Extraordinary Natural Phenomena in Old Rus’ and Czech Historiography of the 12th—13th Century in a Comparative Perspective

Abstract

The study aims to determine the way in which the extraordinary natural phenomena, including exceptional astronomical or meteorological ones, natural disasters, etc., are reflected in East Slavic and Czech historiography of the 12th and 13th centuries. The analysis of such reports shows that there are fundamental differences in the frequency of these reports and their interpretation depending on the local tradition and the historical genre. While minimal attention is paid to these topics in historical records of Hungary and Poland, historiographical works of medieval Bohemia not only capture a wealth of data on astronomical and meteorological phenomena, but also reflect a diverse range of attitudes to the meaning of recording extraordinary natural phenomena. The way of reflection of these phenomena was given both by the overall intention of the work and by the individual interest of a particular author. The oldest historiographical texts of Old Rus’ shared a strong belief that extraordinary astronomical and meteorological phenomena represent one of the codes by which God communicates with mankind. The recording of such phenomena therefore served as a tool to understand the moral qualities of the human race, the meaning of history, the relationship between man and God. In East Slavic and Czech medieval historiography, the recording of extraordinary natural phenomena strengthens the chronological structure of interpretation, as both of these historiographical traditions emphasize absolute chronology as the basic principle of narration. While in Czech historiography the records of exceptional natural phenomena indicate the relationship between the present and the past, Old Russian chronicles understand extraordinary natural phenomena as a kind of visible, illustrative link between the past, present and future.