This epic is one of the most cynical and grim satires ever written.
Ysengrimus is the prototype of the monk disguised as a wolf. Christ was a shepherd for his sheep, the monks are wolves.
With a strong and blasphemous vocabulary, Nivardus insults relentlessly the Church and her representatives: 'They sell human beings for money, and even God'.
'You may commit what sins you want, you will be absolved if you can pay'.
What only counts for the monk Ysengrimus is power and money. If you have them you stay above the law; if you don't, you are lost.
But Nivardus takes revenge on the corrupt and wicked Ysengrimus through the hands of his nephew, Reinaert, the fox, who exploits in a gruesome manner the craving for power and money of his uncle. Ultimately, the Monk's skin is stripped off and his corps is thrown to the swine.Apparently, this is the first time that the character of Reinaert, the fox, appears in the medieval literature. Here he is the avenger of the righteous, the poor, the real Christians. In the latter works, Reinaert is portrayed as a cunning and cynical exploiter of human weaknesses. The social criticism of the Church disappeared. In this way, one could say that the author of the second Reinaert (Van den Vos Reinaerde) took revenge on the Ysengrimus by painting the fox as a not reliable and immoral character. This epic is a powerful, colourful, lively and very modern work.
A masterpiece. |
Ysengrimus: Text With Translation, Commentary, and Introduction (Mittellateinische Studien Und Texte Bd 12) Books In Print, Audio Books.