This study deals with two short Latin annalistic texts of Czech provenance dating from the turn of the 14th and 15th century which have been written according to two different models on a free place of ms. 5483 in the holdings of the Austrian National Library in Vienna and collected in one series of annals. The article examines the reference of these texts to other similar texts coming from the Czech late middle ages environment. The contents of the Annals is information about the last Přemyslides, genealogic records about Czech Luxemburger, and news about what happened mostly in Prague in the 14th century.
In the culminating and late middle ages funny scenes, the so called drôleries, appear in the borders of illuminated manuscripts. Th eir problems are not explained completely; they seem to contain hidden spiritual meanings. Besides singing birds, which are symbols of the unearthly sphere, fi gures appear most oft en who were taken as negative in middle-ages – owls, apes, beasts of prey, dragons, and clowns. Th e fi gures of antique mythology were perceived as negative too; the cults connected with them were perceived as demoniacism by the Christian society. Drôleries are usually placed in borders which are decorated with an acanth. Th e acanth in time became a symbol of victory over death. It can be also interpreted as Christ´s crown of thorns. In this way the spirit of medieval symbolism indicated that negative forces are driven to the margin and defeated by Christ´s victim.