Castles keep many secrets. Their rich history is shrouded in legends. Each castle has its own unique, inimitable legend about its construction, incidents and its inhabitants! These legends often border on reality, but the mystical overtones of each of these stories only stirs up interest in these amazing architectural creations!

The Legend of the Cursed Room

In 1567 Pan Vratislav from Perštejn became the owner of Litomyšl Castle. It was a rich nobleman and it was under him that the castle was rebuilt and now we see it as it was then. But immediately after the construction, one room in the castle received a bad reputation, they said that at night someone walks in it and rearranges the furniture. Therefore, no one wanted to stay in this room for the night. Once a poor nobleman drove into the castle and asked to spend the night. He seemed to the manager of the castle not an important enough person, and therefore he decided to settle him in an empty room. The nobleman did not know anything about her notoriety and was therefore immensely glad that he would have a roof over his head and, tired, after a long journey, calmly fell asleep. As soon as the clock struck twelve, thunder sounded right above his head. The sleep of the poor gentry was taken away, he jumped up on his bed and began to look around, the moonlight fell through the window and it was clear that there was no one in the room, but someone creaked the floorboards, and he could swear on the Bible that he heard someone Breathing right behind you. And suddenly the silence of the night was broken by a thunderous voice: - "Saecula saeculorum!" he said. The gentry flew out of the room in a hurry and ran along the corridor of the castle, he rushed like an arrow to the manager's room and began to tell what had happened to him.

Despite the dark night, the gentry left the castle and no one else saw him in those parts. After such an adventure, the manager of the castle decided that he would close the cursed room with a key and would not let anyone in there anymore, because he was afraid that no one else would suffer from tricks evil spirit. Since then, 7 years have passed, and no one else entered the enchanted room, even during the day the servants were afraid to enter it. Once a wandering monk entered the castle and asked to spend the night, but all the rooms in the castle were occupied, except for one - enchanted. - Well, I have one room that is still free, but no one has entered it for seven years. As you understand, it will not be very clean, - the manager said to the monk. - And how much do I need, - he answered, - I serve God and I had to sleep in the worst places. “Look for yourself, but I can’t take responsibility that nothing bad will happen to you, this room is enchanted, the spirit lives there,” the owner admitted. “Well, so what?” the cheerful monk objected, “God will protect me from all evil spirits.” The room was indeed not very clean, there were thick cobwebs in the corners, and a thick layer of dust lay on the furniture, but the bed and blanket were soft and warm, and the monk fell asleep peacefully.

At midnight, thunder rang out over his head, the monk immediately woke up, crossed himself three times and said into the darkness: “What do you need, spirit? If you tell me what you did wrong, you will repent, I can help you. There was a heavy sigh in the room and a breath of cold, and then a voice said: - "Saecula saeculorum!" The monk knew that this was Latin and that these words were pronounced during mass in the church, and he knew that after them one should say “Amen!”, which he did. "Thank you very much! I am free!” the spirit said, and this was the last thing the monk heard, no one else bothered him until morning. Early in the morning the manager came in to wake the monk, and he told him about his nightly adventure. Many times the manager thanked the monk for his help, and even gave him money for the journey. Since then, the room was put in order and began to be used like the rest of the chambers in the castle, and if anything could be heard from it, it was only the smooth snoring of the guests.

Legend of the Lost Treasure

Already in the 12th century, the Český Šternberg Castle was picturesquely reflected in the waters of the Sazava River. From that time to the present day, the castle belongs to this glorious Sternberg family. Once upon a time, one of the ancestors of the Sternbergs sold the huge palace that belonged to him, and very successfully. And he received for him as much as a hundred thousand gold pieces, this is a whole chest of gold. He brought all the proceeds to his castle Sternberg. But soon he was forced to go to Vienna on urgent business. During his absence, he appointed the manager of his faithful servant Gink. The times were dashing and gangs of robbers often attacked cities and castles. And Pan Sternberg began to think how he could keep his gold. He didn’t think of anything more reliable, how to leave some of the money in the city, and take some with him and hope that at least half of the money he earned would still remain.

He called the faithful Gink to him and ordered him to protect his gold as his own. And not the next morning he set off on the road. Hynek remained to manage the castle, but he was haunted by the thought of how he could save the gold for his master. After all, times are dashing, servants cannot be trusted, and detachments of robbers and wandering knights can attack the castle at any moment. And he decided, under the cover of night, to take the gold away from sin away into the rocks and hide it there. After that, for the first time, he slept peacefully at night. A few days later, Hynek rode a horse into an open field, but misfortune happened. His horse was thrown out of the saddle and severely mutilated Gink. Czech Shtenberg The legend of the lost treasure The peasants who came to work in the field found his already almost lifeless body and brought him to the castle. When Ginek came to, he could neither move nor speak.

Then the butler clerk, who was the most educated of all the servants of the castle, was called to poor Gink. Ginek could not, despite all his education. And at night Ginek died. When Pan Sternberg returned to his castle, he learned that his manager was dead. First of all, he ran to check his gold, but the chest turned out to be empty. Pan Sternberg grieved for a long time about his loss, threatened his servants with all sorts of punishments, but no one knew anything about his missing gold. When the news of the impending punishment reached the clerk, he came to Pan Sternberg with a confession and said, “Now I understand what Ginek wanted to tell me before his death! He tried to show me where he hid the gold, but I, the fool, did not understand him! So only me should be punished, for my stupidity! ”But Pan Sternberg was a fair man and realized that it was not the fault of the clerk in such a terrible combination of circumstances and let him go in peace. For a long time later, his servants searched every corner in the castle and dug up the surrounding fields, but all in vain, they never found gold. So, to this day, the Sternberg treasure of its owner lies and waits.

The legend of the devil's tower

A long time ago, in those old days, when the whole city of Cheb (Cheb) was still surrounded by fortress walls, the widow Maria Martin lived here in the house "At the Two Princes" with her daughter. As it sometimes happens, the mother was simply "mad" about the beauty of her daughter. I bought her more and more new outfits and jewelry, even more magnificent and refined than the previous ones. She looked after her like a rare, fragile flower grown in a greenhouse, protecting her from the slightest everyday difficulties and worries. The girl's name was Rosalie. Every day she became more demanding and capricious, imagining that the whole world should serve her in the same way as her mother did.

There was no entertainment in the city where Rosalie would not appear in a new, even more beautiful outfit, overshadowing the rest of the girls with her beauty. The most noble and rich young men of the city crowded around her, but none of them attracted the attention of Rosalie. She was waiting for a prince who would come to her from distant lands, eclipsing those around her with her beauty and wealth.

On Christmas Eve, the hall in the house "At the Golden Sun" was lit up with hundreds of wax candles. Young people danced in unimaginable masquerade costumes. Some of the guests came to the ball in tribal knightly armor, others dazzled with the splendor of oriental outfits, others, jumping up and ringing bells to the universal outbursts of laughter, amused the rest in their colorful jester costumes.

Rosalie, dressed in the color of the dawn, in lace, like the most delicate clouds in the sky, was the decoration of the ball. Her jewels shone with marvelous stars, her face was covered with the thinnest golden veil. Her steps were as light as a spring breeze. Next to her danced a stranger - stately, with an unusually fine physique, dressed in a tight-fitting suit of gold brocade with a rare pattern of iridescent scarlet. A black mask hid his features. Of scarlet silk were his gloves and cap, adorned with two black feathers. The waist was wrapped around a belt in the form of a snake made of red
gold (at times it seemed that the snake came to life and moved), every button on his suit was a diamond the size of a walnut.
It was nearing midnight. The candles burned out. The last musical chords resounded. Only one couple continued to dance. Rosalie and the stranger, obeying the rhythm of the only music they could hear, hovered between the guests present, who followed them with spellbound eyes. The footmen threw open the doors. The stranger, dragging Rosalie with him, slipped out of the hall onto the marble staircase,
then down the steps straight into the snow-covered dark streets of Cheb. Snowflakes swirled around the dancing couple. Soon no one could be seen in the darkness, so swiftly they rushed along the narrow street leading to the fortress. Rosalie's chesty laughter could still be heard in the distance.

Suddenly, a terrible scream pierced the darkness of the night. A woman dressed in all black rushed after the dancing couple with outstretched arms. It was two o'clock in the morning on the tower. Everything was quiet in the square.

Before dawn, walking around the fortress, the night watchman heard sad lamentations and weeping coming from a tower standing over the river itself. Coming closer, he saw a motionless snow-covered figure in front of him. It was Maria Martin - completely frozen. Her eyes were wide open and bloodshot, at her feet lay a scarlet satin cap with two black feathers, and next to it was a golden veil.

From the tower came a chesty laugh so strange and painfully sad that the night watchman was terrified. His heart sank. He rushed to enter the tower, but there were no doors anywhere. Noticing something strange on the wall, he raised a lantern above him and saw the inscription: "Devil's Tower."

To this day, this tower stands over the river. Once a year - at Christmas, early before dawn, a girl's laugh is heard from her, so strange and sad that the one who hears it will shrink his heart.

