OF LIVING LEGENDS AND AUTHENTIC TALES: HOW TO GET REMEMBERED IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE

Folklore experts have shown that for a legend to be remembered it is important that it is historicised. Focusing on three case-studies from early modern Germany and the Netherlands, this article explores how the historicisation of mythical narratives operated in early modern Europe, and argues that...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transactions of the Royal Historical Society 2013-12, Vol.23, p.103-125
Main Author: Pollmann, Judith
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Children
Cradles
European history
Fables
Folklore
Folktales
Legends
Memory
Myths
Sons
Tales
Trucks
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Folklore experts have shown that for a legend to be remembered it is important that it is historicised. Focusing on three case-studies from early modern Germany and the Netherlands, this article explores how the historicisation of mythical narratives operated in early modern Europe, and argues that memory practices played a crucial role in the interplay between myth and history. The application of new criteria for historical evidence did not result in the decline of myths. By declaring such stories mythical, and by using the existence of memory practices as evidence for this, scholars could continue to take them seriously.
ISSN:0080-4401
1474-0648
DOI:10.1017/S0080440113000054