Mediaeval Tales of the Supernatural
Walter Map (1140 – c. 1210) was a cleric, a courtier, and a very odd and witty man. He collected a bunch of stories he calls “trifles” or “gossip”: among them, tales of ghostly knights and cursed babies, demonic Popes and foreign monsters. He gripes about kings. He talks trash about saints he knew.
Here’s a RTF file of my translation of my favorite Walter Map stories, taken from his book De nugis curialum (“Courtly Trifles”). It originally appeared in 3rd bed #7.
WARNING: THESE STORIES CONTAIN MATERIAL THAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGER READERS.
Walter Map Translation for Website in Rich Text Format.
Hope you enjoy these Gothic tales from the Gothic era!
mta
