Motif index of German secular narratives from the beginning to 1400

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The Motif Index will serve as an essential reference for narratologists, medievalists, literary historians, and cultural historians. Building on the groundbreaking Motif Index of Folk Literature by Stith Thompson, this new index catalogs significant narrative motifs in German secular literature from the 9th to 14th centuries. It focuses on consciously formed narrative topics that are structurally stable and relevant to the action, such as situations and types. The index will provide a comprehensive catalogue of motifs like "Fairies becoming visible through a magic ring" and "Fight with the dragon," along with a sophisticated indexing system for easy access and research across various works. This allows for quick location of parallel occurrences and tracking of motif development within literary genres or periods. Volumes 1 to 5 present genre-based catalogs of motifs arranged alphabetically by work, while Volume 6 includes three valuable indexes: a central index of motifs, an index of keywords for motif naming, and an index of quoted names. Accompanied by a CD-ROM, it enhances search capabilities, enabling users to execute commands efficiently. This index will be a vital tool for studies in medieval literature and language, published in English and edited by the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.