Dziadowskie pieśni o Sądzie Ostatecznym i końcu świata wobec tradycji biblijnej i apokryficznej

Abstract

In the late Middle Ages, it was an accepted belief that the end of the world would be announced by fifteen cosmic signs. Similar motifs can be found in relatively numerous beggar’s songs from the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Their sources can be located in medieval Latin hymns, Apocrypha, and Old Polish literature. These inspirations include the Bible, Apocrypha, De Civitate Dei of St. Augustine, Crisias of Verecundus da Iunca, The Golden Legend written by Jacobus de Voragine, Przeraźliwe echo trąby ostatecznej ( The Terrifying Echo of the Doomsday Trumpet ) by Klemens Boleslawiusz and others. This article is an attempt to prove that authors of beggar’s songs establish a dialogue with the tradition and introduce their own motifs, which are characteristic of the times in which they lived.