Usually memorial volumes presented on the occasion of anniversaries or of the retirement of a respected colleague display little coherence, however hard the editors have tried to cover the diversity with the cloak of charity. The Festschrift for Norbert Voorwinden is no exception to the rule. The wide range of research of the Leiden Germanic and medieval scholar has prompted fourteen contributors to highlight various aspects of Dr Voorwinden's scholarly interests. Naturally attention is paid to the problem of orality, both in time (from the Middle Ages to the present) and in space (from the Middle East to Scotland). The borderland between Holland and Germany is approached from historical, linguistic and literary angles. Besides, Arthurian studies, paleography, philosophy, theology, and Frisia come up for discussion. A bibliographical survey of Norbert Voorwinden's scholarly work concludes this memorial volume.