenus in hoc ameno tempore in novitate vite cum omnibus elementis ipsius gloriose resurrexionis congratulantis renovari valeatis homine in utroque, ut post huius vite transsitarie curriculo pervenire valeatis ad amena paradise gaudia.<\/td><td><strong>Previous Letters & Gifts<\/strong><br>Moreover, most beloved cousin, I thank your inborn kindness \/ Grace for many and countless gifts, <em>especially for the great kindness you have recently shown me<\/em> with those beautiful gilded leaves in which your faithful and dear heart expresses itself with great love; <em>I have not forgotten this yet, rather I have to thank you <\/em>all my life <em>and I cannot forget it <\/em>as long as I live, because as often as I behold them with my physical eyes, I experience a wondrous and unheard-of joy inside; <em>and from this my little heart is <\/em>often<em> revived<\/em>,<br>for when I am tormented by various burdens and tasks, <em>and then look<\/em> at those glorious princes, <em>it seems to me that they <\/em>immediately<em>relieve<\/em> the burden of my sorrow. And by this, your love is increased more and more in my heart; and if I could do something for you in return, I would do it with all my heart, and I do not wish or desire anything, except to show you my love in many deeds, which I try to express in everyday style, just as blessed Gregory says: “The proof of love is the deed”. Because of my imperfection, I will seek the help of the greatest giver of all grace, from whom come all good deeds and all perfect gifts. He may fulfil this intimate feeling of love and give you on my behalf as many and as great gifts of gratitude as the heavens contain joys and the fields bring forth flowers and grasses, so that in this time of renewal of life you may rejoice in the renewal of mankind in body and soul with all the elements of the glorious resurrection, so that after passing through this life you may attain the joys of Paradise.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Business<\/strong><br><em>My<\/em> karissima, <em>ik sende juw <\/em>ad presens<em> dat gelt vor dat paar<\/em> <em>hanschen,<\/em> <em>dar<\/em> reverenda dompna vestra venerande dompne nostre <em>lest<\/em> <em>wede tho hulpe quam,<\/em> <em>unde<\/em> <em>we synt <\/em>humiliter<em>begherende,<\/em> <em>dat gy<\/em> <em>us<\/em> <em>leffliken excuserenjeghen ere werdecheyt, dat we dar<\/em> <em>so langhe wede tartert<\/em> <em>hebben,<\/em> hoc evenit ex multis innumeris occupationibus, <em>dat we des nene mathe hebben<\/em> <em>konden juw <\/em>aliqua <em>to schrivende,<\/em> <em>vor so dorske we us<\/em> <em>des nicht presumeren,<\/em> <em>dat<\/em> <em>we in se sulven<\/em> <em>hedden schreven,<\/em> <em>darumme<\/em> <em>dat id so langhe tydvorghan i\u00df<\/em>, idcirco <em>hebbe<\/em> <em>ik<\/em> maximam fiduciam <em>do juw unde<\/em> <em>lave<\/em> <em>certliken,<\/em> <em>dat gy dat <\/em>causa nostri<em> wol willen to gude<\/em> <em>maken unde<\/em> <em>er <\/em>vivo stilo<em> bed declareren <\/em>intentionem nostram, <em>wen we er konnen schreven<\/em> <em>hebben.<\/em><\/td><td><strong>Dealing<\/strong><br>My dearest, I send you here the money for the pair of gloves with which your reverend Domina recently helped out our reverend Domina; we humbly request that you would kindly apologize for us to Her Reverence for delaying this for so long;<br>that came out of an almost innumerable series of affairs, so that we had no rest in writing to you even briefly; therefore we have not dared to suppose that we could write to her ourselves, since it has been so long now; therefore, we place the utmost trust in you and believe that you can arrange our matter well for us and that you can explain our concerns better in a personal presentation than we could have written to you.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Gift<\/strong><br><em>Ock sende ik juw <\/em>pisciculos conditos <em>unde<\/em>nimium obnixe, <em>dat gy de willen don <\/em>reverende dompne vestre ex parte nostra, <em>dar schal se sick medeconfortert<\/em>, Deo ad laudem, <em>unde<\/em> <em>wel <\/em>venerabilis caritas sua<em> juw<\/em> <em>unde<\/em> <em>user lutken amiten<\/em> Lucia <em>von<\/em> Eltzen<em> wad van gheven,<\/em> <em>dat wil<\/em> <em>ik <\/em>eius benivolentie <em>ghansliken atmitteren, wente ik hebbe<\/em> <em>dat <\/em>sepissime <em>uth juwen schriften vorstan,<\/em> <em>dat se juw<\/em> materne et pie<em> vor is <\/em>in omnibus, <em>darumme<\/em> <em>so dubitere<\/em> <em>ik dar nicht ane,<\/em> quin vobis optime administrat quitquit acquirere potest. <br><strong>Taking Leave<\/strong><br>Nil plus. Cum hoc valeatis in Jesu Christo sponso nostro, qui vos inebriet lacte suavitatis et dulcedinis in hac labili vita, ut post hoc satiari mereamini melle sue divinitatis in presentia sancte Trinitatis. Amen.