»Ains mals in dem Schlauraffen-land«

Abstract Hans Sachs’ ›Schlauraffen Landt‹ (1530) proved very influential for the literary tradition of Cockaigne texts in the early modern period. While this is well documented, an analysis of Sachs’ literary adaptation practices of the Cockaigne myth in several of his works is missing. The article first investigates these strategies regarding the Spruchgedicht to point out how Sachs pictures Cockaigne and its social life, combining the myth with recent discourses in culture and literature. Regarding the other texts, it examines the multi-faceted ways in which Sachs is elaborating Schlaraffenland motifs. The article, therefore, not only shows that Hans Sachs is working on Cockaigne over a period of nearly three decades, but also that he uses its motifs in diverse ways to elaborate on contemporary social discourses, having a profound impact on later Cockaigne texts.