A History of Bohemian LiteratureLützow, Francis, hrabe
History
A History of Bohemian Literature
Lützow, Francis, hrabe
Czech literature -- History and criticism
Undeniable literary value, on the other hand, belongs to some of the
many early Bohemian legends that have been preserved. Some have been
known since the beginning of the revival of Bohemian literature,
while others have been discovered quite recently, sometimes in parish
churches or the libraries of remote monasteries. Such discoveries
indeed continue up to the present day. A considerable number of these
legends (with a few small writings of a more secular character) are
contained in two collections, known respectively as the manuscripts of
Königgrätz and of St. Vitus, the cathedral church of Prague.[7]
Many of these legends are very similar in character, and obviously
adhere closely to Latin models. This, however, does not apply to all.
_The Legend of Judas_ differs greatly from other mediæval legends that
deal with the same subject. It has a distinctly Oriental manner, and a
strange similarity to the Greek tale of _Œdipus_. This is one of the
few early legends the date of which can be approximately fixed. The
author alludes to the murder of the last Premyslide prince (1306) as
to a recent event. After referring to the death of "the hope of the
Scariotic land" the author writes: "Let us on this occasion remember
our country, that which has now happened in Bohemia, where there are
now no kings descended from King Premysl."
One of the saints whose martyrdom the Bohemian writers have specially
celebrated is St. Catherine. A long legend on this subject, which
formed part of the Rosenberg Library,[8] was discovered at Stockholm,
and has since been transported to Brünn. A more concise account of St.
Catherine's martyrdom is preserved in the Church of St. Jacob at Brünn.
Both legends have been published.
According to the longer legend, Catherine, daughter of Kost, King
of Cyprus, declared that she would wed no one but Jesus Christ. She
therefore refuses to marry the son of the heathen Emperor Maxentius.
After fifty of the wisest masters vainly attempted to persuade her to
renounce Christianity, Catherine is cruelly tortured by order of the
Emperor Maxentius, and finally decapitated. The description of her
martyrdom gives a curious insight into mediæval mysticism. By order of
the Emperor, who is enraged at her steadfastness, "the beadles whip
her with threefold whips of horse-hair," which have "leaden knots and
angles;" then her snow-white nude body appears in six colours: her body
appears white, her face green; red the flowing stream of blood; black
the open wounds; blue the stripes caused by the whip; golden the plaits
of her hair. All these colours of course have a mystical significance.
When Catherine is decapitated, milk, as symbol of her purity, flows
from her body.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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