Supernatural Stories and Fairy Tales Told in the Works of Historians in Medieval England

Yıl 2023, Cilt: 6 Sayı: 3, 1328 - 1345, 27.12.2023

Gülnur Özer

https://doi.org/10.55666/folklor.1354470

Öz

Medieval folklore is quite diverse. There are many sources about their food, healing methods, beliefs, tales and stories. Since the beginning of the Middle Ages, many rituals have been included in laws and texts for ways of protection from fairies, depictions of monsters, protection of harvests, and fighting bad luck. For this reason, while some of the historians wrote their works in the chronicle style, some of them applied to supernatural stories, fairy tales and omens while describing their periods. Therefore, these works are more special as they refer to the kings who lived in the narrator's time and their relations with other countries, wars, events such as natural disasters, as well as miraculous events, omens and supernatural events. Albeit with different techniques, each of them aims to tell the realities of the period in which they live. Just as Gervase of Canterbury saw the purpose of the chronicles as telling the truth. From this point of view, history writers included the supernatural events that people believed in, and included the reality of the period in every sense in their works. The protagonists of these supernatural events, such as giants, fairies, demons and jinn, witches, ghosts, are also the protagonists of fairytales and supernatural stories. The best means of getting to know people are tales and stories, because behind their supernatural identity are the roles of knights, kings, peasants, women, men in society, and the sanctity of religious and moral values. Stories and fairy tales can be compared to chronicles and historical artifacts, as they contain a belief and folk truth at their core.
British historians, who blended the past and traditions with the newly formed Anglo-Norman perspective after the Norman Conquest, were particularly active in the 12th century. By enriching the narratives of 12th century historians with the supernatural stories and fairy tales in their works, they aim to teach and enable us to look at the beliefs of the society from a broader perspective. The aim of this study; It is to show that the works of the 12th century English historians, whose works we refer to, especially on the subjects related to the political history of Medieval England, can be a reference for learning not only the political history but also all kinds of beliefs of the society. Chronicon Anglicanum of Ralph of Coggeshalli, whom we know mostly for his impartiality, De Nugis Curialium by Walter Map, famous for his satires, Historia rerum Anglicarum, one of the most important works of British History, William of Newburgh, British social history Historia Ecclesiastica author of Orderic Vitalis, told the history of the kings of England, the Gesta Regum Anglorum, the work of William of Malmesbury, tells us supernatural tales and fairy tales centered on green children in the fields, wild people pulled from the sea, ghosts, fairy women who marry mortal men, and vampires. In this study, we will describe these supernatural stories and fairy tales, and in some of them events that are based on historical reality

Anahtar Kelimeler

Medieval, England, Walter Map, William of Newburgh, Fairy Tales

ORTA ÇAĞ İNGİLTERE’SİNDEKİ TARİHÇİLERİN ESERLERİNDE ANLATILAN DOĞAÜSTÜ HİKAYELER VE PERİ MASALLARI

Öz

Orta Çağ folkloru oldukça çeşitlidir. Yemekleri, şifa yöntemleri, inançları, masalları ve hikayeleri ile ilgili birçok kaynak bulunmaktadır. Orta Çağ’ın başlarından itibaren kanunlarda ve metinlerde, perilerden korunma yolları, canavarların tasvirleri, hasatların korunması, uğursuzluklarla mücadele etmek gibi durumlar için birçok ritüele yer verilir. Bu nedenle tarihçilerin bazıları eserlerini kronik tarzda kaleme alırken bazıları da dönemlerini anlatırken doğaüstü hikayelere, peri masallarına ve alametlere başvurmuştur. Dolayısıyla bu eserler, anlatıcının döneminde yaşayan krallara ve onların diğer ülkelerle olan ilişkilerine, savaşlara, doğal afetler gibi yaşanan olaylara olduğu gibi mucizevi olaylara, alametlere ve doğaüstü vakalara da değindiği için daha özeldir. Farklı tekniklerle de olsa her biri yaşadıkları dönemin gerçeklerini anlatmayı amaçlamaktadır. Canterburyli Gervase’in kroniklerin amacını gerçeği anlatmak görmesi gibi. Bu açıdan bakıldığında tarih yazarları insanların inandığı doğaüstü olaylara da yer vererek bir nevi dönemin her anlamda gerçeğine eserlerinde yer vermişlerdir. Bu doğaüstü olayların baş kahramanları olan devler, periler, şeytanlar ve cinler, cadılar, hayaletler aynı zamanda masalların ve doğaüstü hikayelerinde baş kahramanlarıdır. Bir halkı tanımanın en iyi aracı masallar ve hikayelerdir çünkü doğaüstü kimliklerinin arkasında şövalyelerin, kralların, köylülerin, kadınların, erkeklerin toplum içerisindeki rolleri, dini ve ahlaki değerlerin kutsallığı vardır. Hikayeler ve masallar temelinde bir inancı ve halk gerçeğini barındırdıkları için kroniklere ve tarihi eserlere benzetilebilir.
Norman Fethinden sonra geçmişi, gelenekleri yeni oluşan Anglo-Norman bakış açısı ile harmanlayan İngiliz tarihçiler, 12.yüzyılda özellikle daha aktiftir. 12.yüzyıl tarihçileri eserlerindeki doğaüstü hikayeler ve peri masalları ile anlatılarını zenginleştirerek ders vermeyi amaçladıkları gibi toplumun inanışlarına da geniş bir açıdan bakmamızı sağlar. Bu çalışmanın amacı; Orta Çağ İngiltere’si ile ilgili özellikle siyasi tarihiyle ilgili konularda eserlerine başvurduğumuz 12.yüzyıl İngiliz tarihçilerinin bu eserlerinin sadece siyasi tarih değil toplumun her türden inanışlarını da öğrenmek için referans olabileceklerini göstermektir. Daha çok tarafsızlığı ile bildiğimiz Coggeshalli Ralph’ın kroniği Chronicon Anglicanum, hicivleriyle ünlü Walter Map’in De Nugis Curialium’u, İngiltere Tarihi’ni anlatan en önemli eserlerinden biri olan Historia rerum Anglicarum’un yazarı Newburghlu William, İngiliz sosyal tarihi Historia Ecclesiastica’nın yazarı Orderic Vitalis, İngiltere krallarının tarihini anlatan Malmesburyli William’ın eseri Gesta Regum Anglorum bizlere tarlalarda bulunan yeşil çocukları, denizden çıkarılan vahşi insanları, hayaletleri, ölümlü erkeklerle evlenen peri kadınları ve vampirleri merkez alan doğaüstü hikayeler ve peri masallarını anlatır. Bu çalışmada, bu doğaüstü hikayeler ve peri masallarını ve bunların bazılarında da tarihi gerçekliğe dayandırılan olayları anlatacağız.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Orta Çağ, İngiltere, Walter Map, Newburghlu William, Peri Masalları

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