CONTENTS AND EXTRACTS
1. Emperor Constantine
rescues Constantinople a few days before the fall
2. Speech of Constantine Palaeologus XI
3.How a Varangos attempted
to rape one woman
4. Little Vasileios is
protected by an eagle
5. Vasileios kills a big
wolf
6. The demons of Elos
7. A parrot in the palace of Vasileios I.
8. Evdokia Paleogogina: the
Eros of Thessaloniki
9. Two strange creatures of Nile
10. Night of horror at
Constantinople
11.The
wives of March
12.
The Moires (at Amfissa)
13.The Kallikantzaroi
(at Amorgos)
14. The Verveludes
15.The Mandrakoukos
Special Miniatures of
Manuscrpits
1. Emperor Constantine
rescues Constantinople a few days before the fall. 1453
«If Emperor Constantine did not come at this time, the city would be captured, this would be the last moment of a magnificent city.
When the
Emperor arrived, he began to shout very loudly and imperiously to encourage his
people, he roared like a lion and rushed to the Turks with their guards,
lackeys and horsemen and struck them a strong blow, nothing could stop him and
break his sword...."
2. Speech of Constantine
Palaeologus XI. Monday May 28, 1453
« Dear
rulers, mayors and generals, brilliant soldiers, honest and loyal citizens, you
all know perfectly well that the time has come when the enemy of our faith
decided to pressure us even more with all his military equipment and tricks
which he has.
He wants to
start a general offensive and war, ready to bite us like a ferocious serpent
and devour us like a lion. That is why I ask you to act with courage, as you
have done before, to go against the enemies of our faith.
I leave in your
hands the fate of the glorified and brilliant our homeland, the majestic and
noble king of all cities.
You know very well, that for four reasons we must
choose death, not life. Firstly, for the sake of our faith and religion,
secondly, for the sake of our homeland, thirdly, for the sake of the king and,
fourthly, for the sake of our relatives and friends....."
3. How a Varangos attempted
to rape one woman in 1034 under the reign of Michael IV Paflagones.
«At that time, there was another incident that is worth it to tell. One of the Varangoi (a military man from Nothern Europe, in the use of the emperor), who were sent to the Thrakesion Thema to spend the winter, met a local woman when she was alone and tried to steal her innocence.
But due to the
fact that he did not succeed in persuading her, he began to use violence, she
pulled the sword from his scabbard and struck the barbarian in the heart and
immediately killed him...."
4. Little Vasileios is
protected by an eagle.
At Macedonia during the reign of Leo V 813-820, The little boy is the later great emperor Vasileios I the Macedonian the Kefalas.
«It was the summer season and the parents went to their field to get the reapers to work. While the parents were working, the child was in a tent, which they built to protect him from the sun and that he would sleep peacefully without danger of overheating. Then they put him to bed in the tent and went to work.
But when
the sun came out and the rays hit the child, an eagle descended and spread its
wings over it, protecting the child from the sun. Those who saw this began to
scream, because they were afraid that the bird could harm the baby, and the
mother immediately ran to her child...."
5. Vasileios kills a big
wolf. At the time of Michael III, 870
«Once they went on a hunt near Filopatio, led their campaign by the Protostrator (the future emperor), having a royal bardukion (military item) on his belt. But suddenly they became excited when one wolf came out from the forest...."
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