Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.31337/oz.75.2.3
The Transfer of Astrology from the Sphere of Science to the Field of Folk Literature in the Texts of Croatian Authors of the 18th and 19th Century
Marijana Borić
orcid.org/0000-0002-0044-0888
; Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The paper discusses the astrological texts of Croatian authors produced after the 17th century when astrology left the field of science and philosophy and entered into other genres which were meant for a broader readership. Various forms of astrological contributions are described which were found in the calendar and related literature and, in particular, a few astrological manuscripts written in the Croatian language are analyzed. It is demonstrated that the shift made by astrology from the sphere of science into the field of folk literature did not diminish interest in astrological content. This can be concluded from the example of 18th and 19th century texts. The paper analyzes their content, templates, and domains with a view to better understand the Croatian astrological tradition and its place and definition in the corpus of the Croatian literary heritage. The texts described were not intended for a narrow intellectual stratum, but rather for a wider circle of readers and do not contain explanations on how horoscopes or theoretical astrology are needed to carry on astrological practice. Croatian manuscripts portray and interpret astrological predictions in the way they appear in folk tales printed from the 16th century onward in Western Europe. In Croatian calendars, astrological contributions have been on the rise since the end of the 17th century, as for example in Vitezović’s calendars, which were printed as a series of calendars dating from the second half of the 18th century. The same can be seen in the second part of the Mathematical Handbook of Mate Zorčić Arithmetic which includes an astrological circle. They were also printed in the first half of the 19th
century in annual calendars and especially in a centuries–old Croatian calendar, which, due to their popularity, were published several times, and their astrological contributions were transmitted by younger editors also. The manuscripts described were intended for the leisure and instruction of the common folk, written as manuals for everyday life, determining their content as well as their purview. Although they deal with astrological contributions, the authors emphasize that our world is
completely in the hands of God’s providence. Since in the texts described, there is no prophecying of human destiny, it was not unusual for priests and friars to believe in such predictions. The texts provide basic information on the characteristics of particular planets, which are in line with general medieval and Renaissance astrological attitudes and which had been incorporated into Aristotle’s natural philosophy. The
fact that they were written in the Croatian language at a time when few works existed in the language of the common people, places these texts into the framework of the effort to enlighten those who are easily manipulated. In addition, they are a valuable asset for the reconstruction of the level of knowledge and attitudes which prevailed at that time. However, that which stands behind the attitudes represented in Croatian
astrological texts from the 18th century was already very conservative in relation to the point of view not only of scientists, but also of what they represented in the field of education in Croatia at that time.
Keywords
astrology; astronomy; philosophy; Paul Ritter Vitezović; Josip Franjo Kosednar; Ivan Maurović; astrological manuscripts; literature
Hrčak ID:
238795
URI
Publication date:
11.6.2020.
Visits: 1.887 *