Books by Sebastian Cöllen
![Research paper thumbnail of Gefiolierte blüte kunst. Eine kognitionslinguistisch orientierte Untersuchung zur Metaphorik in Frauenlobs Marienleich. Dissertation, Uppsala University. ISBN 978-91-506-2691-9 [Gefiolierte blüte kunst. A cognitive linguistic investigation of the metaphorics in Frauenlob's Marienleich]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/64686738/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Heinrich of Meißen, also known as Frauenlob († 1318), is a central figure in Middle High German l... more Heinrich of Meißen, also known as Frauenlob († 1318), is a central figure in Middle High German literature. As is evident from its early reception, his work was highly admired in the middle ages. In research literature, however, his ‘obscure’ poetry initially was faced with a lack of understanding.
The main challenge for comprehending Frauenlob lies in his rich metaphorics. However, despite the importance of the metaphors in Frauenlob’s work, the question about their role in the construction of meaning was not seriously raised until the last decades and has not yet been thoroughly investigated. This problem is all the more serious as Frauenlob’s poetry, which has often been attributed with a seemingly ‘modern’ ambivalence, is at the centre of the recent debate of the historicity of metaphor. His poetry offers a fruitful empirical entry to the important issues whether metaphors are interpreted today in the same way as in the middle ages, and whether modern theories of metaphor are adequate for the historical analysis of medieval metaphorics.
The present study aims to describe and explain how the metaphors in Frauenlob’s Marienleich functions. It is shown that the traditional substitution account of metaphor leads to a reductionist view of the construction of meaning in this text. The modern interaction account also contains aspects whose suitability with regard to the medieval expectations on the production of meaning can be questioned. As an alternative, the present investigation proposes a context sensitive analytic model based on cognitive linguistics that tries to preserve the hermeneutic difference to Frauenlob’s Marienleich. This cognitive perspective, which is here applied to Frauenlob’s work for the first time, enables a more precise description and explanation of how the metaphorical meaning is constructed than was hitherto possible. The result shows that, whereas Frauenlob’s poetry may not be as modern as is sometimes believed, the metaphors in his Marienleich are much more than an artistic show-off; rather, they represent an efficient means of actualising a complex religious meaning.
The main challenge for comprehending Frauenlob lies in his rich metaphorics. However, despite the importance of the metaphors in Frauenlob’s work, the question about their role in the construction of meaning was not seriously raised until the last decades and has not yet been thoroughly investigated. This problem is all the more serious as Frauenlob’s poetry, which has often been attributed with a seemingly ‘modern’ ambivalence, is at the centre of the recent debate of the historicity of metaphor. His poetry offers a fruitful empirical entry to the important issues whether metaphors are interpreted today in the same way as in the middle ages, and whether modern theories of metaphor are adequate for the historical analysis of medieval metaphorics.
The present study aims to describe and explain how the metaphors in Frauenlob’s Marienleich functions. It is shown that the traditional substitution account of metaphor leads to a reductionist view of the construction of meaning in this text. The modern interaction account also contains aspects whose suitability with regard to the medieval expectations on the production of meaning can be questioned. As an alternative, the present investigation proposes a context sensitive analytic model based on cognitive linguistics that tries to preserve the hermeneutic difference to Frauenlob’s Marienleich. This cognitive perspective, which is here applied to Frauenlob’s work for the first time, enables a more precise description and explanation of how the metaphorical meaning is constructed than was hitherto possible. The result shows that, whereas Frauenlob’s poetry may not be as modern as is sometimes believed, the metaphors in his Marienleich are much more than an artistic show-off; rather, they represent an efficient means of actualising a complex religious meaning.
Heimdallr – der rätselhafte Gott. Eine philologische und religionsgeschichtliche Untersuchung ( = Ergänzungsbände zum Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 94) [Heimdallr – the enigmatic god. Philology and history of religions]
![Research paper thumbnail of Der rätselhafte Gott. Heimdallr im Licht altnordischer Vorstellungen von Ahnen und Ordnung [The enigmatic god. Heimdallr in the light of Old Norse conceptions of ancestors and order]](https://a.academia-assets.com/images/blank-paper.jpg)
Der rätselhafte Gott. Heimdallr im Licht altnordischer Vorstellungen von Ahnen und Ordnung [The enigmatic god. Heimdallr in the light of Old Norse conceptions of ancestors and order]
This dissertation aims at a deeper understanding of the character of the Old West Norse god Heimd... more This dissertation aims at a deeper understanding of the character of the Old West Norse god Heimdallr and of his function in the mythological traditions. The need for a new study of this god is indicated by the fact that the more than a century old description of him in the secondary literature as “the enigmatic god” is still standing. In contrast to much of the earlier research, the present study attempts to examine the god primarily through the society in which the traditions pertaining to him were handed down. The category guiding the comparisons of the study is Heimdallr’s relatively early documented quality as an ancestor. The study shows that Heimdallr in pre-Christian time probably represented a more clearly definable and eminent figure than is often believed. In the traditions pertaining to him are, among other things, ideas on descent and order reflected.
