Terrible reality? Cannibalism in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in Livonia in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries - between chroniclers’ invective and the findings of cultural anthropology
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė (LDK; Grand Duchy of Lithuania; GDL); Lietuvos istorija; Socialinė istorija; Kasdienybė; Kultūros antropologija; Lithuanian history; Social history; Trivial round; Cultural anthropology.
ENWhat do the narrative sources of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries conceal when we read their descriptions of the losses and disasters suffered by the civilian population during wars and civil catastrophes? Are their accounts impartial statements, or do they reflect anger, outrage or deep sorrow? When describing the calamities of that time, the most emotional and impressive stories which historians can present to readers today tell of cannibalism. These narratives do indeed recall real events. However, should we always treat the information provided by the narrative sources of the seventeenth century at face value, as a record of actual facts? May we discern behind the apparently factual descriptions of cannibalism a reality best viewed from the perspective of psychology, cultural anthropology and physiology?. [Extract, p. 183]
