Zvonovi so sami zapeli: Naravne nesreče in kolektivni spomin

This book primarily centers on the 1348 earthquake, with the investigation decisively shaped by an effort to explain the historical context of accounts associated with Kamnik and narratives about a lake said to have once existed there. Because this natural disaster was poorly documented in written sources in Slovenia, the study looks for traces of it in accounts related to the flooding of other Slovenian lakes, rockslides, and river blockages. Evidence of the earthquake’s destructive power is further identified in post-earthquake settlement patterns, toponyms, and the decline of certain market towns alongside the emergence of new ones. These findings are compared with accounts of a dragon as the agent of the earthquake and accounts of other mythological beings, including traces of ritual practices. In this regard, the book examines various interpretations of the Dobratsch rockslide and elucidates the social backgrounds of these views. The study of the earthquake is further complemented by an analysis of fundamental social, artistic, and spiritual transformations in Slovenia immediately after the earthquake, thus also identifying the event’s catastrophic significance at these levels. The conclusions are compared against the most recent geological findings, and, through selected elements of various accounts, the book also opens a perspective on catastrophes in the distant past and their impact on the lives of Slovenians.