O przedstawieniach natury w średniowiecznych żywotach świętego Wojciecha
On the perceptions of nature in medieval hagiography of St. Adalbert

Summary/Abstract: The paper attempts to examine nature as a theme in the five oldest hagiographical texts onSt. Adalbert: “The First Life of St. Adalbert” (Sancti Adalberti Pragensis episcopi et martyris vitaprior), “The Second Life of St. Adalbert” (Vita et passio s. Adalberti altera), “The Martyrdom of St. Adalbert” (Pasio Sancti Adalperti martiris), the life on the “Tempore illo” incipit (De sanctoAdalberto episcopo), and “The Miracles of St. Adalbert” (Miracula sancti Adalberti). A short introductioninto the topic of the medieval perception of nature is followed by a characteristic ofthe texts. The core of the paper is an analysis of the fragments of the texts where nature is beingdescribed. In approximately 30,000 words, a couple of dozen uses of nature-related motifsare counted. Their metaphorical, symbolic, and rhetorical interpretation is discussed. The conclusionof the paper consists of the observation of the medieval concept of depicting sanctity:from relative realism to idealisation and conventionalisation.

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