Medievalism in German folk rock: Mittelalter's wild imagining of the Middle Ages

Abstract

This thesis explores the role played by medieval images, music, and poetry in the Mittelalter movement of German folk rock in order to uncover its ideological underpinnings and comment on its artistic and social value. This is achieved through analysis of select recordings, music videos, and interviews with Mittelalter artists, as well as "digital ethnography" carried out on fan forums dedicated to Mittelalter bands. It is determined that the movement as a whole has a strong liberal bias and is less concerned with portraying historical accuracy than it is in championing individual freedom, growth, and tolerance. This thesis concludes that its artistic value varies widely but that its great value lies in the culture of collaborative creativity it fosters.