Lehnin, Hermann Von

Lehnin, Hermann Von, a monk of the convent of that name, said to have flourished about the close of the 13th century, as the author of a prophetic poem, in 100 Latin hexameter verses, concerning his convent and the house of Brandenburg, entitled Vatficinzium Lehninense. According to the legend, the MS. was discovered in an old wall, in the 17th century, by the elector, when the latter intended to build a palace on the ruins of the convent. The poem is written in the interest of the hierarchy; it deplores the heresy of the former house of Brandenburg in the ascendant house of Hohenzollern (the latter family adhering to Protestantism), and prophesies the downfall of the now ruling family, to be followed by the restoration of the unity of Germany and the reestablishment of the Roman Catholic Church. The existence of this poem is not, however, to be traced with any certainty further back than the year 1693. It was first published in Lilienthal (Konigsb. 1723, 1741), then at Berlin and Vienna, 1745; Bern, 1758; Leipsic, 1807; also in France, in 1827 and 1830, by W. Meinhold, with a metrical translation, Leips. 1849; C. Kosch, Stuttgard, 1849; Gieseler, Die Lehkinsche Weisagyunr (Erf. 1849); Guhrauer, Die Weissayungen v. Lehnin (Bresl. 1850); M. Heffter, Geschichte des Klosters Lehnin (Brandenburg, 1851). Those who consider this poem a mere mystically-shaped narrative of past events, name as its author M. F. Seidel, assessor of the privy council († at Berlin in 1693); or Andrew Fromm, counsellor of the Consistory († at Prague in 1688); or Nicolas von Zitzwitz, abbot ofHuysburg, who, they say, composed it about 1692; or the Jesuit Frederick Wolf, chaplain to the Austrian embassy at Berlin in 1685-86 († 1708); or (Elven, captain of cavalry at Stettin († 1727). See L. de Bouverois, Extracit d'un manuscrit relatif a la prophetie du frere St. de Lehninz (German transl. by W. von Schütz (Würzb. 1847); J. A. Boost, Die Weissagungene des Mönchs H. z. Lehnin (Augsb. 1848). — Pierer, Universal-Lexikon, 8:273; Herzog, Real-Encyklopädie, 5:757 sq.