Ali se mudou a aventura… The mythical imaginary in Luís Krus’ thought

Abstract

From “A morte das fadas” (1985) to the study of “uma variante peninsular do mito de Melusina” (1994), through the reflections on “As origens lendárias dos condes de Trastâmara” (1992), the myth – as a dynamic structure which creates and organizes an unified vision of the world – echoes repeatedly and obsessively in the thought of Luís Krus. Recognizing the rhetorical, anthropological and ideological importance of the fictional narrative for the legitimization of the lineage and the construction of a discourse on the past, Luís Krus has devoted not only his work to an important renewal of the traditional viewpoints of Portuguese Medieval Historiography. He has deeply reinvented the dialogue among Literature, History and Studies on the Imaginary (as, for example, “A cidade no imaginário medieval” [1983] or “O imaginário português e os medos do mar” [1998]) creating bridges through people, disciplines, knowledge, languages and methodologies that are still largely lacking today.