medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I would not normally trouble anyone with a query about German etymology,
but even after asking a German colleague about the German term for
Corpus Christi (soon to be upon us again, some 750 years after its
creation as a festival, of course: it's next Thursday, and I for one
will be out with the boys!): "Fronleichnam", I find myself troubled
about the derivation of the "fron" part of this term. Someone among you
will doubtless know and be able to supply me with a definitive
definition, but I am currently stuck with wondering whether this comes
from the mediaeval German "vr^o", meaning something like 'gracious' in
the most literal sense, or perhaps (?) 'belonging to the Lord' -- which
I suspect to be so? Much less likely is a translation akin to the modern
German 'froh' (= approximately 'happy'). We have also the medieval
German term 'vr^osanc', which relates to 'allelujah' (or however that
is spelt!). In modern German we also have the term 'Leichnam Christi',
but this is only enough to translate "Corpus Christi" quite directly,
and is silent about the fuller term which includes "Fron".
Whence, then, might this noun-phrase particle derive? Do we have, in the
German, a fuller statement of the theology of this event, or am I
barking up the wrong red herring? My thanks and apologies to all who
have better reference books on their shelves than do I.
Angus Graham, Oman
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