The Legend of the Singing Path

Charles was exiled from capital Prague to the small castle of Krivoklat. Due to the intrigues of cunning and mercenary courtiers, who denigrated his son (Charles IV) in the eyes of his father (King of the Czech Republic Jan Lutsenbursky) for redeeming the lands mortgaged by his father and building cities and did not let them seize the royal goods.

And his father punished him without his permission not to leave the castle anywhere. Krivoklat Castle stood in a dense wilderness in the middle of dense forests.
Together with Karl, his young wife Bianca Valois also left for Krivoklat.
After the luxury and noisy amusements of the French court, where she lived all her life, a quiet and joyless life in a small forest castle oppressed her, but she did not want to upset her beloved husband, because it was already hard for him. So the young wife walked like a shadow around the castle, as if all the joy of life had left her.

The young king saw that his beloved wife was languishing from anguish and began to think about how to cheer up his beauty.
One warm summer evening, the young king stood at the window and watched the sun set over the forest. Below, under the walls of the castle, birds sang in an iridescent chorus, when suddenly, he noticed that Bianca and her ladies were coming out onto the path that ran under the walls of the castle. She went there with her retinue every day to please the soul yearning for her home with the evening singing of birds. At that moment, the king had an idea how he could please his young wife. He ordered his servants to catch the most beautifully singing birds throughout the area and let them out of the cages near the walls of the castle. Every two days, then, birds of prey were released from cages near the castle.

Young Bianca Valois cheered up and her face acquired the same blush. She soon learned that it was her beloved husband who was taking such good care of her. And how could she have expected a better gift? They say many birds have remained to live near the camps of Krivoklat, and now the wonderful singing pleases the ears not only of kings and queens, but also of you and me. And the path from the city walls to the stream along which Bianca walked is called singing.

The legend of how the old goat saved the city

Karlštejn city siege In 1422, when Jan Zizka conquered the city of Krasivok, Hetman Zikmund Koributa began the siege of Karlštejn with his many thousands of Hussite troops. But it quickly became clear that the city could not be taken by storm. Then the hetman decided that hunger would force the defenders to open the gates of the city faster than cannons. And he gave the order to take the city under siege. The siege of the city lasted for a whole month and already warm autumn days were replaced by cold and rain late autumn and the defenders did not give up.

Then the cunning Zikmund decided to ask the townspeople for a truce in honor of the feast of St. Wenceslas, and when they agreed, he invited the defenders of the castle to his camp for a feast. He counted on the fact that the abundance on the tables would bring discord into the ranks of the defenders of the fortress, exhausted by hunger, they would break down and surrender the city, or at least one of them would decide to betray. to the general meeting and decided that they would send their representatives to the camp of the enemy, but no one there would show the appearance of being hungry.

When at the table, which was bursting with food, the besiegers saw that the defenders of the fortress were eating almost nothing at all, they began to ask how things were in the city and why they ate so little at the feast.

The defenders of the fortress struggled with hunger with all their might, but they didn’t give a look and answered that they were full, because just before leaving the castle there was lunch and now they don’t want to eat at all. This answer puzzled the besiegers, because if the castle really has a secret the passage through which provisions are brought to the castle, then it is still unknown how long they will freeze in an open field holding a siege, and autumn has already begun to test their strength. And doubt crept into the minds of the Hetman military commanders.

But all the same, the hetman decided to wait and not lift the siege until the day of St. Martin.
And hunger was already descending on the city. Almost all the supplies had already been eaten, and people already had to fight more with themselves than with the enemy in order to withstand the siege. Something had to be done. Of the food in the whole city, only the old goat remained.

Castle Dungeon Legend

The legend says that the city of Houska was built on a rock, under which the entrance to hell is located. Under the castle itself, there are allegedly many underground passages that will lead you to hell. According to legend, there was a gate that opened the way to a mysterious dungeon. But there is no information about where exactly these gates were. According to one version, the gate towered not far from the castle, where a small baroque church used to stand. Another version claims that the gates to hell were located in the castle itself, and until now they are hidden under the floor of the prayer hall. Therefore, it is no coincidence that people who enter the chapel feel bad, many even lose consciousness, and dogs, in general, completely refuse to go there. There is a third version, according to which one could get to hell by diving into a well in the castle courtyard. The rumor about a terrifying dungeon was aggravated by an old legend about a convict, to whom the owners of the castle themselves promised pardon on the condition that he descend into the magical gorge and find out what is hidden in its depths. The suicide bomber accepted this offer, but, having gone only a few meters down, he asked with a desperate cry to return to the surface. Pulling the unfortunate man out, the witnesses saw a man frightened to death with hair gray with horror, absurdly asserting that below he saw the devil in hell, which does not exist in the underworld. A few days later, the convict died.

Local residents immediately wanted to fill up the hellish gorge, but in vain - the stones in it disappeared as if in a bottomless throat. This was only possible after three years of hard work by the owner of the city, Jan the Younger from Wartenberg. A monument of Central European significance is the palace chapel, with wall paintings of the 13th and 14th centuries, under which, according to an ancient legend, there is a gate to hell. And so, for reliability, a chapel gradually grew over the filled up “chasm of non-existence” as a kind of holy giant shutter against the penetration of demons, not the light of God. It is this chapel, the second in the castle, that is one of the most mysterious in Central Europe. On the east side it is closed by five sides of the octagon, on the west side it is framed by a podium accessible from the outside terrace or via a spiral staircase leading from the lower part of the chapel. Her silhouette seems to embody sacramental geometry with the digital meaning of mystical cabalistics. At the altar, the chapel is divided into 8 parts, while on the ninth side - the end of the Universe - the altar is oriented to the east. Frescoes are of considerable historical and artistic interest, presumably from the 30s. 14th century, preserved almost in its original form, which, in terms of themes, again, are part of the most valuable collection of monuments in Central Europe. Belong to them, for example, two large figures of the archangel Gabriel and the archangel Michael - "the leader of the army of the Lord" against the fallen angels and the protector from the forces of darkness and evil.

Towering above the podium is Saint Christophe, a celebrated martyr who lived in the 3rd century. Nearby are the Frescoes of Offer, Herod, who turned into a man and, at one time, was perceived as an alchemical allegory of a bearer of gold. The following frescoes very clearly depict the battle between good and evil, of which the figure of a mysterious warrior with a huge bow is the most specific. That's just its meaning to this day remains undisclosed. There are still no answers to the questions why so many dead birds fall in the vicinity of the castle, and the dogs behave restlessly and drag their owners away from the devilish place. Why are voices and groans heard from the depths of an empty well? Why are the archangels Michael and Gabriel depicted on the walls of this well - in Christian mythology, the main fighters against the devil? And why are there so many images of strange creatures - half people, half lions? A letter from Vaclav Gayek from Lubochan, who lived in the 15th century, has been preserved. He wrote to his brother Edward: "I was walking through the forest, not far from the town of Houska. Suddenly a rock cracked under the hail, a hole formed, and from this hole evil spirits began to appear and turn into animals ..." This mystical haze of mystery around the castle of Houska in hasn't dissipated for centuries.

Legend of the chess tournament
Far 1454, northern Italy, Marostica Castle.

According to legend, Rinaldo da Angarano and Vieri da Valonara are fighting for the hand of the daughter of the owner of the castle, Taddeo Parisio. In order to achieve the love of the beautiful Lionora, they must play chess. that these two young valiant warriors at first wanted to fight in a duel, but the owner of the castle did not allow them to do so (Taddeo Parisio was tied to both young people and did not want to lose devoted vassals and experienced fighters), and then he came up with this trick to play in chess. The loser, however, would not be at a loss, he was promised a younger daughter.

Every double year, on the second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of September, a holiday is held in the town of Marostica, as in the old days, the whole city gathers on that very main square and there is a chess game.

The legend of the golden spindle

One of the legends tells that two brothers Johan and Friedrich Bera, who lived in the castle, fell in love with the beautiful Sybil. The beauty could not make her choice for a long time, thinking which of the brothers to give preference to. And then Johan decided to kill his brother and get the hand of a beautiful lord's daughter. Under the cover of night, Johan did what he had planned, only the blood of his murdered brother stained the wall in the castle room. The culprit tried to hide what he had done by thoroughly washing the wall. Johan soon married Sabile and brought her to the castle. Showing the castle premises, in the room where the crime was committed, he again saw a bright red spot. Each time the stain appeared again, there was nothing left to do but close this wall with a closet. Having settled in the castle, Sybil was often left alone, Johan spent his days hunting. One day, the gnomes came to her and asked her to play a wedding, on the condition that no one should see them. At midnight, when the wedding was in full swing, Johan returned from the forest. As soon as he entered the room, not understanding what was happening, everything immediately disappeared. Sybil told him about the dwarves and their wedding, Johan jumped on his horse and rode back into the forest.

