Seite - 152 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

152 Margit Dahm-Kruse Christianallusions canalso function to emphasizeproblematic aspects ofworldly love, as they point to the insoluble oppositionof divine andcarnal love as a fundamental conflict in courtly literature. In this way, the gardens in courtly literature often prove to be ambivalent spaces, as the actions takingplace therecancontradict religiousandsocialnorms.Apopularexample isGott- fried’svonStraßburgwellknowncourtlynovel ‘Tristan’, inwhichtheprotagonists’exceptional, but also adulterous and sinful love is exhibited in suchanamoenusgarden.43 Anespecially spectaculardescriptionofagardencanalsobe found inKonradFleck’s ‘Flore und Blanscheflur’, which features a beautiful garden as part of the Amiral’s residence. This garden is equippedwith the typical attributes of the locus amoenus and thenarratormakes an explicit reference to the Garden of Edenwhen he describes the Amrial’s garden as being like Paradise. At the same time, it is clearly highlighted that this garden is neither a real natural, nor a paradisiacal space, but a splendid construction brought into being through theAmiral’s power.44Hecommanded thebuyingandplantingof thevaluable treesandheorderedanenor- mouswall to be built around the garden so that nobody could get insidewithout his permis- sion.45 Theanalogy toParadise iscounteredevenmoreby theactions takingplace in thegarden.46 Thegardenprovidesthesettingfor theannualelectionof theAmiral’snewbride–asmentioned above, he chooses a newbride each year. Allwomen living in theAmiral’s tower have to take part in the election, even though none of them is particularly keen to become thewife of the powerful ruler, because this electionmeans their certain death. In his exaggerated possessive thinking, theAmiraldoesnot tolerate thepossibilityofanothermanhavingoneofhisex-wives, so they are killed once the one-year periodof theirmarriage is over. The election itself follows an artfully staged rite in which water once again plays an important role. Under a tree with blood-red blossoms, all thewomenhave to step across a springwith crystal-clear water. This water possesses a remarkable ability. If one of the candidates is not a virgin, the water turns red –which results in her being immediately put to death. If her virginity is intact, thewater stayspure andclear asbefore: einbrunne springet dar under, EineQuelle entspringt darunter, der ist sôwunderlîcher tugent die ist von sowundersamerArt, daz irz kûmegeloubenmugent, dass ihr es kaumglaubenwerdet, wanezwundert ouchuns. denn eswundert auchmich. ze allen zîten ist sîn runs ZuallenZeiten ist ihrWasser lûter als ein kristalle. klarer als einKristall. dar übermüezent sie alle, Darübermüssen sie alle, sôman sie versuochenwil, wennman sie prüfenwill, ir sî lützel oder vil, es seienwenige oder viele, schrîtenher undaber hin. hin undher schreiten. ist einiu danneunder in, Ist eine unter ihnen, diumanhât gewunnen, die bereits gewonnenwurde, sôwirt der runs vondembrunnen sowirddasWasser derQuelle 43 See, for example,Ernstabout ‘Tristan’andothercourtlynovels that stageagardenasplaceof love-fulfillment: ‘InsoferndieLiebesbeziehungvorehelicheroderehebrecherischerArt ist, stellt sieeinesexuelleTransgressiondar, die indie Idylle undUtopiedesGartens einenNormenkonflikt trägt’ (Ernst 2007, 178). 44 M.Waltenberger points to the ‘artifiziell konzentrierte[n] Veredelung von Natur’ as part of the problematic setting (Waltenberger 2003, 31). 45 H.Wandhoff explains throughanother example that theworks of art in ‘FloreundBlanscheflur’ figurewrong conceptions of love andeternity. Theheathen figures take theman-made image for the real, they take the ‘Abbild für dasUrbild’ (Wandhoff 2006, 75). This applies especially to theAmiral,whobelieveshis artificial GardenEden tobea real paradise. 46 Ofcourse, theParadisepatternhasalreadybeenunderminedbythe localization inBabylonasacounter-model toChristianParadise and to theHeavenly Jerusalem.