Wolfram von Eschenbach

Wolfram von Eschenbach (c. 1160/80 – c. 1220) was a German knight, poet, and composer and considered one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Little today is certain about his life, but it is thought that he was born in Bavaria and during his life served in a number of courts, including that of Hermann I. Wolfram claimed to be illiterate, so it is possible that he dictated his stories to a scribe in French, a language in which he was not fluent, leading to many curious names, words, and phrases.