In the morning he was found dead in the forest. Several years passed, Sybil was sitting at needlework in the evening, and saw a dwarf with a golden spindle in his hands, who promised to give her the spindle if the wedding took place again in the castle. This golden spindle can bring happiness to the castle, the little dwarf explained. After the wedding was successful, Sybil received a golden spindle and decided to wall it up in the wall of one of the castle's rooms. Many years later, after this event, Baron Adolf Behr and his wife Evelina decided to rearrange the palace. In place of the indelible red stain, a fireplace was installed so that the flames of the fire would clear the crime scene. While working on the castle, two architects suddenly died one after the other. People said that the long-dead Sybil, who was afraid that someone would find her golden spindle, was to blame. After these events, Baron Adolf Ber personally supervised all the work in the castle, and no more unpleasant events occurred.

The legend of the construction of the castle

Previously, in the old days, the owners of the Dundaga Castle did not have the right to leave an inheritance to their daughters. If there were no sons, then the castle and other property passed to some male relative. And, as if out of spite, the owners of the Dundaga Castle had no sons for a long time, only daughters. The gentlemen were very sad that they could not leave their goods to their own children, but had to give them to strangers. And here again, the Dundag baron has either three or four daughters and not a single son. And he is already in years. He sometimes could not sleep at night because of chagrin. One night I thought again that I was about to die soon, but there was no heir. The baron could not sit at home, he went out into the garden. It was midnight. He walked, walked, suddenly, out of nowhere, a little gnome. He asks the baron why he is so sad, why he does not sleep at night. Baron and tell the dwarf about your misfortune: he himself is old, there is no heir, he will have to castle and leave all the good to strangers. The dwarf grinned and said: “No big trouble! You let us dwarves play a wedding at night in your great hall. Yes, see that no one peeps what we are doing. Here you will have a son.” The baron was very happy about this and promised that no one would peep. Soon the night came when the dwarfs to play the wedding. The baron locked all the doors beforehand and strictly ordered that no one even come close to the big hall. Everyone knew that the baron was strict and if you disobey him, then be in trouble, so they obeyed the order and no one peeped what was happening in the hall. But the gardener had a daughter, and the groom had a son.

They always walked in the garden at night. Walk, walk, see; Big hall illuminated as brightly as ever. The guy kept the girl, but she became stubborn: she definitely needs to find out what is there in the hall. I crept under the window, looked - how! gnomes celebrate the wedding. Everything would have worked out, but just at the moment when the gardener's daughter looked in at the window, one dwarf, jumping up, slipped and fell; The girl broke into laughter, and she burst out laughing at the top of her voice. Immediately the light went out, and the dwarfs fled in all directions. Only the old dwarf remained; he approached the gardener's daughter and said: "Because you could not resist and peeped, you walk here after death at night, depriving everyone of peace." Saying this, the old dwarf also disappeared. The gardener's daughter soon died. And, as the dwarf said, so it was fulfilled: the gardener's daughter wanders around the castle at night. She wears the same green dress she wore when she was alive, which is why she was nicknamed the Green Maiden. And the next night, the dwarf came to the baron and said: “You did not fulfill your promise. Neither you nor your descendants will have a son. Only then will a son be born from your descendants, when a birch tree as high as a lullaby rises on a stone at the big gate. And indeed - on that very day, a birch sprout peeped out on a stone near the big gate. Today, they say, he has grown considerably and, if someone has not broken him off, soon, perhaps, he will stretch out from a lullaby pole. I just don’t know if someone broke off a birch tree? But if no one broke it off, it is unlikely that any other baron was destined to own the Dundaga castle.

To be continued

Middle Ages. The most controversial and controversial era in the history of mankind. Some perceive it as the times of beautiful ladies and noble knights, minstrels and buffoons, when spears were broken, feasts were noisy, serenades were sung and sermons sounded. For others, the Middle Ages is a time of fanatics and executioners, the fires of the Inquisition, stinking cities, epidemics, cruel customs, unsanitary conditions, general darkness and savagery.

Moreover, fans of the first option are often embarrassed by their admiration for the Middle Ages, they say that they understand that everything was not like that, but they love the outward side of knightly culture. While the supporters of the second option are sincerely sure that the Middle Ages were not called the Dark Ages for nothing, it was the most terrible time in the history of mankind.

The fashion to scold the Middle Ages appeared back in the Renaissance, when there was a sharp denial of everything that had to do with the recent past (as we know it), and then, with the light hand of historians of the 19th century, they began to consider this most dirty, cruel and rude Middle Ages ... times since the fall of ancient states and until the 19th century, declared the triumph of reason, culture and justice. Then myths developed, which now wander from article to article, frightening fans of chivalry, the sun king, pirate novels, and in general all romantics from history.

Myth 1. All knights were stupid, dirty, uneducated dorks.
This is probably the most fashionable myth. Every second article about the horrors of Medieval customs ends with an unobtrusive moral - look, they say, dear women, how lucky you are, no matter what modern men are, they are definitely better than the knights you dream of.

Let's leave the dirt for later, there will be a separate discussion about this myth. As for ignorance and stupidity ... I thought recently how it would be funny if our time was studied according to the culture of "brothers". One can imagine what a typical representative of modern men would be like then. And you can’t prove that men are all different, there is always a universal answer to this - “this is an exception.”

In the Middle Ages, men, oddly enough, were also all different. Charlemagne collected folk songs, built schools, and knew several languages ​​himself. Richard the Lionheart, considered a typical representative of chivalry, wrote poems in two languages. Karl the Bold, whom literature likes to display as a kind of boor-macho, knew Latin very well and loved to read ancient authors. Francis I patronized Benvenuto Cellini and Leonardo da Vinci.

The polygamist Henry VIII knew four languages, played the lute and loved the theatre. And this list can be continued. But the main thing is that they were all sovereigns, models for their subjects, and even for smaller rulers. They were guided by them, they were imitated, and those who could, like his sovereign, could knock down an enemy from a horse and write an ode to the Beautiful Lady enjoyed respect.
Yeah, they will tell me - we know these Beautiful Ladies, they had nothing to do with their wives. So let's move on to the next myth.

Myth 2. The “noble knights” treated their wives like property, beat them and didn’t set a penny
To begin with, I will repeat what I have already said - the men were different. And in order not to be unfounded, I will remember the noble seigneur from the XII century, Etienne II de Blois. This knight was married to a certain Adele of Norman, daughter of William the Conqueror and his beloved wife Matilda. Etienne, as befits a zealous Christian, went on a crusade, and his wife remained to wait for him at home and manage the estate.

A seemingly banal story. But its peculiarity is that Etienne's letters to Adele have come down to us. Tender, passionate, yearning. Detailed, smart, analytical. These letters are a valuable source on the Crusades, but they are also evidence of how much a medieval knight could love not some mythical Lady, but his own wife.

We can recall Edward I, whom the death of his adored wife knocked down and brought to the grave. His grandson Edward III lived in love and harmony with his wife for over forty years. Louis XII, having married, turned from the first debauchee of France into a faithful husband. Whatever the skeptics say, love is a phenomenon independent of the era. And always, at all times, they tried to marry their beloved women.

Now let's move on to more practical myths that are actively promoted in the cinema and greatly confuse the romantic mood among fans of the Middle Ages.

Myth 3. Cities were sewage dumps.
Oh, what they just do not write about medieval cities. To the point that I came across the assertion that the walls of Paris had to be completed so that the sewage poured outside the city wall would not pour back. Effective, isn't it? And in the same article it was stated that since in London human waste was poured into the Thames, it was also a continuous stream of sewage. My rich imagination I immediately began to tremble in hysterics, because I could not imagine in any way where so many sewage could come from in a medieval city.

This is not a modern multi-million metropolis - 40-50 thousand people lived in medieval London, and not much more in Paris. Let's leave aside the completely fabulous story with the wall and imagine the Thames. This not the smallest river splashes 260 cubic meters of water per second into the sea. If you measure this in baths, you get more than 370 baths. Per second. I think further comments are unnecessary.

However, no one denies that medieval cities were by no means fragrant with roses. And now one has only to turn off the sparkling avenue and look into the dirty streets and dark gateways, as you understand - the washed and lit city is very different from its dirty and smelly inside.

Myth 4. People haven't washed for many years.
Talking about washing is also very fashionable. Moreover, absolutely real examples are given here - monks who did not wash themselves from excess “holiness” for years, a nobleman, who also did not wash himself from religiosity, almost died and was washed by servants. And they also like to remember Princess Isabella of Castile (many saw her in the recently released film The Golden Age), who vowed not to change her linen until victory was won. And poor Isabella kept her word for three years.

But again, strange conclusions are drawn - the lack of hygiene is declared the norm. The fact that all the examples are about people who vowed not to wash, that is, they saw in this some kind of feat, asceticism, is not taken into account. By the way, Isabella's act caused a great resonance throughout Europe, a new color was even invented in her honor, so everyone was shocked by the vow given by the princess.

And if you read the history of baths, and even better - go to the appropriate museum, you can be amazed at the variety of shapes, sizes, materials from which the baths were made, as well as ways to heat water. IN early XVIII century, which they also like to call the age of dirty, one English count even got a marble bathtub with taps for hot and cold water- the envy of all the acquaintances who went to his house as if on a tour.

