Riddle me this! Transcription and the Waldsee Register

Gee, what do you do all day when you’re on fellowship in a manuscript archive? Well, most days I do a LOT, but some days I just come up against a puzzle, and sit with it, and stand with it, and then sit with it some more.

And today was a puzzle day. The early prospects looked good – I was transcribing a document that the sisters of Waldsee had copied in their Register (Freiburg Universitätsbibliothek Cod. 182) so that I can talk about it later. It was pretty straightforward, or so I thought, just a copied entry recording a 1669 agreement about the sisters’ involvement with a local confraternity that they had included in the first third of the book. I had the gist of the content from my fast-pass reading yesterday, but today I wanted a polished transcription.

So I did as one does, and started at the top. Some of it took some peering – that “R” in “rubric” looks nothing like an “R,” grumble grumble grumble. But most of it went quickly enough.

My practice when I think I might publish a document is to prepare two separate transcriptions and then merge them with a letter by letter verification, and this one was pretty easy. “Tipell”? No, “Capell,” of course. That thing that looks like an es-zet (ß)? Wow, that’s the capital P for “Pfleger.” And so on.

And then, oh, then, then then then, I came to the devil’s own challenge:

die Z… , die Z… uhh, die Z__g__n? Z__h__n? Die Zeig… , Die Zeug… , Die Zwig…

Yes. I looked. And I looked. And I looked up words in the Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch.

And then I looked some more. Was it “ri” as in “Brieder” (the regional variant for “Bruder”)? Was that an “i” with its dot, or is it “u” with an umlaut?

Eyestrain got me nowhere, though I flailed at it for well over an hour.

The context didn’t help, either. The passage was an echo of obligations – but the early passage named only two of the three – and of course they were the two I could read:

the sisters, however, shall henceforth supply the hosts as has long been customary, work the wax free of charge, and themselves arrange to have the [UNIDENTIFIED] made.

Hostien, hosts: yup.

Wachs, wax: got it.

Z….: still stuck.

And that’s when it finally struck me: I should go look at words having to do with the confraternity! They may not have transcribed my document, but maybe, just maybe, the lists of “things needed for worship services” would give me a clue.

And yep, that’s when I found it. Bless those 19^th and early 20^th century antiquarians and their friends the local historians.

It turns out that in the Confraternity of Saint Sebastian at Waldsee, there were tokens – little metal emblems called Sebastianzeichen -- which were purchased at time of entry! They were to be brought to all the services, and they were the guarantee that you’d get your prayers said upon your death – the family surrendered the token, the administrators wrote your name in the book, and everyone offered up the appropriate prayers. (Statute summary and further bibliography in Selig p. 66ff; discussion of the Sebastianzeichen is pp. 68-70.)

The token is kind of like a predecessor to your modern-day campus ID card: it gets you into the building, lets you access confraternity services, and will serve as the necessary ID when it’s time to close out your accounts (ahem). (I do expect retirement and death to differ, so this analogy should only be taken so far!)

And so, yes, the sisters will obtain their own supply of, are you ready for this, Z – e – i – c – h – e – n – n, Zeichenn, or confraternity tokens.

Puzzle solved.

So I finished my transcription, took a celebratory walk in the beautiful sunshine, and then came back and worked up the translation.

Text and translation (and dear-to-me bibliographic citation) given below if you’re interested.

And that, friends, is what I do at the HMML archives.

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RESOURCES

Freiburg, Universitätsbibliothek Cod. 182, HMML #43114, fol. 19r.

Theodor Selig, “Bruderschaften und Bündnisse im Landkapitel (Wurzach-)Waldsee,” Diözesan-Archiv von Schwaben 23 (1905), continuation, pp. 65–79, especially p. 70.

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Edition:

Copia der Růbric so in daß Register der Lobt: Bruederschafft. S. S. Sebastian, neu gesetzt wurden.

Copy of the entry which was newly entered in the register of the praiseworthy Confraternity of St. Sebastian [from Freiburg, Universitätsbibliothek Cod. 182 (HMML #43114), fol. 19r]

Alß Anno 1669. die Brieder vn Schwesteren der Lobl. Bruederschafft S. Sebastiney in ain Neůeß

Register geschriben wurden, haben die Můtter vnd schwesteren der Claůßer alhir, bey der Herrn Pfleger Mündtlich angebracht, vnd vurgeben, Alß were bey Anfangs der Bruederschaft Nachuolgender verglich mit ihnen gemacht werden daß man alle schwestern in die lobl. Bruederschafft vergebenß, Ein schreiben vnd besingen wolle die Schwysternn hin gegen die Nathwendige Hastien in die Capell vergebenß geben vnd das Waches ohne Lohn machen sollen Wellichem vorgeben die Herren Pfleger (wie billich) glauben gegeben, vnd vermög deß war gegebnen vergliches, die Můetter sambt ehren schwosteren allen vorgebens eingeschriben, vnd sollen auch vergebenß besůngen werden, aber fürthin die Hostien, wie von Alten dargeben vnd daß Wachs vorgebenß machen Wie auch die Zeichenn selber machen lassen sollen */*

When, in 1669, the brothers and sisters of the praiseworthy Confraternity of St. Sebastian were entered into a new register, the mother and sisters of the local Klause orally submitted to the stewards and stated that, at the founding of the confraternity, the following agreement had been made with them: all the sisters would be enrolled in the praiseworthy confraternity free of charge and have services sung for them; the sisters, in return, would provide the necessary hosts for the chapel free of charge and work the wax without payment. The stewards gave credence to this statement (as was fitting) and, in accordance with the [previously concluded] agreement, enrolled the mother together with all her sisters free of charge. They shall also have services sung for them free of charge; the sisters, however, shall henceforth supply the hosts as has long been customary, work the wax free of charge, and themselves arrange to have the [confraternity] tokens made.

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