Scandinavian Saints in Middle Low German Disguise: Transregional Perspectives on a Late Medieval Printed Hagiographic Collection ‘Der Heiligen Leben’

In 1492, a Lübeckian printer Stephan Arndes released an updated edition of a popular late medieval hagiographic collection Der Heiligen Leben in Middle Low German. From a few dozens of newly added legends, nine of them are about saints who were venerated only in Northern Germany and Scandinavia – or both. By adding these ‘Northern’ hagiographies, Arndes attempted to domesticate an otherwise rather universal collection – and not only among a Northern German but also a Scandinavian audience. By analysing these hagiographies, their possible Latin sources, and how Stephan Arndes got hold of these texts, the article shows that the edition in question is a testimony to transregional hagiographic knowledge transfer between Northern Germany and Scandinavia. Such an exchange was realized through specific editorial decisions, printing networks, and business connections, enabled by the wide usage of Middle Low German in the Nordic countries not only among foreign merchants but also locals, especially in legal and religious milieux. This case study of Stephan Arndes’ hagiographic print reveals that late medieval transregional devotional networks were bi-directional, unlike what is suggested by the centre-periphery paradigm, often applied when discussing medieval German influences on Scandinavian religious culture and institutions.