Page - 151 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

9 Water andUrbanstructures inCourtlyNovels 151 is there to please the Amiral’s aesthetic demands symbolizes the sovereign’s omnipotence, which extends even to the natural element ofwater. Thus, the literary descriptionmirrors the prestigious potential of water constructions and waterworks. In their simultaneity of luxury, technical skills, andaesthetic impact, theyareaneffectivemeans for self-ennoblementand the exhibitionofpower.35The fountain figure sittingon topof the towerclearlyembodies theabso- lutepowerof theAmiral,whoreignsover70kingdoms, thecityofBabylon, the tower, andalso over thenatural element ofwater. Water in theGardenof Eden– the falseParadise in ‘FloreundBlanscheflur’ Besidesdescriptionsofwaterworksandwatersupplies inthecontextofcityandpalacearchitec- tures, water is a substantial part of descriptions of gardens, which frequently feature in the narrative worlds of courtly novels. These gardens are commonly located close to cities or pa- laces, but theyarealso clearly separated from their surroundings.As culturally shapednatural spaces, they embody a tension between the natural and the cultural sphere.36 Just like the description of cities with their allusions to theHeavenly Jerusalem, these garden-descriptions oftenmake references toChristian symbolism.Thepresentationsofgardens inmedievalnovels makeuseof theancientconceptof the locusamoenusand its typicalelements. Itsbasic features are a greenmeadow, trees, and a spring or a creek; furthermore elements like lovely birdsong or a delightful smell often appear.37 In medieval narrative contexts, the pattern of the locus amoenus refers to the biblical Garden of Eden and thus also to the specific symbolicmeaning ofwater in the garden of Paradise.38 According to the first book ofMoses, there is a spring in themiddle of the Garden of Eden that provides water for the garden andwhich divides into four streams that constitute the riversofParadise.39Abroadspectrumof symbolicmeaninghas beengiven toEden’swaters in theChristian tradition. It canbereadasanallegory for thewater of life, forGod’s grace andwisdom, and for thepurity of the soul. At the same time, the imageryaround the locusamoenusalludes to thehortus conclususas a symbol forStMary’s virginity, a commonmotif in themedieval iconographic tradition.40This concept originates from the allegorical interpretation of a passage from the Song of Songs, where the bride is called a closed garden, and a sealed spring which relates to St Mary in medievalBible exegesis.41 In courtlynovels, theamoenusgardensare a favourite setting for love encounters and love affairs. The imagery of the closed gardenwith its allusions to Paradise is commonly used by medieval authors to elevate courtly or worldly love to a higher spiritual meaning.42 But the 35 Cf. von Reden –Wieland 2015, 16f. Similarly H.-R.Meier, who describes the substantial representative effect ofwaterworks inconnectionwithpalacearchitecture through theexampleof thepalacesof theHautevilledynasty inPalermo (cf.Meier 2017, esp. 605). 36 Theconnectionofnatural andartificial components, especially inurbanaquatic landscapes, is reflected in the contributionofAdamRogers in this volume. 37 Theancient spatial topos of the locus amoenus, even if transformed in someways, remained themainpattern inmedieval descriptions of nature. The use of fixed attributes evokes a set of established implications, but that doesnot lead tohomogenous readings; theconcreteconceptsofmeaningdependonthespecific context (cf.Thoss 1972, 17–20. 153–155). 38 Miller refers to the close connection between the Garden of Eden and the locus amoenuswithin medieval literary andpictorial presentationsof gardens (cf.Miller 1986, 137f.). 39 Gn2, 8–14. 40 Cf.Miller 1986, 151. 41 Sg4, 12. 42 U.Ernsthighlights the strongcorrelationbetweengardensandconceptionsofparadise inmedievalnovels (cf. Ernst 2007, 167f.).