Queen Elizabeth I took a bath once a week and demanded that all courtiers also bathe more often. Louis XIII generally soaked in the bath every day. And his son Louis XIV, whom they like to cite as an example of a dirty king, because he just didn’t like baths, wiped himself with alcohol lotions and loved to swim in the river (but there will be a separate story about him).

However, to understand the failure of this myth, it is not necessary to read historical works. It is enough to look at pictures of different eras. Even from the sanctimonious Middle Ages, there are many engravings depicting bathing, washing in baths and baths. And in later times, they especially liked to portray half-dressed beauties in baths.

Well, the most important argument. It is worth looking at the statistics of soap production in the Middle Ages to understand that everything that is said about the general unwillingness to wash is a lie. Otherwise, why would it be necessary to produce such a quantity of soap?

Myth 5. Everyone smelled terrible
This myth follows directly from the previous one. And he also has real proof- Russian ambassadors at the French court complained in letters that the French "stink terribly." From which it was concluded that the French did not wash, stank and tried to drown out the smell with perfume (about perfume is a well-known fact).

This myth flashed even in Tolstoy's novel "Peter I". Explaining to him couldn't be easier. In Russia, it was not customary to wear perfume heavily, while in France they simply poured perfume. And for a Russian person, the Frenchman, who profusely stinks of perfume, was “stinking like wild animal". Those who traveled in public transport next to a heavily perfumed lady will understand them well.

True, there is one more evidence concerning the same long-suffering Louis XIV. His favorite, Madame Montespan, once, in a fit of a quarrel, shouted that the king stinks. The king was offended and soon after that parted with the favorite completely. It seems strange - if the king was offended by the fact that he stinks, then why shouldn't he wash himself? Yes, because the smell was not coming from the body. Ludovic had serious health problems, and with age, he began to smell bad from his mouth. It was impossible to do anything, and naturally the king was very worried about this, so Montespan's words were a blow to a sore spot for him.

By the way, we must not forget that in those days there was no industrial production, the air was clean, and the food may not be very healthy, but at least without chemistry. And therefore, on the one hand, hair and skin did not get greasy for longer (remember our air of megacities, which quickly makes washed hair dirty), so people, in principle, did not need washing for longer. And with human sweat, water, salts were released, but not all those chemicals that are full in the body of a modern person.

Myth 6. Clothes and hairstyles were infested with lice and fleas.
This is a very popular myth. And he has a lot of evidence - flea traps that noble ladies and gentlemen really wore, references to insects in literature as something taken for granted, fascinating stories about monks almost eaten alive by fleas. All this really testifies - yes, there were fleas and lice in medieval Europe. Only now the conclusions are made more than strange. Let's think logically. What does a flea trap testify to? Or an animal on which these fleas should jump? It doesn’t even take a special imagination to understand - this indicates a long war going on with varying success between people and insects.

Myth 7. No one cared about hygiene
Perhaps this myth can be considered the most offensive for people who lived in the Middle Ages. Not only are they accused of being stupid, dirty and smelly, they also claim that they all liked it.

What was supposed to happen to mankind in early XIX century, so that before that he liked everything to be dirty and lousy, and then suddenly he suddenly stopped liking it?

If you look through the instructions on the construction of castle toilets, you can find curious notes that the drain should be built so that everything goes into the river, and does not lie on the shore, spoiling the air. Apparently people didn't really like the smell.

Let's go further. There is famous story about how one noble Englishwoman was remarked about her dirty hands. The lady retorted: “You call this dirt? You should have seen my feet." This is also cited as a lack of hygiene. And did anyone think about strict English etiquette, according to which it is not even possible to tell a person that he spilled wine on his clothes - this is impolite. And suddenly the lady is told that her hands are dirty. This is to what extent other guests should have been outraged in order to violate the rules of good taste and make such a remark.

And the laws that every now and then issued by the authorities different countries- for example, prohibitions on pouring slop into the street, or regulation of the construction of toilets.

The main problem of the Middle Ages was that it was really difficult to wash then. Summer does not last that long, and in winter not everyone can swim in the hole. Firewood for heating water was very expensive, not every nobleman could afford a weekly bath. And besides, not everyone understood that illnesses come from hypothermia or insufficiently clean water, and under the influence of fanatics they attributed them to washing.

And now we are smoothly approaching the next myth.

Myth 8. Medicine was practically non-existent.
What can you not hear enough about medieval medicine. And there were no means other than bloodletting. And they all gave birth on their own, and without doctors it’s even better. And all medicine was controlled by priests alone, who left everything at the mercy of God's will and only prayed.

Indeed, in the first centuries of Christianity, medicine, as well as other sciences, was mainly practiced in monasteries. There were hospitals and scientific literature. The monks contributed little to medicine, but they made good use of the achievements of ancient physicians. But already in 1215, surgery was recognized as a non-ecclesiastical business and passed into the hands of barbers.

Of course, the whole history of European medicine simply does not fit into the scope of the article, so I will focus on one person, whose name is known to all readers of Dumas. We are talking about Ambroise Pare, the personal physician of Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III. A simple enumeration of what this surgeon contributed to medicine is enough to understand at what level surgery was in mid-sixteenth century.

Ambroise Pare introduced a new method of treating then new gunshot wounds, invented prosthetic limbs, began to perform operations to correct the "cleft lip", improved medical instruments, wrote medical works, which surgeons throughout Europe later studied. And childbirth is still accepted according to his method. But most importantly, Pare invented a way to amputate limbs so that a person would not die from blood loss. And surgeons still use this method.

But he did not even have an academic education, he was simply a student of another doctor. Not bad for "dark" times?

Conclusion
Needless to say, the real Middle Ages is very different from the fairy-tale world of chivalric novels. But it is no closer to the dirty stories that are still in fashion. The truth is, as always, somewhere in the middle. People were different, they lived differently. The concepts of hygiene were indeed quite wild for a modern look, but they were, and medieval people took care of cleanliness and health, as far as their understanding was.

And all these stories ... someone wants to show how modern people“cooler” than the medieval ones, someone simply asserts himself, and someone does not understand the topic at all and repeats other people's words.

And finally - about memoirs. Talking about terrible morals, lovers of the "dirty Middle Ages" especially like to refer to memoirs. Only for some reason not on Commines or La Rochefoucauld, but on memoirists like Brantome, who probably published the largest collection of gossip in history, seasoned with his own rich imagination.

On this occasion, I propose to recall the post-perestroika anecdote about the trip of a Russian farmer to visit an English one. He showed the farmer Ivan a bidet and said that his Mary was washing there. Ivan thought - but where is his Masha washing? Came home and asked. She answers:
- Yes, in the river.
- And in winter?
- How long is that winter?
And now let's get an idea of ​​hygiene in Russia according to this anecdote.

I think if we focus on such sources, then our society will turn out to be no cleaner than the medieval one. Or remember the program about the parties of our bohemia. We supplement this with our impressions, gossip, fantasies and you can write a book about the life of society in modern Russia(we are worse than Brantoma - also contemporaries of events). And the descendants will study the manners in Russia according to them early XXI century, to be horrified and say what terrible times were ...

P.S. From the comments to this post: Just yesterday I was re-reading the legend of Thiel Ulenspiegel. There Phillip I says to Phillip II: - Have you spent time with an indecent girl again, when noble ladies are at your service, refreshing themselves with fragrant baths? And you preferred a girl who has not yet had time to wash off the traces of the embrace of some soldier? Just the most unbridled Middle Ages.

Traditions and legends of France

The first epic poems in France were called "gestures", or "songs of deeds". About ninety of them have survived to this day. They were created in the X century by jugglers, or itinerant singers. The poems were based on the most important historical events of the 8th-10th centuries, the era of the migration of peoples and the wars of Charlemagne. Initially, these were legends about some glorious event. Then a hero, an outstanding personality, began to come to the fore in them, and finally, individual such works began to take shape in cycles. The most popular was the cycle of stories connected with the name of Charlemagne, the famous emperor of the Franks. Widely known is the Song of Roland, a magnificent monument of the French heroic epic, which is part of this cycle. This is a poem about an unequal battle with a cruel enemy, imbued with love for one's land, motives of loyalty and self-sacrifice. "The Song of Roland" is the earliest work of French literature, which children get acquainted with in France and in other countries.

The most ancient edition of the song is considered to be the so-called Oxford list dating back to the 12th century. The poem is about the real historical event associated with the unsuccessful campaign of Charlemagne in Spain: when Charles and his army left this country in 778, the Basques attacked his rearguard in the gorge. The historical episode, transformed by the narrator's fantasy, turned into a heroic song about the battle of the Christian Franks with the infidels, the Saracens. The protagonist, the knight Roland, enters into a difficult and unequal battle and is praised for his unparalleled courage and loyalty to duty, and the treacherous Gwepelon, who betrayed the Franks, is condemned. The faithful friend of Roland, the noble and wise Olivier, is also vividly depicted. He asks the knight to blow his horn three times in order to call on the army of Charles to help.

Charlemagne is the defender of faith and peace, through his prayers God performs miracles. He cherishes the honor of France and is proud of her heroes - the knights Roland and Olivier. This is the image of a kind and wise ruler, while in Roland the French people embodied their heroic ideal.

