The Low German version of the conflict between Isengrim the wolf and Reynard the fox represents the last of the medieval beast epics. Stories about animals are, of course, common in all cultures, and the fables of Aesop and Phaedrus were known, in Latin versions, throughout the Middle Ages. The beast epic, however, has certain qualities that set it apart. The conflict between the wolf and the fox is always the central issue but in many versions there are incidents in which neither appears. Although the fox may suffer an occasional setback, he is generally triumphant and this is due to his superior cunning, which defeats the wolf?s greater physical strength. The court of king lion is the stage on and around which the various scenes are played. ,,, The earliest German version of the beast epic is to be found in the fragments of a poem by Heinrich der Glichezaere of Alsace (c.1180), entitled Isengrîmes nôt. Although only 685 lines of this work survive, a reworking, dated about 1240, shows that the poem fell into three parts, the first a description of incidents in which Reynard was defeated, the second an account of the numerous defeats of Isengrim, and the third a version of the sick lion theme. This German version was not, as might be expected, the basis for the Low German versions of the fifteenth century. These are derived from several works in Middle Dutch which are based on incidents from the Roman de Renart. - [Author]

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