Świętopełk jako lis i lew w kronice Piotra z Dusburga. O biblijnych i pozabiblijnych źródłach metafor i porównań zwierzęcych

Abstrakt

Peter of Duisburg (Dusburg) used stylistic means characteristic of literary language. They included also metaphors and comparisons. An often mentioned figure in Duisburg’s chronicle is Duke Świętopełk, who is presented as an evil ruler hostile to Christianity. His conduct is compared to the behavior of two animals — the fox and the lion. He was attributed such character traits as cunning, deceit, falsehood and vileness, which are defining features of the fox. The position of the lion in the Middle Ages was special. It was often used in comparisons carrying predominantly positive meanings, but also some negative as well. In Duisburg’s chronicle, too, the lion is used to describe both positive and negative personal traits. In reference to the duke and his son Mściwoj comparisons to the lion drew by Peter of Duisburg were of negative character. In these fragments the lion symbolizes the devil; here Peter of Duisburg drew on the comparison found in the First Epistle of St Paul.