"The Song of Roland" is the best work about medieval Christian chivalry, about the glorious peers of Emperor Charles and about beautiful France, which they defended from enemies.

Thus, in the Middle Ages, the ideal of honor and valor of chivalry developed. And a significant role in the creation of this ideal belonged to the French chivalric poetry and the novel of the XII-XIII centuries. Such literature was called courtly in France, from the French word "honeycomb", i.e. "yard". This refers to the life of knights at the court of the feudal lord or the king whom they served. Knightly literature was also created at the court. Provence, the southern province of France, becomes the center of courtesy. The French poets of that time were called troubadours and trouvères, and the main theme of their poetry is love, which is understood as a feeling that embraces the whole person, ennobling him and attracting him to the beautiful and sublime. Love assumed chivalrous service to a lady. The legend of Tristan and Iseult became such an inspirational hymn of love.

Many poets have addressed this story.

Tristan and Isolde(A legend that arose in the region of Ireland and Celtic Scotland).

Among the many novels about Tristan and Iseult, the versions of the trouveurs Bierut and Thomas are considered the most interesting. In this work there is a sharp conflict between the feelings of the main characters and the circumstances of their lives, the suffering of love appears. "A man's heart is worth the gold of an entire country," says Tristan. A beautiful and fearless knight, he serves his master, King Mark. But just as selflessly Tristan serves the lady of his heart, Isolde. The novel glorifies love, which is stronger than death. And the king himself, having learned about the death of those who love, orders to bury them nearby. A miracle happened when a green thorn with fragrant flowers grew on the grave of Tristan and spread to the grave of Isolde, embodying the triumph of love.

The 13th century is the time of the decline of the chivalric romance and Provençal lyrics, which became the ancestor of European poetry. They are being replaced by urban literature. Its main feature is satire, a parody of chivalry and warlike feudal lords, and it depicts everyday life, praising ingenuity and prudence. It reflects the process of growth of medieval cities, when a new hero appears on the stage - a cunning merchant merchant.

A significant monument of the urban literature of France was the "Romance of the Fox". This old French poetic novel, which arose at the turn of the 12th-13th centuries, is a medieval animal epic. It contains funny and cautionary tales about animals, told in a satirical way and transparently hinting at the world of people. In the formation of the "Roman of the Fox" played an important role fable tradition, going back to antiquity. After the main body of the novel was formed, its continuations, alterations and translations into German, Flemish, English and other languages ​​began to appear.

Based on this medieval novel, the great German classic Goethe wrote his famous poem "Reinecke the Fox" at the end of the 18th century.

Tales of Spain.

The first beginnings of the epic in Spain, as well as in France, are due to a long and stubborn struggle with the Arabs. The invasion of the Arabs into Spain, which had long since completely “romanized”, since the 8th century, took on a very threatening character, and the local Christian population could only leave their lands and flee, fleeing the persecution of the enemy.

A small part of it managed to hide in the impregnable and wild mountains of Biscay and Asturias. Here, in the absence of any means of communication, the Arabs could not penetrate, and the remnants of the Christian population of the country enjoyed comparative peace and security here. Living alone, among impregnable mountains, these Christians of Spain, who fled from the Arabs, inspired by the general hatred of the conquerors, completely lost the idea of ​​​​the difference between Goths and Romans, winners and vanquished, masters and slaves; here they also lost the Latin language, which had been spoken for so many centuries, and began to develop their own language.

Thus, among the impregnable mountains of Biscay and Asturias, a new people was born - the Spaniards - who spoke a new language.

As the Christians rallied into one whole, hatred for the common enemy, the Moors, seemed to only grow, and soon heroes began to appear who, taking advantage of the impregnable position of their "camp" among the mountains, began to emerge from inaccessible gorges and valleys and attack the Moors, who by that time had already calmed down and even started internecine wars. So, slowly and gradually, from the first years of the 9th century, they began to take away from the Moors the lands they had once conquered.

But it must be said that this is the "reverse" conquest Iberian Peninsula Christians were extremely slow. So, after two hundred years of Muslim rule, three hundred years passed before the Moors were pushed south - to where they first appeared in Spain and where, despite everything, they managed to hold out for about three hundred more years. As in the mountains of Biscay and Asturias a new people and a new language were created, and Spanish literature began to emerge there. When an event struck the imagination of the people, after it a story about it was composed in the form of a folk song. These songs, composed in the newly formed language, were called romances.

Romances, preserving folk traditions, served as a kind of "archive" of history. So, when chronicles began to be written on the orders of the kings, romances served as material for them. The same romances served as material for a special kind of literary works, the first appearance of which dates back to a somewhat later time - these are the so-called gotapsego, or collections of romances united by one common hero, whose history is transmitted in separate romances, arranged in chronological order, according to the sequence of events in his life. Special conditions the histories of Spain, which prevented the formation of large poems, such as, for example, the French Song of Roland, favored the appearance of this kind of gotapsego, and they appeared in myriad numbers and constituted very extensive and voluminous collections.

The centuries-old struggle with the enemy, who was right there, on the spot, should have focused all the attention and all the interest of contemporaries, and therefore almost all the folk heroes of Spain are glorified mainly for their exploits in the fight against the Moors. In most cases, these are historical faces. The beloved Spanish hero, Don Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, nicknamed Campeador, was such a historical person. Warrior, for the victories he won over the Moors; the Moors themselves, according to legend, called him Sid, i.e. sir, winner.

"The Song of Cude" - the heroic epic of the Spanish Middle Ages - was composed by an unknown huglar storyteller around 1140.

Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, Sid the Warrior is a real hero who lived in the 11th century. In the "Song of Side" the action takes place in the era of the reconquista - the return of the lands of Spain, conquered by the Moors in 711. The last Muslim stronghold, Granada, fell in 1492. Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar became famous for his exploits in this struggle, and in 1094 he conquered the beautiful city of Valencia from the Moors, where he lived the rest of his life with his beloved wife Jimena. Sid died in 1099, and within forty years after the death of the hero, songs began to be composed about him and his exploits.

The story of Sid served as material for many gothapsego and chronicles. The main poetic tales about Sid that have come down to us are:

a cycle of poems about King Sancho II and the siege of Samara in the 13th-14th centuries, according to the historian of Spanish literature F. Kelyin, “serving as a kind of prologue to the Song of My Side”;
the “Song of My Sid” itself, created around 1140, probably by one of Sid’s warriors, and preserved in a single copy of the 14th century with heavy losses;
and the poem, or rhymed chronicle, "Rodrigo" in 1125 verses and adjoining romances about Side.
When, in the 11th and 12th centuries, all of Europe was carried away by the idea of ​​the Crusades and crowds of pilgrimage warriors flocked from all sides under the banner of the crusaders, Christian Spain remained aloof from this movement: Spanish Christians had no reason to look for Muslims in distant Asia - they had their own enemy -Muslim, at home, the struggle with which absorbed all their attention and all their strength. One should not, however, think that the chivalry that appeared in Europe in the era of the Crusades remained alien and incomprehensible to the Spaniards. On the contrary, chivalry may not have taken such deep roots anywhere as in Spain.

When, in the fourteenth century, French chivalric romances in retellings and alterations penetrated into Spain, they found a prepared soil there and at the same time underwent a completely peculiar processing.

The most famous and most beloved Spanish chivalric novel was Amadis of Galicia, which appeared at the end of the 14th century and aroused such enthusiasm not only in Spain, but throughout Europe, that for almost two centuries it remained the favorite book to read. Who is the author of this famous chivalric romance - unknown. They say that it originated in Portugal and that the Portuguese nobleman Vasco de Lobeiro was its author, but this novel has come down to us, at least in the Spanish version. It is most likely that this wonderful romance of chivalry, composed by Vasco de Lobeiro, was constantly supplemented, changed and altered by every scribe and storyteller. Thus, it completely lost its original form and became a truly popular Spanish work.

In "Amadis" all events and persons are fictional from beginning to end. Amadis himself is the son of a king who never existed in the fabulous Gali kingdom and was taken first to England and then to Scotland. Then another son, Galaor, will be born to his parents, and the adventures of these two knights, partly in England, France, Germany and Turkey, partly in unknown and even magical countries, fill the whole book.

German heroic tales and legends.
Dietrich of Bern

Dietrich of Bern is one of the most popular heroes of the German folk epic. By the beginning of our era, the Germanic tribes occupied a vast territory between the Rhine and the Elbe, the Scandinavian Peninsula and the Danube, raided the possessions of the Roman Empire, mixed with each other and with representatives of other ethnic groups. The beginning of the Early Middle Ages in Europe coincides with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. At this time, the so-called "great migration of peoples" (V-VI centuries), the seizure of the imperial possessions of Rome by the barbarians, was basically completed. This tense and turbulent era historical development the peoples of Europe was accompanied by the flourishing of epic creativity.

