Učenci a démoni. Čerti, zlí duchové a jejich působení v západoslovanských učeneckých textech pozdního středověku a raného novověku
Scholars and Demons. Devils, Evil Spirits and their Influence in West Slavic Scholarly Texts of the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with changes in the perception of Slavic demonology in Central European sources from the Middle Ages and early modern period, i.e. in texts from the 14th to 18th centuries. In these texts, we encounter some creatures that we know from Slavic folklore. These are mainly devils („čert/czart“), who appear in West Slavic sources from the14th century and are very often identified with Christian demons and the devil. This identification is a peculiarity of the West Slavic language area. However, the term „čert/czart“ did not ultimately become synonymous with the devil and was completely relegated to folklore in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the same time, the interpretation of phenomena attributed to evil spirits („čerti/czarci“) illustrated the intellectual changes among Central European scholars. While in the 16th and 17th centuries, the phenomena and creatures mentioned were understood as real and authors attempted to interpret them theologically in accordance with the Christian worldview, it was not until the 18th century that the Enlightenment interpretation prevailed, classifying these phenomena as superstition and fiction

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