<\/td><td><strong>Exchange<\/strong><br>We are also sending you candied fish and we kindly ask that you present them to your reverend domina as a gift from us for her to enjoy, praise God, and if your esteemed friend wants to give some of it to you and our young cousin Lucia von Eltzen, I would like to leave that entirely to her willingness, because I have often gleaned from your letters that she is motherly and faithfully in charge of everything; therefore I have no doubt that she will best distribute among you all that she can obtain.<br><strong>and Sign-Off<\/strong><br>Enough of it! With this I bid you fare-well in the name of our Bridegroom Jesus Christ, who will make you drunk with the milk of sweetness and meekness in this mortal life, that afterward you may deserve to feast on the sweetness of His divinity in the presence of the Holy Trinity, Amen.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Letter 189<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nun from Kloster L\u00fcne to a nun in a neighbouring convent. Friday after Jubilate, unknown year. Thank for letter of condolence<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The sender expresses joy upon hearing that the recipient is in good health; she too is well. She offers heartfelt thanks for the many kindnesses received, especially for the consoling letter and the small devotional image, which brought comfort to her grieving soul. As a token of their bond, she sends a small basket of delicacies and preserved fish. Like Jonathan for David, she would gladly give her cloak, but since that is not possible, she sends one of her veils instead. She asks that it be received in the same love with which it was sent. May Christ add to it a bridal garment adorned with pearls and precious stones.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>L\u00fcne, Kloster L\u00fcne, Hs. 15, Lage 15, fol. 6r. Latin and Low German. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Greeting formula <\/strong><br>In paschalibus festis ex intimis precordiorum<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a>affectibus exultare et iubilare ac resurgentem regem glorie cum omni creatura collaudare, reverenda ac religiosa domina, michi utique in prenominato rege glorie visceretina<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a> dilectione preamanda!<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn3\"><sup>[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/td><td><strong>aligned with the liturgical season<\/strong><br>During these Eastertide with the deepest feelings of my inmost organs to exult, rejoice, and to praise the rising King of Glory together with all creation, honourable and devout Lady, beloved by me above all others in the aforementioned King of Glory with deepest affection.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Health<\/strong><br>Quoniam ex scriptis vestris favorabilibus sum certificata de statu vestre valitudinis, in hoc venerabilitati vestre<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn4\"><sup>[4]<\/sup><\/a> congaudeo ex fundo cordis, et utinam, Deo largiente, talia per multorum annorum curricula audire possum; hoc foret michi non modica letitia, et idem notifico reverentie vestre de successu meo, quod annuente divino auxilio consisto in sospitate, reverenda et my preamanda domina.<\/td><td><strong>Enquiry<\/strong><br>Having been informed by your encouraging letters of your good health, I rejoice with all my heart and pray that, God willing, I may continue to receive such news from you for many years to come; this would bring me no small joy. Likewise, I share with Your Reverence that, by divine grace, I too am in good health, most honourable and deeply venerated lady.