The oldest group of heroic songs is connected with the history of the Ostrogothic people, with the fall of the Black Sea Ostrogothic state and the death of the Ostrogothic king Ermanerix. Later (not earlier than the 6th century) a group of epic works was formed connected with the history of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great (471-526), ​​who defeated the ruler of the Western Roman Empire Odoacer (493) and founded the state of the Ostrogoths in Italy, which existed until the middle of the sixth century. The cities of Ravenna (in German Rabep) and Verona (Berry) became the residence of the winner. Over time, in folk poetry, Theodoric Verona turned into Dietrich of Bern and became the most popular personality German heroic epic of the Middle Ages. As is known from history, Theodoric expelled Odoacer from his possessions, and then treacherously killed him. But in the "Song of Hildebrapd" (circa 800), the enemy has already changed places: Deotrich (Theodoric) is forced to flee from the wrath of the insidious Otakhr (Odoacer). In the future, Dietrich's oppressor becomes Ermaneric, the king of the Ostrogoths, who committed suicide in 375 after the Huns defeated the Gothic union of tribes, at the head of which he stood. Folk songs tell how, fleeing from the malice of Ermaneric, Dietrich of Bern finds refuge at the court of the Hun king Etzel, that is, Attila, who died in 453.

Thus, in the poems about Dietrich that have come down to us, only the most general, rather vague memories of people and events of the 4th-6th centuries have been preserved. Shpilmans, who told heroic tales and sang heroic songs, cared more about the truth of human life than about the truth of history. Dietrich occupied a prominent place in the Nibelungenlied, threads of various legends stretched to Dietrich. In the 13th century, the poems about Dietrich formed a rather extensive epic cycle: "The Flight of Dietrich" (or "The Book of Bern"), "The Battle of Ravenna", "The Death of Alphart", "The Song of Ecke", "Lauria". And later, in the XV-XVI centuries, the legends about Dietrich continue to attract the attention of readers. They also became famous outside of Germany. This is evidenced by the Norwegian "Saga of Tidrek" (circa 1250), which is an extensive prose collection of various legends about Dietrich of Bern, which existed in the 13th century in northwestern Germany.

Song of the Nibelungs

The Song of the Nibelungs" is the largest monument of the German folk heroic epic. The "Song of the Nibelungs" is based on ancient German legends dating back to the events of the period of barbarian invasions, the historical basis of the epic is the death of the Burgundian kingdom, destroyed in 437 by the Huns. In the battle with the Huns, the leader of which was, of course, not Attila, then King Gundahar and his squad died. The death of the king, Attila the Huns, who married a German girl named Hildiko in 453, occurred on their wedding night. This event gave rise to many rumors. Subsequently, historians reported that the bride killed Attila. In the folk epic, these facts received a new understanding, and all the everyday flavor in it is more connected with the feudal-knightly Germany of the XII century than with the life of the barbarian tribes of the V century.

The facts related to the life of Siegfried are vague, some historians see in Siegfried the incarnation of the god of the ancient Germans Balder. Others believe that its prototype was the leader of the Kherusci Arminius, who defeated a detachment of Roman troops in the Teutoburg Forest. Still others point to King Siegibert of the Franks, who was killed at the instigation of his daughter-in-law in 575.

In the epic, the Netherlands is called the birthplace of Siegfried, fabulous feats are attributed to him: the victory over the dragon and the conquest of the treasure of the Nibelungs (possibly from the word: Nebel - fog, Nibelungs - children of the fogs). The influence was exerted by the chivalric novel, which was widespread at that time, describing court life, loving service, and the norms of knightly honor. The unknown poet combined the prose narratives and legends that existed before him and reworked them in his own way. Various assumptions were made regarding the personality of the author. Some considered him a shpilman and a wanderer, a singer, others were inclined to think that he was a clergyman, others that he was an educated knight of a low family.

The Nibelungenlied was very popular. Probably, thanks to this, numerous lists of it have survived to our time. The majestic creation of antiquity subsequently inspired the outstanding masters of German culture more than once. The romantics turned to him, Richard Wagner wrote the musical tetralogy "Ring of the Nibelungs" (1842-1862), the artists P. Cornelius, J. Schnorr von Karolsfeld reflected it in the paintings.

Blacksmith Wieland

The Germanic saga about the blacksmith Wieland (among the Scandinavians Völupde) also testifies to the highest respect that people had for the master, at the same time being surprised and afraid of his deeds.

The legend of Wieland most likely arose among the Franks or Burguids. Since the 8th century, it has been close to many German peoples. The legend existed in numerous poetic transcriptions. Völupd is found in the great monument of ancient Slandic poetry - "Elder Edda". But we find the most detailed biography of him in the Norwegian "Tidrek Saga" (circa 1250), associated with the name and deeds of Dietrich of Bern. One thing is clear: the fame of Wieland, as a blacksmith and gunsmith, was undeniable throughout Europe.

Kudrun

The birthplace of the outstanding monument of the German heroic epic "Kudruna" is the coast of the Baltic Sea (the island of Rugei and Pomerania). How literary work the poem "Kudruna" has come down to us in a list of the 16th century, which reproduces the poetic text of the 13th century. It is believed that the poem was written in Austria by an unknown author in 1230-1240. In addition, there are other options related to the story of Hilda. It speaks of a battle on the island of Vülfipverde, during which Hilda's father, Hagen, and Vate were killed. The legend of Hilda, originally formed in northern Germany, has long been widely spread among various Germanic peoples, including the Anglo-Saxons, Danes and Icelanders, and here it also existed in various editions. So, in the “Younger Edda” by Siorri Sturlusoia (mid-13th century), it is told how He-din (Hetel) kidnapped Hilda, the daughter of King Hegni (Hagen), how the enraged Hegni chased the kidnapper, and how a great battle flared up, which did not end, even to this day. For Hilda by the power of magic at night resurrected the fallen warriors, and with the coming of the day, they again rushed into battle; and, as the songs say, it will continue until the end of time.

The German legend about Hilda changed its appearance more than once over the centuries and, finally, turned into the prehistory of Kudruna. From the legend of Hilda, the battle on the island of Vulpsizapde passed, and some characters also passed, for example, the warlike Vathe, who was once a mythical sea giant of extraordinary strength.

The question of the historical roots of "Kudruna" is vague, its geography is unclear, and its chronology is also unclear. It should only be recognized that the historical background of "Kudruiy" is the raids of the Vikings, who, even under Charlemagne, devastated the bergs of France and other European lands. At the same time, the pictures of devastation and bloody raids fully corresponded to the cruel practice of feudal wars of the XII-XIII centuries.

Some researchers tend to identify the Moorish king Siegfried with the Danish king Siegfried, who lived in the 9th century.

Parzival and Lohengrin

Parzival's name has been known since the 12th century. Chretien de Troyes was the first to tell about him in the unfinished novel Perceval, or the Tale of the Grail.

Wolfram von Eschenbach (circa 1170-1220) was born in Bavaria, in the small provincial town of Eschenbach (modern Ansbach), halfway between Stuttgart and Nuremberg. By origin, he was a poor knight, so he had to be in the service of noble lords. One of Wolfram von Eschenbach's patrons was Hermann Türiig, known for his interest in courtly poetry. At his court, Wolfram was recognized as an outstanding lyric poet. But his main work - the monumental novel "Parzival" (about 25 thousand poetic lines) was completed in 1210. The novel told about the fate of the simple-minded knight Parsifal, who was raised by his mother in the forest. Having passed many tests, the valiant knight became the keeper of the mysterious Grail, and the head of the knightly brotherhood of the Templars (templars), who protect the Christian shrine.

Chretien de Troyes describes the Grail as a sacred vessel, Wolfram describes it as a precious stone, which, like a self-made tablecloth, saturates everyone according to his desire, gives people strength and bliss. Lohengrin - the son of Parzival first appeared in the novel "Parzival" by Wolfram von Eschenbach (circa 1170-1220). Prior to this, the image of Lohengrin appeared more than once in ancient legends and traditions, telling about the love of wonderful creatures for mortal people, provided that they do not violate any prohibition. If the ban was violated, the wonderful spouse disappeared forever, turning into a swan, or, as in this case, he was taken away by a boat with a swan.

The legend also describes one of the medieval customs - God's judgment, which was appointed in cases where it was difficult to determine who was right and who was wrong. Most often, the matter was decided by a duel, it was believed that higher powers would always ensure the victory of the right over a liar and a criminal.

The legend also reminds of King Heinrich I of Germany (919-936). They say that the signs of royal power were solemnly presented to him when he was on his favorite falconry - hence his nickname birder.

The son of Parzival Lohengria became the hero of Albrecht's poem "The Younger Titgurel" (circa 1270), the novel "The Knight with the Swan" by Konrad of Würzburg (second half of the 13th century) and the poem of the late 13th century "Lohengrii" are dedicated to him.

On the plot of the legend of Lohengrin, the composer Wagner created one of his best operas, Lohengrin (1848).

tankhäuser

During the reign of the illustrious King Frederick II, grandson of Emperor Rothbars, lord of the German principalities of Italy, all kinds of art flourished, especially poetry, especially encouraged and revered, as they would say today, the author's song. That was great era minnesinger singers: Walter von der Vogelweide, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Kürepberg and many, many other outstanding poets. Wandering singers enjoyed the patronage of noble princes, owners of castles and were welcome guests everywhere, especially welcome, of course, by the ladies whom they sang in their poetic creations.

