By the early middle ages vernacular aristocratic traditions of heroic narration were firmly established in Western and Northern Europe. Although there are regional, linguistic and formal differences, one can observe a number of similarities. Oral literature disseminates a range of themes that are shared by narratives in most parts of the continent. In all the European regions, this tradition of heroic narration came into contact with Christianity, which led to modifications. Similar processes of adaptation and transformation can be traced everywhere in this field of early European vernacular narrative. But with the increasing specialization of academic fields over the last half century, inter-disciplinary dialogue has become increasingly difficult. The volume is a contribution to renew the inter-disciplinary dialogue about common themes, topics and motifs in Nordic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Germanic literature, and about the different methodologies to explore them.

The study discusses Albrecht DA1/4rer's (1471-1528) minor writings (family records, letters, poems in rhyming couplets, dedications, and the ADiary of a Journey to the NetherlandsA) against the background of comparable contemporary texts and inquires into their function and status. DA1/4rer's systematic use of formulaic elements taken from Early High German text varieties for his own interests or for ludic purposes casts light on the conditions governing literary and authorial activity and the way those conditions reflect the role of writing in the transition from one class of (educated) society to another in the period around 1500.