Digital masterpiece: Boner’s Edelstein” shines again in Heidelberg!

Digital masterpiece: Boner’s Edelstein” shines again in Heidelberg!

In a remarkable digital project that aims to revive medieval literature, the collection of fables “The Gem” by the Bernese Dominican monk Boner is being re-edited. With this work, Boner, who lived around 1350, created the first collection of Aesopian fables and small examples in German that was conceived as a closed “buoch”. The project is carried out by the Catholic University (KU) and the Heidelberg University Library and receives funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG). This new edition is of great importance because Boner's work offers a unique insight into the mindset of the Middle Ages, shaped by moral lessons that are still relevant today.

The “gem” includes a total of 38 textual witnesses, including manuscripts and two prints from the Gutenberg era. Albrecht Pfister played an important role in the dissemination of this work, as he published “Der Edelstein” in 1461 as the first printed German book with woodcuts. A second edition followed a year later, underlining the popularity of the collection. However, this tradition of data transmission is complex because before printing, books were copied by hand, which led to different traditions.

Digitalization and new insights

The manuscripts are digitized and comprehensively processed in the virtual library of the Heidelberg University Library. Nine editorially relevant text witnesses have already been transcribed using the AI ​​software “eScriptorium”. The project aims to convert the text into a format that conforms to the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) standards. This enables a synoptic representation of the text's history, which enables precise analysis and comparison of the texts. The first phase of the DFG project is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of 2027 and will provide digital access to all records.

Overall, the new edition will be based on text witnesses who are close to the author in terms of time and language. This represents an advance over the earlier editions, especially that published by Franz Pfeiffer in 1844, which included only 17 textual witnesses - which corresponds to 45 percent of today's tradition. Pfeiffer attempted to reconstruct the original text, but this is now considered out of date. A new edition is therefore long overdue and is now being realized using current research technology.

The importance of the manuscript census

An additional important element of this research is the Manuscript census, an online database of German-language manuscripts from the Middle Ages. It contains basic information about people, works and their transmission and offers a selection of literature on the historical relevance of each text witness. This database acts as a central point of contact for scientific research and enables comprehensive access to digital copies of a wide variety of manuscripts, which further underlines the importance of the rediscovery of “The Gem”.

In a second funding phase of the DFG project, which is scheduled to begin after the first phase has been completed, it is also planned to develop the sources of the “Edelstein” texts and comment on them comprehensively. A special focus will also be placed on the systematic processing of the image tradition, with around 1,350 illustrations being incorporated into the research. This promises to bring a visual dimension to the analysis of Boner's fabulous and moral tales and to clarify the importance of his work in the context of medieval literature.

The 'gem' not only plays a role in German literary history, but also offers unique access to the cultural and moral values ​​of the 14th century. The combination of the digitization initiative and comprehensive text-critical research ensures that the lessons from Boner's fables will also be made accessible to future generations.