Leitmotifs in the Easter sequences of Adam of St Victor

The theme of the study is the main motifs found in the Easter sequences of Adam of Saint Victor (died 1150). A literary analysis of the seven sequences leads to the identification of four groups of the most common and typical motifs. These are the motif of light, day and morning, the motif of spring, the motif of struggle and victory, and reminiscences taken from the Old Testament, functioning as allegories of Christ’s resurrection. In the final section of the study, the author asks whether the motifs indicated coincide with those of other Easter sequences of the Middle Ages and thus prepares the field for further literary analyses of liturgical poetry from the time before the Council of Trent.