Simeon Ibn Abūn

Simeon ben Isaac Ibn Abūn of Mainz was a scholar and paytan (liturgical poet) who was active in the circle of Gershom ben Judah (ca. 960-1040) and the Mainz academy and related to leading German Jewish families. He was one of the founders of northern European piyyut, and some of his compositions remain part of the Ashkenazic liturgy to this day. Later generations of the Hasidei Ash-kenaz (German Pietists) viewed Simeon as a founding fgure and associated mystical traditions with him. Legendary accounts of his piety, humility, and knowledge spread during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, testifying to his stature in the eyes of later German Jews.