Papers by Sebastian Cöllen
Arkiv For Nordisk Filologi, 2007
W o h ltätig ist des Feuers M acht, / w en n sie der M ensch b ezäh m t, bew acht, und w as er b ... more W o h ltätig ist des Feuers M acht, / w en n sie der M ensch b ezäh m t, bew acht, und w as er b ild et, w as er schafft, / das dankt er dieser H im m e ls k r a ft.. . (Schiller, "Das Lied von der G lock e".) C öllen , S., D octoral C andidate, D ep artm en t o f H istory of Religions, Uppsala U niver sity. "T h e O rigin o f the Fire in N orth G erm anic M ythology", A N F 122 (2007), pp.
Djuret på tröskeln : Hunden i germansk religion
Gefiolierte blüte kunst : Eine kognitionslinguistisch orientierte Untersuchung zur Metaphorik in Frauenlobs Marienleich
Heinrich of Meisen, also known as Frauenlob († 1318), is a central figure in Middle High German l... more Heinrich of Meisen, also known as Frauenlob († 1318), is a central figure in Middle High German literature. As is evident from its early reception, his work was highly admired in the middle ages. I ...
Opus magnum: Matthäus Merian d.Ä. und die Bebilderung der Alchemie. Ed. Berit Wagner & Corinna Gannon. Heidelberg: arthistoricum.net-ART-Books, 2024
Book abstract: In einer außergewöhnlichen Konjunkturwelle brachten die Verlage von Johann Theodor... more Book abstract: In einer außergewöhnlichen Konjunkturwelle brachten die Verlage von Johann Theodor de Bry und Lucas Jennis zwischen 1615 und 1630 eine Vielfalt alchemistischer und alchemisch-spiritueller Druckschriften hervor. Der damals noch junge Matthäus Merian d.Ä. (1593-1650) wurde beauftragt, fast 20 dieser Publikationen zu bebildern. Häufig ohne direkte ikonographische Vorbilder, gelang es dem Künstler – in enger Zusammenarbeit mit Verlegern, Autoren und seinen Künstlerkollegen –, ausgeklügelte Bildsynthesen zu schaffen, die schnell ikonenhaften Status erlangten. Im vorliegenden Sammelband wird das berühmte Corpus der Frankfurter Alchemica illustrata mit Beiträgen von 16 internationalen Autorinnen und Autoren einer umfassenden kunst- und kulturhistorischen Analyse unterzogen.
Zeitschrift für junge Religionswissenschaft
This text was automatically generated on 1 May 2019. Dieses Werk ist lizenziert unter einer Creat... more This text was automatically generated on 1 May 2019. Dieses Werk ist lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung-Nicht-kommerziell-Keine Bearbeitung 3.0 Deutschland Lizenz.
Sebastian Cöllen , review of J. M. van der Laan und Andrew Weeks (Hrsg.): The Faustian Century. German Literature and Culture in the Age of Luther and Faustus (Studies in German Literature, Linguistics, and Culture). Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2013. ISBN978-1-57113-552-0.XII + 399S
Studia Neophilologica, 2014
Biblioteksbladet, nr 5, s. 34–39, 2020
D et är idag mer regel än undantag att kulturarvsinstitutioner har något slags digital samling oc... more D et är idag mer regel än undantag att kulturarvsinstitutioner har något slags digital samling och arbetar intensivt med digitalisering och digitalt tillgängliggörande. Forskare som Melissa Terras menar till och med att digitalisering har kommit att bli en kärnverksamhet för kulturarvssektorn. En given följd är att det ligger mycket prestige i begreppet. Digitalisering är vägen för framtiden, och ingen vill hamna på efterkälken.
![Research paper thumbnail of Den auratiska artefakten: Begränsningar och möjligheter i den digitala reproduktionen av kulturarv [The auratic artefact: Limitations and possibilities in the digitisation of cultural heritage]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/64686743/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Uppsatser inom biblioteks- & informationsvetenskap, ISSN 1650-4267 ; 789, 2020
The digital copy is rapidly becoming the dominant form in which researchers encounter cultural he... more The digital copy is rapidly becoming the dominant form in which researchers encounter cultural heritage. In this situation, the relation between the original and the digital reproduction has become a crucial, yet too little discussed problem.