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Reference<\/strong><br>Quantas innumeras ymmo eximias grates teneor vestre venerabilitati exsolvere pro multis caritativis beneficiis michi totiens exhibitis penitus ignoro; non sufficio calamo exprimere nec verbis ullo modo declarare, maxime nunc pro littera vestra valde consolatoria michi una cum pulcherrimo folio destinata, unde anima mea turbata dulciter est recreata; et hanc vestram missivam quam pro magno clenodio suscepi et cum lacrimatibus oculis preletitia legi atque relegi illam de verbo ad verbum, de sillaba ad sillabam et prenimia suavitate saturari non valeo, nam videtur michi, quasi oretenus cum mea precordialissima matre ac amita VG<em>ken<\/em><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn5\"><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/a> sim locuta,<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn6\"><sup>[6]<\/sup><\/a> <em>unde<\/em> <em>dat is my up<\/em> <em>myn<\/em> <em>herten kamen, wente<\/em> reverentia vestra <em>heft<\/em> <em>so meer de aldererste<\/em> <em>wesen, de my <\/em>in his tribulationibus meis <em>consolert<\/em> <em>heft, unde<\/em> <em>dat<\/em> <em>mut ik<\/em>venerabilitati vestre <em>bekennen unde regracieren<\/em>quamdiu vixero. Quia secundum illud dictum vulgare: \u201eSemper in tribulationibus et necessitatibus probandi sunt amici.\u201c<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn7\"><sup>[7]<\/sup><\/a> <em>Unde<\/em> <em>dat hebbe<\/em> <em>ik vullenkomen<\/em> <em>by juw bevunden.<\/em><\/td><td><strong>to Earlier Exchange<\/strong><br>I cannot begin to express, neither with pen nor speech, the countless and overflowing words of thanks I owe Your Honour for the many loving favours you have so often shown me, especially now for your most comforting letter and the beautiful leaf you sent, which sweetly refreshed my troubled soul. <br>I received this writing as a precious treasure and read it again and again with tear-filled eyes, overwhelmed with joy, word by word, syllable by syllable, and I cannot tire of it, so sweet is it to me. It felt as though I had spoken in person with my most beloved mother and aunt, the dear V.G., and this deeply moved my heart. <br>For Your Reverence was the first to comfort me in my sorrow, and I must acknowledge and thank you for this for as long as I live. <br>As the vernacular proverb says: \u201cIn times of distress, true friends are revealed.\u201d And I have experienced this fully in you.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Exchange<\/strong><br>Quit igitur nunc proinde reverentie vestre rependere queam, quod possit esse equivalens apud me, prochdolor non invenio, uti libenter, karissime mee atque precordialissime unigeni<em>ken<\/em>, (fol. 6v) darem pro xenio precioso, <em>alze<\/em> reverentia vestra eget. Attamen pro inditio caritatis immense, qua anima mea conglutinata est anime vestre, veluti anima Jonathe conglutinata est anime Davidis et dilexit eum Jonathas quam animam suam, ita ego diligo vestram reverentiam in visceribus Jesu Christi, in cuius testimonium transmitto venerabilitati vestre unam fiscellam cum apothecalibus et aliquos pisciculos conditos <em>dar scal sick<\/em>reverentia vestra <em>mede<\/em> <em>conforteren<\/em>, Deo ad laudem, michi ac aliis multis ad salubrem atque diutinam consolationem. Et si foret michi possibile, quod ego tantilla possem me expoliare tunica nostra<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn8\"><sup>[8]<\/sup><\/a> et reverentie vestre eam prestare, quemadmodum Jonathas fecit Davidis, hoc ex fundo cordis libenter facerem. Itaque, si non possum dare vestimentum, idipsum tamen, quod michi est possibile, non negligam reddere. Sicque ad presens dirigo reverentie vestre unum velum, <em>den hebbe<\/em> <em>ik<\/em> ob vestri dilectionem <em>namen<\/em> de nostro capite, <em>unde<\/em> <em>sende juw den<\/em> in maxima caritate et peto obnixe, <em>dat gy den in der sulven<\/em> <em>leve<\/em> <em>willen<\/em> <em>recipieren, dar ik juw den anesende; konde ik<\/em> reverentie vestre <em>darmede<\/em> <em>senden<\/em>queque salutaria anime et corporis ac meum viventem cor, <em>wat ik dat gherne dede<\/em>, idcirco flagito, ne illud spretui habeatis.<\/td><td><strong>of Gifts<\/strong><br>What I could offer in return to Your Reverence that would be worthy and within my means, alas, I cannot find. Yet I would gladly give you, my dearest and most dearly beloved one-and-only, a precious gift befitting Your Honour. But as a token of the immeasurable love with which my soul is bound to yours, just as Jonathan\u2019s soul was bound to David\u2019s, whom he loved as his own soul, so do I love Your Reverence in the innermost depths of Jesus Christ. As a witness to this, I send Your Honour a small basket of remedies and some preserved fish, that Your Reverence may be strengthened thereby, to the praise of God, for my benefit and that of many others, and for lasting consolation. And if it were possible for me, lowly as I am, to take off my garment and give it to Your Reverence, as Jonathan did for David, I would do so most willingly from the bottom of my heart. And since I cannot give you a garment, I will not fail to give what I can. <br>Therefore, I send Your Honour at this time a veil, which I have taken from my head out of love for you, and I send it with the greatest affection, earnestly asking that you receive it in the same love with which I send it. If I could also send Your Reverence a remedy for soul and body and my living heart, how gladly would I do so. I therefore beg you not to despise it.