Visio Tnugdali

The Visio Tnugdali ( _la. Vision of Tnugdalus) is a 12th-century religious text reporting the otherworldly vision of the Irish knight Tnugdalus (later also called "Tundalus", "Tondolus" or in English translations, "Tundale"). It was "the most popular and elaborate text in the medieval genre of visionary infernal literature" and had been translated from the original Latin forty-three times into fifteen languages by the 15th century, [Kren & S McKendrick, 112. 43 from Easting] including Icelandic and Belorussian. [Easting, 70] The work remained most popular in Germany, with ten different translations into German, and four into Dutch. [ Frank Shaw, Review of "'Visio Tnugdali': The German and Dutch Translations and Their Circulation in the Later Middle Ages" by Nigel F. Palmer, The Modern Language Review, Vol. 80, No. 2 (Apr., 1985), pp. 489-491 [http://www.jstor.org/pss/3728739 JSTOR] ] With a recent resurgence of scholarly interest in Purgatory following works by Jacques Le Goff, Stephen Greenblatt and others, the vision has attracted increased academic attention.

The Latin text was written down shortly after 1149 by Brother Marcus, an Irish itinerant monk, in the "Schottenkloster", Regensburg. He reports having heard Tnugdalus' account from the knight himself and to have done a translation from the Irish language at the Regensburg abbess' request. The story is set in Cork, Ireland in 1148.

The "visio" tells of the proud and easygoing knight falling unconscious for three days, during which time an angel guides his soul through Heaven and Hell, experiencing some of the torments of the damned. The angel then charges Tnugdalus to well remember what he has seen and to report it to his fellow men. On recovering possession of his body, Tnugdalus converts to a pious life as a result of his experience.

The "Visio Tnugdali" with its interest in the topography of the afterlife is situated in a broad Irish tradition of phantastical tales about otherworldly voyages, called "immram", as well as in a tradition of Christian afterlife visions, itself influenced by pre-Christian notions of the afterlife. Other important texts from this tradition include the Visio St Pauli, Visio Thurkilli, the Visio Godeschalci and the Legend of the Purgatory of St. Patrick or "Owein Miles".

The Latin "Tundalus" was swiftly and widely transmitted through copies, with 172 manuscripts having been discovered to date. During the Middle Ages, the text was also a template for Middle Low German and Middle High German adaptations such as the rhymed version of "Tundalus" by Alber of Kloster Windberg (around 1190), or the "Niederrheinischer Tundalus" fragments (around 1180/90). "Tundale" was a version in Middle English verse, probably 14th century, of which five 15th century manuscripts survive. [Easting, 73]

A famous manuscript at the Getty Museum is the only fully illuminated manuscript to survive, with 20 miniatures by Simon Marmion and elaborate borders with the initials of Margaret of York, duchess of Burgundy and wife of Charles the Bold. The text was scribed by David Aubert in French (Les Visions du chevalier Tondal). [Kren & S McKendrick, 112-116 ]

There were also printed editions, twenty-two in German alone, some illustrated with woodcuts. [Easting, 70-71] A scene from the "Visio" was painted by Hieronymous Bosch, [ [http://www.bridgemanartondemand.com/art/106104/Tondals_Vision Bridgeman image] Museo Lazaro Galdiano, Madrid] whose many scenes of Heaven and Hell were probably influenced by the work.

Notes

References

* Easting, Robert. "Visions of the Other World in Middle English", 1997, Boydell & Brewer, ISBN0859914232 [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3HCMdlHfUvcC&dq=printed+Vision+of+Tondal&as_brr=3&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0]
* T Kren & S McKendrick (eds), "Illuminating the Renaissance - The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe", Getty Museum/Royal Academy of Arts, pp. 112-116 & passim, 2003, ISBN 19033973287
*Albrecht Wagner (ed.): "Visio Tnugdali. Lateinisch und Altdeutsch." Erlangen: Deichert 1882.
* Nigel F. Palmer: "Visio Tnugdali. The German and Dutch translations and their circulation in the later Middle Ages." München 1982. ISBN 3760833764
* Brigitte Pfeil: "Die 'Vision des Tnugdalus' Albers von Windberg. Literatur- und Frömmigkeitsgeschichte im ausgehenden 12. Jahrhundert. Mit einer Edition der lateinischen 'Visio Tnugdali' aus Clm 22254." Frankfurt a.M./ Berlin et al.: Peter Lang 1999. ISBN 3631338171
* Herrad Spilling: "Die Visio Tnugdali. Eigenart und Stellung in der mittelalterlichen Visionsliteratur bis zum Ende des 12. Jahrhunderts." München: Arbeo-Gesellschaft 1975.

External links

*The Vision of Tundale: [http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/vtint.htm Introduction] and [http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/vtfrm.htm text] of a Middle English translation
* [http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=1771 The Getty Museum manuscript in full]