Landgrave Hermann, the ruler of the Wartburg, also belonged to the patrons of poetry. Wandering singers were constantly at his court, singing the praises of female beauty and virtuous bashful love, telling of male virtues, the ringing of weapons and glory.

There also lived at that time a modest knight named Tankhäuser (1240-1270), who earned the right to accompany the king during the crusades to the Holy Land. A lot of life's hardships and all sorts of adventures fell to his lot. Although he came from a knightly family, he nevertheless did not inherit the warlike ardor of his ancestors. In the depths of his soul, Tankhäuser did not particularly value the so-called military prowess, but preferred to wander the earth with songs, and where he appeared, he was always a welcome guest.

German romantics often turned to the image of Taichhäuser as a vivid expression of individuality, the inner freedom of a person. L Tieck wrote the story "Verny Eckhart and Tankhoisf", G. Heine - a poem, R Wagner - the opera "Tahnhäuser and the Competition of Singers in the Wartburg" In the 20th century, the image of Tankhäuser , a prisoner of Venus, was used as a metaphor by T Mann in Magic Mountain

Rubetzal

In the Giant Mountains, on the border of Bohemia and Silesia, lives a mountain spirit, nicknamed Rübetsal. Its terrestrial possessions are not so extensive, but underground the power of the mountain spirit extends to the depths of the globe. Sometimes the underground lord inspects the inexhaustible pantries of earthly treasures, encourages the dwarf miners to hold the power of fiery rivers inside the earth with strong dams, turn mineral fumes into gold ore. And sometimes he leaves the cares of the underworld, appears to rest on the Giant mountains and amuses himself with people, like some kind of naughty.

Many legends and traditions are dedicated to this mountain spirit. There is a version that his name comes from a combination of two words - “count turnips”, according to another version, Ryubetsal - “hard tail”. The cycle of legends about Rübetsal was elaborated by Johann Museus (1735-1787), author of parody novels, gymnasium teacher, and home teacher at the court of the Duchess of Weimar. One of the legends is the basis of K. Weber's opera "Ryubetsal" (1804-1805).

The image of Rübetzal inspired the famous modern writer Otfried Preusler, a native of those places where the mountain spirit lives, to write the book "My Rübetzal" (1993).

TillOilenspiegel

A mischievous journeyman and vagabond, famous for his buffoonery, Till Eulenspiegel was born about 1300 in Knaitlingen, near Braunschweig, and died of smallpox in 1350 in Mellie, near Lübeck. Over time, Til's biography has become legendary. His image became collective, anecdotes and funny stories gleaned from various sources began to be attributed to him. This is how the book about the peasant son Til Eulenspiegel was born, the huge success of which eclipsed the popularity of other comic collections and stories. The edition of 1515, which was published in Strasbourg, has survived to our time. There are about a hundred funny stories in the book, from which the reader will learn about the birth, childhood, years of wandering and the endless adventures of the restless Til.

The success of the book was enormous, not only in Germany. In the 19th century, the Belgian writer Charles de Coster immortalized the image of the quick and free-spirited Thiel in The Legend of Thiel Eulenspiegel and Lamm Gudzak. The legend of Thiel has repeatedly become the basis of theatrical performances and films. To this day, in Germany, a popular humorous magazine bears the name of Eulenspiegel. In Mellie, the figure of Thiel adorns the fountain in the town square.

For a long time, the book about Til Eulenspiegel was considered folk. But in 1971, the Zurich judge Peter Honegger irrefutably proved that the author of it was the Brunswick customs officer Hermann Bothe (circa 1467-1520).

Faust

The legend of the warlock magician, Dr. Faust, who sold his soul to the devil, arose in the 16th century in Germany and soon spread throughout Europe. In Germany, the story of Dr. Faust, his student Wagner, the funny servant Kasperl, and the demon Mephistopheles became famous thanks to the puppet theater. On this plot, the English playwright Christopher Marlo (1564-1593) created the drama The Tragic History of Doctor Faust.

At the same time, a book by Jochain Spies "The Story of Dr. Jochain Faust, the famous sorcerer and warlock" was published in Frankfurt am Main, in which many folk legends were collected.

The great German poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) wrote the brilliant dramatic poem Faust based on them. Inspired by Goethe's poem, A.S. Pushkin created "Scene from Faust" (1825). Goethe got acquainted with the creation of the Russian genius and sent his pen, with which he wrote Faust, as a gift to Pushkin.

The famous plot inspired the French composer Charles Gounod (1818-1893) to create the opera Faust (1859).

THE LEGEND ABOUT SHILDBURGERS ("LITERATURE ABOUT FOOLS")
The so-called "literature about fools" was born in Germany during the Renaissance. A vivid example of it is a set of legends about the inhabitants of the city of Schilda, who, in protest, decided to become stupid, turned into jesters and began to play the fool in earnest, amusing themselves and those around them, but they got rid of wars and taxes - what can you take from a fool!

The "People's Book about Schildburgers", echoing the world-famous edition of the great humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam "Eulogy of Stupidity" (1509), was published in 1598. A long series of amazing in their absurdity and bizarre "adventures and deeds of Schildburgers" (about how the inhabitants of Schilda mixed up the yogis and no one could recognize their own; about how they were going to use a cow to remove the grass from the ancient wall, about how they built town hall without windows, how they sowed salt, etc.)

and in our days is subjected to interpretation and interpretation (E. Kestner, O. Preusler). Apparently, the motive of "nonsense willy-nilly" is inexhaustible.

Serbian legends.

KRABAT
In Germany, between the Elbe, Oder and Neisse, on both sides of the Spree River, the Lusatian Serbs, or Sorbs, live - a small East Slavic people, with their own culture, language, history, and traditions. Among the variety of Serbian folklore, legends and traditions associated with a popular hero named Krabat stand out. For the Lusatian peasant, Krabat was a sorcerer, a wizard, or rather, an ordinary guy, who, thanks to his natural ingenuity, mastered the heights of witchcraft wisdom.

The legend of Krabat is based on stories about a real-life person - Johain Shadovitz, a Croat colonel (compare: Croat-Krabat, isn't there a clue to the name here?). In 1691, the Elector of Saxony, August, presented him with the Grossärchen estate for the merits of the knight-colonel in the war with the Turks.

These are few historical facts documented. Then the legends begin. The identity of the Croat colonel has been comprehended by Serbian and German folklore for centuries.

In the minds of the Serbian people, the knight-colonel turned into a shepherd boy who defeated the evil sorcerer-miller with the help of a magic book. In folk fantasy, Krabat became a friend and benefactor of the district, who turned the art of magical magic for the benefit of the peasants.

The German legend of Faust, also a real person, influenced the legend of Krabat. Krabat, like Faust, uses his knowledge of magic and sorcery in higher goals, not only for their own needs or jokes with the elector. He tries to overcome the need, to help the poor: he makes the fields fertile, drains the swamps, saves crops from drought, etc.

The popular story about Krabat was repeatedly used by writers, then theatrical, operatic, cinematic interpretations followed. This plot attracted the modern German writer Otfried Preusler, who wrote his most famous book "Krabat" (1976).

The Middle Ages is a mysterious and gloomy time in the history of mankind, associated with terrible tortures, ubiquitous dirt and fetid odors, terrible epidemics and crusades. The Middle Ages began in the 5th century and ended only in the 15th century. The Middle Ages are times of raging wars and great discoveries. In the article, we have collected for you 5 interesting myths about the Middle Ages and their exposure.

Myth 1. Lack of science in the Middle Ages

There were indeed grounds for asserting this myth. In the era of the Middle Ages, which was also called the dark ages, the majority of learned people were monks.

As a result, all discoveries and patterns that did not fall into the norms of Holy Scripture were called heresy, and no one believed in their existence. The brightest example the experiments and discoveries of researchers in the field of astronomy, which are known to almost everyone, can serve.

Nevertheless, science expanded and actively developed. For example, the knights of the Crusades brought instruments such as the compass and astrolabe from the east. And the Italian merchants brought from North Africa Arabic numerals.

Medicine also did not stand still, despite its underdevelopment. Large libraries and institutions were created in the Middle Ages, thanks to the hard work of the monks.

Myth 2. Dirty Middle Ages

People who know about the Middle Ages only by hearsay or from films will probably think: in this era, dirt and unsanitary conditions reigned all around, and people of that time washed no more than a few times a year. We hasten to refute this theory. After all, in the Middle Ages there were baths.

This legacy has been left to mankind since the time of the Roman Empire. Europeans of that time washed a little less often than modern man. And by the XIII century, almost the industrial production of soap was adjusted.

Everything changed towards the end of the XIV century, when the inflated myth about the perniciousness of carnal purity reached frightening proportions. Due to the low literacy of most of the population, people believed in this horror story and stopped monitoring their hygiene. That is why we often hear from contemporaries that medieval Europeans were dirty all the time.

Myth 3. Noble knights of Europe

Many people still consider knights to be the embodiment of true valor and honor. Unfortunately, this is far from the case. In most cases, knights are the estate of feudal lords, who were in the army of professional warriors.

