Spielmann

Spielmann, wandering entertainer of the European Middle Ages who performed at fairs, markets, and castles. The Spielleute included singers, mimics, and sword swallowers. Also among them were the storytellers credited with keeping alive the native Germanic vernacular legends at a time when nearly all written literature was religious and when the court poets, under foreign influence, were concerned chiefly with love lyrics and Arthurian legend. A number of carefree adventure tales, such as the 12th-century König Rother (“King Rother”), are evidence of a highly developed underground literature, presumably propagated by the Spielleute, and characterized by its humour, amoral tone, and astute social observation.