This thesis investigates this relation through two questions: (1) Which is the ontological status of the reproduction in relation to the original, and (2) How is the original mediated to its digital format? Question (1) is answered in dialogue with previous research: The reproduction is a new artefact, but with a relation (of similiarity) to the original. It is the understanding of this relation that the remaining part of the thesis tries to deepen and around which the second question revolves.
This more empirical question (2)is examined through a comparative analysis of a physical original—the 17th century album amicorum of Gottfried Schröer—and its digitisation in the platform Alvin.The informative dimensions “context”, “materiality”, “textbased information”, and the category “aura” are investigated in the original and in the digital reproduction. For this purpose, Walter Benjamin’s concept “aura” is critically discussed and redefined as an analytical concept, and the research question is rephrased in terms of (a) which qualities are transfered, (b) not transfered, and (c) if/how they are transformed during the transfer to the digital format. It is also asked which consequences this might have for the artefact as a source of information.
The analysis is positioned in a materiality discourse, adopting perspectives from, i.a., Actor-Network Theory and Material Philology. In this context, a widened concept of materiality is also developed, allowing the inclusion of the “virtual”.
The thesis identifies aspects in which the reproduction differs from the original, depending, among other things, on its own materiality. This strengthens the call for users’ information competency when interacting with digital reproductions.
This thesis investigates this relation through two questions: (1) Which is the ontological status of the reproduction in relation to the original, and (2) How is the original mediated to its digital format? Question (1) is answered in dialogue with previous research: The reproduction is a new artefact, but with a relation (of similiarity) to the original. It is the understanding of this relation that the remaining part of the thesis tries to deepen and around which the second question revolves.
This more empirical question (2)is examined through a comparative analysis of a physical original—the 17th century album amicorum of Gottfried Schröer—and its digitisation in the platform Alvin.The informative dimensions “context”, “materiality”, “textbased information”, and the category “aura” are investigated in the original and in the digital reproduction. For this purpose, Walter Benjamin’s concept “aura” is critically discussed and redefined as an analytical concept, and the research question is rephrased in terms of (a) which qualities are transfered, (b) not transfered, and (c) if/how they are transformed during the transfer to the digital format. It is also asked which consequences this might have for the artefact as a source of information.
The analysis is positioned in a materiality discourse, adopting perspectives from, i.a., Actor-Network Theory and Material Philology. In this context, a widened concept of materiality is also developed, allowing the inclusion of the “virtual”.
The thesis identifies aspects in which the reproduction differs from the original, depending, among other things, on its own materiality. This strengthens the call for users’ information competency when interacting with digital reproductions.
![Research paper thumbnail of Metaforens historicitet: En kognitionslingvistisk undersökning av medeltida bildspråk [The historicity of metaphor: A cognitive linguistic investigation of medieval metaphorics]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/63274700/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Kungl. Humanistiska Vetenskaps-Samfundet i Uppsala = Annales Societatis litterarum humaniorum regiae Upsaliensis: Årsbok, ISSN 0349-0416, Vol. 2018-2019, pp. 201-213, 2020
Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattning av Cöllen 2018
Abstract: Metaphor and metaphor theory have ... more Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattning av Cöllen 2018
Abstract: Metaphor and metaphor theory have attracted growing attention across disciplines during the last few decades. In recent research, the central question about the meaning of metaphor has taken a radical turn, however. On the one hand, it has been argued that the interaction theory of metaphor has replaced the traditional substitution theory as the only appropriate framework for metaphor analysis. On the other, scholars have also maintained that the substitution theoretical account remains adequate, at least for premodern metaphors. At the very center of this debate about the historicity of metaphor – the question whether metaphors are interpreted today in the same way as in the middle ages – stands the medieval poet Heinrich of Meißen, also known as Frauenlob († 1318). Within research, his extremely obscure poetry initially met with a lack of understanding but has more recently been afforded a seemingly “modern” ambivalence reminiscent of the interaction theoretical account of how metaphors function. Does Frauenlob’s metaphorics thus give a foretaste of modernity? How is metaphorical meaning constructed in his poetry?