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Heavenly<\/strong><br>Et ille imperialis belliger inclitus et gloriosus, qui in stola glorificati corporis sui preclarus atque formosus resurrexit de tumulo,<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn9\"><sup>[9]<\/sup><\/a><strong> <\/strong><em>de mote<\/em>reverentie vestre ex parte mea <em>darto<\/em> <em>geven<\/em>vestem nuptialem gemine caritatis<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn10\"><sup>[10]<\/sup><\/a> margaritis ac lapidibus preciosis intextam, <em>dar gy eme froliken<\/em> <em>inne moghen enjeghen ghan<\/em>, dum nos ad celeste convivium invitaverit in hoc exilio, scilicet in perceptione venerandi sacramenti, ac demum digne mereamini introire ad nuptias illas paschales,<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn11\"><sup>[11]<\/sup><\/a> ubi delicie affluunt, <br>ubi premia non deficiunt,<br>ubi spirat odor cynamomi et balsami ac totius suavitatis, <br>ubi electi (fol. 7r) ab uberibus consolationis sponsi immortalis saturabuntur<br>et torrente voluptatis potabuntur, <br>ibique contemplari mereamini facie ad faciem Dominum dominorum, <br>in Syon celebrando cum omnibus electis paschalem sollempnitatem in secula seculorum.<\/td><td><strong>Reward<\/strong><br>And may that renowned and glorious imperial warrior, who rose gloriously and beautifully from the grave in the stole of his glorified body, grant Your Reverence in my stead the bridal garment of double love, embroidered with pearls and precious stones, in which you may joyfully go forth to meet him when he invites us to the heavenly banquet, here in exile, through the reception of the venerable sacrament, and finally grant you worthy entrance to those Easter wedding feasts where joy overflows, where rewards never fail, <br>where the fragrance of cinnamon, balm, and all sweetness wafts, <br>where the elect are nourished from the breasts of the immortal Bridegroom\u2019s consolation <br>and are refreshed by the stream of delight, and where you will be granted to behold the face of the Lord of Lords face to face, <br>when you celebrate the Easter feast in Zion with all the elect, for ever and ever.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Farewell<\/strong><br>Nil plus etc.<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn12\"><sup>[12]<\/sup><\/a>Cum his valeat vestra reverentia sana et incolumis in eo, qui pro nobis mortuus est et resurrexit, qui vos in hominis utriusque prosperitate ac salute corroboret ac confirmet temporibus longevis. Raptim ex Lune sexta feria post Iubilate.<a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftn13\"><sup>[13]<\/sup><\/a><\/td><td><strong>Greetings<\/strong><br>Nothing further for now, etc.With this, I wish Your Reverence health and well-being in him who died and rose again for us, who may strengthen and sustain you in well-being and salvation of both body and soul for a long time to come.Hastily written in L\u00fcne, on the Friday after Jubilate Sunday.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>The Latin term <em>praecordia<\/em> refers anatomically to the inner organs surrounding the heart, and more specifically to the diaphragm as the seat of breath. In medieval usage, it acquires a metonymic sense, denoting courage or deep emotional resolve. The spelling \u201cprecordia\u201d reflects a common medieval orthographic simplification, where classical diphthongs such as <em>ae<\/em> are rendered as <em>e<\/em>. The prefix <em>prae-<\/em> serves as an intensifier, as in <em>praeamandus<\/em> (\u201cexceedingly lovable\u201d), a gerundive form derived from <em>amare<\/em> (\u201cto love\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>Adjektive derived from <em>viscera<\/em> (\u201centrails\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref3\"><sup>[3]<\/sup><\/a> Following the <em>ars dictandi<\/em>, each complete letter begins with a formal salutation. In the conventual context, this greeting is liturgically anchored, referencing