The wolf is described as the Isegrim in the fable. Consequently, the term means a fabier, whereby the wolf is given very clear characteristics: he symbolizes ruthlessness, grimness, greed, but also malignity and partial dolorousness. The title goes back to the epic, Reineke Fuchs, whose origins lie in the European Middle Ages (see Literaturepochen). In the epic, Isegrim, in the form of the wolf, embodies a baron, who is always led by the crafty fox. The characters are drawn one-dimensionally, which means that they do not develop and always present the same characteristics to the reader, which is also typical of the animals of the fable. Human characteristics are transferred to the animal kingdom.
The term goes back to the middle-high-German Îsengren, which is composed of the noun for iron and the verb grà nen for growling. The name is very probably due to Ysengrimus. Ysengrimus is the hero of an eponymous animal from the 12th century. It is assumed that the author was a certain Nivardus, a clergyman from the Ghent region (Belgium). The work Ysengrimus is written in elegiac distiches and contains about 6600 verses.
In the Ysengrimus the silly and greedy wolf in 12 episodes, characterized by irony and a pointed style of language, must assert themselves against the sly, sly and clever fox, who ultimately outwits him, which the wolf in the last episode with the Life paid. The fox is referred to here as a reindeer, whereby it is evident that Ysengrimus and Renart are the precursors of Isegrim and Reineke, although they also have identical properties.
The picture above shows a miniature from Le Roman de Renart, the so-called Fuchsroman, a work of the old French literature, which originated in the 12th century in the north of France. It is also probable that Nivardus used Ysengrimus for even older poems: the Ecbasis captivi, a medieval animal fable from the 11th century.
The Ecbasis captivi consists of a framework which tells the happy return of a calf, in which the actual story is narrated, which is about a fox recommending the healing of the lion by a wolf-felze. This story was already written by the Greek poet Aesop, Chr lived. As a matter of fact, Aesop already attributed the basic characteristics to the fox and the wolf, as Isegrim and Reineke later embody. Aesop’s fable is thus:
The lion, wolf and fox
An old lion lay sick in his cave; all the animals visited him; only the fox hesitated. The wolf seized this opportunity to injure his mortal enemy, and presented the harsh complaint against him: it was pride and contempt that he should not make a visit to his lord and king.
As the wolf still spoke, the fox came to him and heard from the end of the speech that he had been slandered. He scarcely saw the wrath of the lion, when he too soon had a cunning to defend himself. He humbly asked the lion for permission to speak, and when he had received it with difficulty, he said,
“Is there an animal more concerned about the life of our magnanimous king than I am? No sooner had I heard of your illness than I was tirelessly seeking a cure for your health. Fortunately I found it an hour ago. ”
At this speech, the lion’s anger subsided, and he quickly asked what it meant.
“Cover your belly and your ribs,” said the fox, “into a freshly peeled, still warm wolfshaut, so you are restored.”
Delighted, the lion left the wolf alive. The fox himself took care of this business and whispered to the wolf, “As you will, I will.”