As a point of entry to these questions, the thesis which is here summarised analyses Frauenlob’s Marienleich, a song typical of the poet’s obscure style and dense with metaphors. It is shown that the substitution theory of metaphor leads to a reductionist view of the construction of meaning in this text. The modern interaction account also contains aspects whose suitability with regard to the medieval expectations on the production of meaning should be questioned. As an alternative, a context-sensitive ana
lytic model based on a cognitive linguistic framework is proposed. This cognitive perspective, which is here applied to Frauenlob’s work for the first time, enables a more precise description and explanation of how the metaphorical meaning is constructed than was hitherto possible. The result shows that, whereas Frauenlob’s poetry may not be as modern as is some times believed, the metaphors in his Marienleich are much more than a display of artistic bravado; rather, they represent an efficient means of actualising a complex religious meaning.
The results have consequences on three levels. Firstly, they contribute to a better understanding of Frauenlob’s Marienleich, a poem of great literary value. Secondly, they show how new theoretical approaches may be fruit fully applied to premodern literature. And, thirdly, they demonstrate how metaphors could be used in the construction of meaning in medieval literature. The investigation has thus brought us one step closer to medieval metaphorics, wihout, however, reducing its “otherness”. Herein lies the existential power of philology: it allows us understand and appreciate even that which at first seemed strange.
Abstract: Metaphor and metaphor theory have attracted growing attention across disciplines during the last few decades. In recent research, the central question about the meaning of metaphor has taken a radical turn, however. On the one hand, it has been argued that the interaction theory of metaphor has replaced the traditional substitution theory as the only appropriate framework for metaphor analysis. On the other, scholars have also maintained that the substitution theoretical account remains adequate, at least for premodern metaphors. At the very center of this debate about the historicity of metaphor – the question whether metaphors are interpreted today in the same way as in the middle ages – stands the medieval poet Heinrich of Meißen, also known as Frauenlob († 1318). Within research, his extremely obscure poetry initially met with a lack of understanding but has more recently been afforded a seemingly “modern” ambivalence reminiscent of the interaction theoretical account of how metaphors function. Does Frauenlob’s metaphorics thus give a foretaste of modernity? How is metaphorical meaning constructed in his poetry?
As a point of entry to these questions, the thesis which is here summarised analyses Frauenlob’s Marienleich, a song typical of the poet’s obscure style and dense with metaphors. It is shown that the substitution theory of metaphor leads to a reductionist view of the construction of meaning in this text. The modern interaction account also contains aspects whose suitability with regard to the medieval expectations on the production of meaning should be questioned. As an alternative, a context-sensitive ana
lytic model based on a cognitive linguistic framework is proposed. This cognitive perspective, which is here applied to Frauenlob’s work for the first time, enables a more precise description and explanation of how the metaphorical meaning is constructed than was hitherto possible. The result shows that, whereas Frauenlob’s poetry may not be as modern as is some times believed, the metaphors in his Marienleich are much more than a display of artistic bravado; rather, they represent an efficient means of actualising a complex religious meaning.
The results have consequences on three levels. Firstly, they contribute to a better understanding of Frauenlob’s Marienleich, a poem of great literary value. Secondly, they show how new theoretical approaches may be fruit fully applied to premodern literature. And, thirdly, they demonstrate how metaphors could be used in the construction of meaning in medieval literature. The investigation has thus brought us one step closer to medieval metaphorics, wihout, however, reducing its “otherness”. Herein lies the existential power of philology: it allows us understand and appreciate even that which at first seemed strange.
![Research paper thumbnail of Stammbücher – Textualität und Sprachen. Från en stambokskonferens i Tübingen [Alba amicorum – textuality and languages. From a conference on alba amicorum in Tübingen]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/63274735/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Tidskrift för ABM, 2019
28 SEBASTIAN CÖLLEN 1 Stammbücher -Textualität und Sprachen. Från en stambokskonferens i Tübingen... more 28 SEBASTIAN CÖLLEN 1 Stammbücher -Textualität und Sprachen. Från en stambokskonferens i Tübingen Inledning Den 13:e till 14:e februari besökte jag den internationella stambokskonferensen Stammbücher -Textualität und Sprachen: Sondierung auf der Basis einer neuen Datenbank ('Stamböcker -textualitet och språk: Sondering med grundval i en ny databas') i Tübingen. Anledningen till besöket var projektet Digitalisering och katalogisering av stambokssamlingen vid Uppsala universitetsbibliotek. Projektet initierades år 2015 av Daniel Solling, och under 2018, projektets sista år, var jag hans medarbetare. Under 2019 forskar jag i ett eget stamboksprojekt på universitetsbiblioteket i Uppsala, finansierat av Tersmedens stiftelse: Gottfried Schröers stambok (Y 131): Textuella strategier för självstilisering hos 1600-talets svenska adel. Konferensen var därför av stort intresse för min forskning.
