Anger, Fear, Joy on the Medieval Battlefield: Their Linguistic Expression

This paper aims to explore linguistic and cultural information about three fundamental emotions, as represented in a specific source, the Miracles of St Demetrios of Thessalonica by John Staurakios, a Byzantine author active in the latter half of the 13th century, examined in its 14th – 15th century Slavonic translation. The study analyses the ways in which the vocabulary of emotion operates within the structure of the miracle narratives and contributes to their message. The analysis focuses on six miracle accounts related to the sieges of Thessalonica by both barbarian and hostile Christian armies. It is argued that these narratives construct a standardised set of emotional responses and typical situations characterised by recurring emotional patterns corresponding to what contemporary theory refers to as cognitive schemata or prototypes. Emotional experiences are interpreted through a biblical code of good and evil, with fear, anger and joy expressed as collective states, articulated through a stable lexicon of words, phrases and symbols. The paper highlights the syncretic nature of the medieval text and its divergence from modern, individualistic conceptions of psychology. Finally, conclusions are drawn regarding the translatability of these emotional concepts and the interpretive choices made by the anonymous Slavic translator.