Lorsch Bee Blessing

Lorsch Bee Blessing (Lorscher Bienensegen) manuscript (Pal. lat. 220, fol. 58r)

Detail (rotated)

The Lorsch Bee Blessing (German: Lorscher Bienensegen) is an bee-keeping prayer intended to bring home honey bees in good health to their hives. It is believed to have been written in the 9th century, and was discovered in a manuscript (on fol. 58r of the Pal. lat. 220 in the Vatican Library, a copy of the Apocalypse of Paul) from the monastery in Lorsch, Germany, famous for the Lorsch Codex. Despite being a Christian prayer written in Old High German, it has remarkable similarities to the Anglo-Saxon and apparently pagan "For a Swarm of Bees" (Old English "wiþ ymbe") magic charm, and may reflect a common pre-Christian Germanic cultural heritage.^[1]

Text

Old High German

Kirst, imbi ist hûcze

Nû fliuc dû, vihu mînaz, hera

Fridu frôno in munt godes

gisunt heim zi comonne

Sizi, sizi bîna

Inbôt dir sancte Maria

Hurolob ni habe dû

Zi holce ni flûc dû

Noh dû mir nindrinnês

Noh dû mir nintuuinnêst

Sizi vilu stillo

Uuirki godes uuillon

Translation

Christ, the bee swarm is out here!

Now fly, you my animals, come.

In the Lord's peace, in God's protection,

come home in good health.

Sit, sit bees.

The command to you from the Holy Mary.

You have no vacation;

Don't fly into the woods;

Neither should you slip away from me.

Nor escape from me.

Sit completely still.

Do God's will.

Notes

External links

• Pal. lat. 220 (Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana) – digital facsimile (Bibliotheca Laureshamensis - digital)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lorscher Bienensegen.

Old German spells
Old High German	Alemannic St. Gallen House-Blessing ( de.) · Strassburg blood spell ( de.) Bavarian St. Emmeram epilepsy charm · Pro Nessia ( de.) East Franconian Bamberg blood spell ( de.) Rhenish Franconian Abdinghof blood charm · Lorsch Bee Blessing · Merseburg Incantations · Paris horse charm ( de.) · Trier horse charm ( de.)
Old Saxon	Contra vermes ( de.) · Spurihalz ( de.) · Trier blood charm ( de.) · Vienna worm charm ( de.) · Vienna horse charm ( de.)