”Ein Ewigs Feuer dir entbrant”. Germanistische Studien zu Sprache, Literatur und Kultur. Festschrift für Prof. Dr. Bo Anderson zum 60. Geburtstag (= Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Studia Germanistica Upsaliensia 59). Daniel Solling/Dessislava Stoeva-Holm (eds.), pp. 31–44, 2015
Minne und Metapher. Die Lichtmetaphorik Heinrichs von Morungen in kognitionslinguistischer Beleuchtung [Courtly love and metaphor. A cognitive linguistic perspective on Heinrich's von Morungen metaphorics of light]
Studia Neophilologica, 2012
Heimdallr in Hyndluljóð. The role and function of the ‘enigmatic god’ in an enigmatic poem
Theorizing Old Norse myth (= Acta Scandinavica 7), 2017
The present study will exemplify the relevance of a philological approach to the study of myth th... more The present study will exemplify the relevance of a philological approach to the study of myth through a text-based examination of the role and function of the enigmatic god Heimdallr in a no less enigmatic source, the eddic poem Hyndluljóð. Since this text is text imbued with genealogical content, the analysis will employ emic conceptual models concerning affnity and descent in order to shed light on its meaning. I shall first try to establish the status of Hyndluljóð as source material; next, provide an analysis of its main theme; and finally, turn to the question of Heimdallr’s role in the text.
![Research paper thumbnail of Germanska dödsberg [Germanic mountains of death/of the dead]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/63274754/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Hellman, Eva & Roos, Lena (eds.). Vägar till insikt och utsikt. Berg i religiösa traditioner. Skellefteå: Artos & Norma, 2014, pp. 73–92, 2014
This paper gives a survey of the Germanic conception of a mountain into which the dead were thoug... more This paper gives a survey of the Germanic conception of a mountain into which the dead were thought to go in the afterlife. I start with investigating the Icelandic saga material, where the idea of the mountain of the dead is frequent. The study then takes the reader to continental Germanic speaking Europe in early Christian time. Here, elements such as the famous King Arthur and, eventually, emperors such as Charlemagne and Frederick II were added to the myth. Incorporated were also chiliastic notions of the Last Days and the final return of the (salvational) emperor from within the mountain. Finally, the paper looks briefly at the modern reception of the myth in romantic and nationalistic Germany, and ends with the picture of Adolf Hitler shortly before the outbreak of World War II, looking out over Untersberg, the home of the slumbering Emperor Barbarossa, who was expected to return in the final days...
Chaos 54, 2010/II, pp. 43–66, 2011
The well-known Old Norse narrative about how the god Þórr fishes the “Serpent of Middle Earth” ou... more The well-known Old Norse narrative about how the god Þórr fishes the “Serpent of Middle Earth” out of the depths of the waters was obviously widely spread in pre-Christian and early Christian times. The sources in which this narrative is preserved reach from Gosforth in the west to Altuna in the east and span over at least three centuries. The narrative therefore raises interesting questions about continuity, reception, adaptation, and interpretation. This article tries to address these questions through a survey of the forms of the narrative as preserved in the extant sources.
Minne und Metapher. Die Lichtmetaphorik Heinrichs von Morungen in kognitionslinguistischer Beleuchtung [Courtly love and metaphor. Heinrich von Morungen's metaphorics of light examined through cognitive linguistics]
Studia neophilologica 84/2 (2012), pp. 201–20, 2012
Zum Geschlecht der Personen in Rígsþula 28. 29. Kurze Bemerkungen zu einer Neudeutung [On the gender of the persons in Rígsþula 28. 29. Brief comments with regard to a new interpretation]
Collegium Medievale 22/2009, pp. 3–12, 2010
The following article adresses from a philological perspective two recent interpretations, made f... more The following article adresses from a philological perspective two recent interpretations, made from an archaeological perspective, of the Eddic stanzas Rígsþula (Rþ.) 28. 29. Both interpretations concern the sex of the protagonists. The former one seems possible to support linguistically. In contradiction to the previously held view, I mean that Rþ. 28 could describe, not the woman’s dress, but how the woman prepares her husband for hunting or battle. As to the latter stanza, however, the traditional interpretation stands firm. If future archaeological research wants to find parallels to the dress described in Rþ. 29, it should start from the assumption that this dress belongs to a woman.