Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Robert L. Kellogg. "The South Germanic Oral Tradition." In Franciplegius: Medieval and Linguistics Studies in Honor of Francis P. Magoun, Jr. Ed. Jess B. Bessinger, Jr. and Robert P. Creed. New York: New York University Press. pp. 66-74.

Based on the evidence of common formulaic phraseology from the Old Saxon Heliand, the OE poetic corpus, and Old High German poetry, he postulates a South Germanic oral tradition. Also finds cognate formulas in Eddic poetry and concludes "that the many poetic elements common to Anglo-Saxon, Old Icelandic, Old Saxon, and Old High German alliterative poetry reflect the common usage of a more or less unified and indisputably oral tradition stretching back in time to the early centuries of the Christian era, and perhaps much further" (p. 72).
Area: OE, OHG, OSX, ON, GM, CP