From Ancient Mediterranen to Medieval Europe Transition of Fiction to History: A Literary Tradition Spanning from Homer's Iliad to Geoffrey Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain and Beyond

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 7, 34 - 48, 29.12.2025

Oğulcan Şimşek

Abstract

The ancient Mediterranean world served as a vital cradle of literature for both Occidental and Oriental traditions, inspiring poets and writers whose works shaped many movements and conventions that spread beyond the region. A prime example is Homer's Iliad, composed in the 8th century BC. This foundational epic originated the literary tradition known as the Matter of Troy, which centered on the concept of Nova Troia (New Troy). This phenomenon—the transition of the Trojan narrative from fiction to perceived fact—is the central subject of this article. We will linearly analyze and compare successor works that inherited the Trojan origin concept, including the Aeneid (Rome), the History of the Britons and History of the English Kings (Britain), and the Roman de Brut (Normandy) and more. By examining these texts, we aim to comprehend how this transformation from fiction to legend and, eventually, to history occurred through the eyes of their Medieval readers.

Keywords

Geoffrey Monmouth , New Troy , Iliad , from fiction to history

Ethical Statement

I hereby declere that throughout the study I have complied with the publishing rules, ethical outlines and citation principles.

Eskiçağ Akdenizinden Ortaçağ Avrupasına Nova Troia (Yeni Truva) Anlatısının Kurgudan Tarihyazımına Dönüşümü: Homeros’un İlyada Destanından Britanyalı Monmouth’un İngiliz Krallarının Tarihi’ne ve Ötesine Uzanan Bir Gelenek

Abstract

Akdeniz dünyası Eskiçağ’da şair ve yazarlarının ortaya koyduğu eserlerle Doğu ve Batı edebiyatını besleyen bir kaynak olmuş, bu eserler yüzyıllar sonra dahi bir takım fikir ve geleneklerin oluşmasında etkin rol oynamış ve Akdeniz sınırlarını aşmıştır. Akdenizli bir ozan olan Homeros’un MÖ 8. yüzyılda ortaya koyduğu İlyada destanı edebiyatta Nova Troia yani Yeni Truva konsepti üzerinden “Truva anlatısı” şeklinde kabul edilen bir geleneğin çıkış noktası olmuş ve bu anlatı ortaya çıktığı Akdeniz coğrafyasını aşarak Batı edebiyatında ve tarihyazımında kurgudan tarihe geçişin nasıl gerçekleştiğini ortaya koymasıyla bu çalışmanın konusu olmuştur. İlyada’yı takip eden Roma’da Aeneid, Britanya’da Britonların Tarihi ve İngiliz Krallarının Tarihi, Normandiya’da Roman de Brut gibi eserler mukayeseli bir şekilde ele alınarak bunların Yeni Truva anlatısını nasıl devam ettirdiği ve bu noktada bir kurgunun efsaneleşerek nasıl Ortaçağ okuyucusunun nezdinde tarihî bir gerçeğe dönüştüğü ortaya koyulmuştur.

Keywords

Geoffrey Monmouth , Yeni Truva , İlyada , kurgudan tarihe

Ethical Statement

Çalışmanın tüm süreçlerinin araştırma ve yayın etiğine uygun olduğunu, etik kurallara ve bilimsel atıf gösterme ilkelerine uyduğumu beyan ederim.

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