In between the incessant internecine wars, the knights, in order to somehow appease their violent temper, raped village girls and humiliated local peasants. And when the break ended, they did almost the same thing, only on enemy territory, if they were lucky enough to win the battle.

In the already troubled Europe, by the 11th century, the situation escalated to such an extent that Pope Urban II sent a crowd of raging warriors to conquer the East. Naturally, this event happened due to a number of other reasons, however, the threat of the growing power of the feudal class became a stumbling block in this story.

But don't go to extremes so categorically. Among the knights there were many wise and worthy people, with their own code of honor and noble intentions. But the overwhelming majority still did not adhere to any rules.

Myth 4. Bad attitude towards women

This myth is only half true. The fact is that only 200 years ago Europe ceased to be agrarian. Without modern technologies she wouldn't be able to feed herself.

Naturally, a woman took an active part in agricultural activities, and she also watched the children, cleaned the house and cooked food. But... if we take a closer look at the modern life of people, we will not find such pronounced differences.

Yes, in the Middle Ages, a woman had much less rights and freedoms, and she always obeyed her husband, but there was also no constant overwhelming factor of the beautiful half of humanity. So, we can safely consider this myth exposed.

Myth 5. Life in the Middle Ages

Many modern history buffs say that life in the Middle Ages can be described briefly: wars, death, famine, plague. In many ways they will be right, but not in everything. For example, the average life expectancy of a person in the Dark Ages was much inferior to the modern one and was only about 35 years.

But do not forget that at that time there was a very large number of infant deaths, which were also taken into account in the statistics. But the average length of adult men, for example, was 55 years, which is not so bad for that era.

The plague really knocked down half the population of Europe, but if we proceed from the theory of the most dangerous disease, then this is the Spanish flu, which our planet experienced only in the 18th century. With regard to wars, the same can be said - the most large-scale wars did not take place at all in the era of the Middle Ages.

Naturally, it was hard to live in the Middle Ages, especially in the role of an ordinary peasant, taxed and subject to labor service, but in general, life was not as terrible as it is often used to depict it in many stories and films.

If you want to look at life in the Middle Ages in a media format, then we recommend the following video:

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ancient artifact- an important subject historical meaning. Such an object can be a thing with cultural, religious, and sometimes even everyday significance. The main thing is that the artifact is unique in the historical context, therefore, with careful study, it can tell a lot about the history of its owner.

The knight, standing at the top of the social pyramid, justified his luxurious - relative to the rest - and carefree - also relative to others - life in peacetime by the fact that during the war he was charged with the duty that the rest were not obliged to do: he had to go fight. There was no longer any class of people - even mercenary soldiers were not required to do this! - which would have a similar organic life purpose. By the way, as soon as the knight ceased to justify his function - the function of a defender native land- the people resolutely told him "fe!" something like Jacquerie. So in normal times, such inequality did not cause discontent among anyone. By the way, anyone could become a knight for a very long time. There would be courage. It would never have occurred to anyone, through malicious intent, to gallop across a peasant's field during a hunt. Simply because at the table the knight perfectly remembered whose bread he was eating. And if such an original were found, he would very quickly lose first the peasants, and then the whole servant. Look at the images of peasants - quite numerous, by the way. Weapons are all over the place. And not some knives - what only the peasants are not armed with! At the same time, the chronicles are not at all full of news of massacres, skirmishes and massacres. Not! It’s just that the presence of weapons has been a sign of a free man for a European since ancient times. If somewhere they tried to abolish this order, this served as a sure sign that the authorities were afraid of their people. By the way, one of the few countries where weapons for ordinary people were something forbidden, we see the "beacon of culture and civilization" Byzantium ... And one more observation: the further a weapon becomes from a man, the more cruel, vile and cowardly he is becomes in everyday life ... ... We are completely wrong It's an idea of ​​the Middle Ages. The European Middle Ages span over a thousand years of history and are usually presented as something gloomy. However, recent studies have revealed important differences between the different periods in this long millennium. Little is known about the early stage. A gloomy look is justified for the end of the Middle Ages, for the XIV-XV centuries. The last period is the most terrible; it was he who created a bad image for the entire Middle Ages. But during about the X-XIII centuries, something completely different happened! Speaking about the quality of life of people, some historians even claim that it was the highest in European history, that there was a specific economic boom. The French medievalist Forget concluded that for France the 13th century was last a century of general prosperity in the country. François Ixter, another historian, reports that between the 11th and 13th centuries, the high level of prosperity of the Western world was confirmed by a population explosion unprecedented in history. There are also such statements: "The time between 1150 and 1250 is a time of extraordinary development, a period of economic prosperity, which we can hardly imagine today." What about agricultural productivity? Over these centuries, it has more than doubled on average in most cases. With an increase in productivity, less labor costs began to be required. But education - they usually say that the Middle Ages were a time of savagery. But in 1079, Pope Gregory VII obliged every bishop to have a center of higher learning. Between 1180 and 1230 the first wave of university foundations took place in Europe. Even the abstract sciences, like, for example, mathematics, arose here precisely at this time, and not in the Renaissance of the 16th century, as is commonly believed. Introduction of new equipment and technologies? Please, the records of the Royal Monastery of Saint-Denis for the years 1229-1230 and 1280 have been preserved, according to which a significant part of the mills, furnaces, wine presses and other large equipment were repaired or even completely remade annually. Residents did not wait for something to break. On average, at least 10% of gross annual income was immediately reinvested in equipment maintenance. Since 950, a boom in the production of textiles, pottery and leather goods and much more began. The list of what was produced grew longer and the quality grew. IN textile industry more efficient horizontal looms were introduced, a new technique for making thread was used. There was a revolution in everyday life: houses began to be heated with coal and lit with candles, people began to use glasses when reading, glass was used in everyday life, and the industrial production of paper began. Perhaps the most remarkable of all these great innovations was that from they were greatly benefited by the so-called little people. Evaluating the standard of living of a simple worker is not an easy task, because all the written sources we have tell about the feasts and occupations of the lords and kings of the church, who hired almost all the chroniclers of that time. Nevertheless, the sources that we have are eloquent. For example, Johann Butzbach writes in his chronicle: “Ordinary people rarely had less than four meals for lunch and dinner. for four days they again had a light meal." And the German historian Fritz Schwartz concluded: "There is no difference between a farmhouse and a castle." For a simple worker, Monday was a non-working day, is he used for personal matters. The Sunday preceding it was "Senior's Day", which was spent on public affairs. There were at least ninety official holidays, and some historians claim that in some places there were up to one hundred and seventy holidays a year. Thus, the craftsman, on average, worked no more than four days a week, and the number of working hours was limited. When the dukes of Saxony tried to increase the working day from six to eight hours, the workers rebelled. And the dukes had to persuade their subjects to get by only four meals in every meal. The peasants, who were considered the lower class, often had two rows of silver buttons sewn on their waistcoat and dress, they also wore large silver buckles and jewelry on their shoes, "fashion historians report. Social differences between the upper and lower strata of society were There were also fewer differences between men and women in social relations than in subsequent centuries. There were groups of women doing work "inaccessible to the understanding of men." Only women were engaged in textile business, brewing, the production of all dairy products (including butter and cheese) and, of course, cooking. Women had no problem owning property either! In addition to 312 professions completely monopolized by women, in France by the end of the 13th century there were 108 more in which women were employed: city housekeepers, tax collectors, city guards and musicians. Women were bankers, ran hotels and shops . Bernard Lietar considers the unexpected flourishing of cathedral building to be the strongest, tangible evidence that something unusual was happening at that time (from a modern point of view). And besides hundreds of cathedrals, 1108 monasteries were built or rebuilt between 950 and 1050; 326 more abbeys were completed during the 11th century and 702 more during the 12th century. In these two centuries, abbeys almost the size of a city were built, which is confirmed by the examples of Cluny, the Charité-sur-Loire, Tournus, Cayenne and many others. According to Jean Gimpel, in these three centuries, millions of tons of stone were mined in France alone - more than in Egypt in its entire history. By According to the medievalist Robert Delors, by 1300 there were 350,000 churches in Western Europe, including about 1,000 cathedrals and several thousand large abbeys. And the entire population at that time was estimated at 70 million people. On average, one church accounted for two hundred inhabitants! In some areas of Hungary and Italy, this ratio was even sharper: one church for every hundred inhabitants. It was at this time that the first stone churches appeared in Russia. What is important, the centralized authority - church or any other - had nothing to do with the construction of objects of faith, contrary to established opinion. The vast majority of medieval cathedrals did not belong to either the church or the nobility. They were built by the people for themselves, by themselves and on your money . The cathedral was a place where, in addition to religious rites, meetings of the entire urban population and other social events that required a roof over their heads were held. The sick were treated there; it is no coincidence that until 1454 the medical faculty of the University of Paris was officially located in Notre-Dame-de-Paris. Cathedrals belonged to all citizens, and they maintained them. The church, of course, was in a "privileged" position, since more time was devoted to the performance of religious worship, but she was only one of many actors ... (1.) 1. Kalyuzhny, Valyansky. Armageddon.