the church calendar to provide both temporal and spiritual orientation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref4\"><sup>[4]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>In accordance with monastic protocol, the nuns employ the formal second-person plural in address and refer to one another using honorifics appropriate to their office, here, that of the prioress. The sender also refers to herself in the plural, a convention that underscores communal identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref5\"><sup>[5]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>The abbreviation \u201cVG\u201d refers to a nun from the convent of Walsrode who spent time at L\u00fcne (cf. Letter 148), indicating a network of spiritual and epistolary exchange among North German women\u2019s convents. The suffix <em>-ken<\/em>, appended to initials or names, functions as a Low German diminutive equivalent to the High German <em>-chen<\/em>. It marks familiarity and personal connection, often used for individuals known within the conventual network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref6\"><sup>[6]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>The phrase used to confirm the authenticity of a personal letter appears in other examples (e.g., Letters 215 and 223), serving as a standard epistolary device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref7\"><sup>[7]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>The proverb \u201cFriends are tested in adversity\u201d is cited in other letters (e.g., 13 and 44) and also appears in Latin in devotional texts, including multiple instances in Thomas \u00e0 Kempis\u2019 <em>Opera<\/em> (ed. Pohl, vol. 4, 1918, p. 80).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref8\"><sup>[8]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>The phrase \u201cour tunic\u201d refers to the monastic use of \u201cwe\u201d, see above, and also references the sender\u2019s and recipient\u2019s shared religious habit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref9\"><sup>[9]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>The image of Christ rising with the victory banner is the most frequent motif in the visual culture of the L\u00fcneburg convents. Examples include the L\u00fcne Easter Tapestry (1504\u20131508), the sculptural and painted decorations in the Wienhausen nuns\u2019 choir, and marginal illustrations in the Medingen Easter prayer books (cf. Kohwagner-Nikolai, <em>Per manus sororum<\/em>, 2006, pp. 367\u2013375).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref10\"><sup>[10]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>Die <em>gemina caritas<\/em> (\u201eZwillings-Liebe\u201c) findet sich schon bei S. Augustinus Hipponensis in ep. 109, \u00a71, in: Augustinus von Hippo, Epistulae, hg. von Goldbacher, Bd. 2 (1898), S. 635.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref11\"><sup>[11]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>The letter concludes with a hymn-like passage that transitions into rhymed prose, a stylistic hallmark of devotional writing in the L\u00fcneburg convents. See Henrike L\u00e4hnemann,<em> Reimprosa und Mischsprache<\/em>, in <em>Wolfram-Studien<\/em> (forthcoming).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref12\"><sup>[12]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>The phrase indicating the end of the letter due to time or space constraints is a standard epistolary closure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"applewebdata:\/\/64244740-4E74-4263-9808-B7E0E573CDCE#_ftnref13\"><sup>[13]<\/sup><\/a> <sup> <\/sup>\u201aIubilate Deo omnis terra\u2018 is the Introit for the third Sunday after Easter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>oder: Liebe und Freundschaft in den L\u00fcner Briefen A special lecture for the Old Frisian Summer School in Groningen 2025 on ‘Code-Switching between Latin and the vernacular’. More features available via the panopto recording of the talk here, see below<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[69,75,35],"class_list":["post-1876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content","tag-letters","tag-lune","tag-nuntastic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1876"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1972,"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1876\/revisions\/1972"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medingen.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}