I suppose that like everything else, how well known the
dragon story was varies from time to time and place to
place, but my impression was that it's fairly well-known -
eg, the Golden Legend says something to the effect that the
dragon story is apocryphal but popular. And it is a
memorable episode, and stands out from the standard vm
themes. Though, as you suggest, if the copy of the vita is
itself the magical object, you don't actually have to read
it to get the benefit.
In the versions of Margaret that I know, when Margaret
organises her cult just before she dies, she stresses the
health of the mother rather than the child. I think
standard practice - if there is such a thing, that is - was
to save the mother not the child if the situation required
- but can't immediately remember where I got this idea from
and would welcome support and/or correction.
I don't know whether women originated the idea, but some
certainly took it up - Margaret Paston, for example, refers
to a St Margaret ring when she is pregnant. But I still
don't see the appeal of the image.
On Wed, 26 Jul 2000 07:06:26 -0400 (EDT) [log in to unmask]
wrote:
> > The safe escape of
> > > St.Margaret from the dragon's belly was an obvious symbol of childbirth and
>
> > As the dragon explodes, I've never understood what the
> > women liked about the symbol.
>
> which makes one wonder whether women were, in fact, the original
> promotors of the idea? Two points for discussion:
> the "child" survivess the " maybe this was more important than the
> mother surviving?
> how well known was the dragon story? would a woman who called on
> saint margaret have known of this etiology? For example, in reformation
> iceland, copies of the saga (translated vita) of St. Margaret were
> sometimes taken to women in childbed. I doubt very much that those
> involved (either the women or the owners of the saga) were aware
> of the original reason why Margarets saga was used.
>
>
> Margaret Cormack [log in to unmask]
> Dept. of Philosophy and Religion fax: 843-953-6388
> College of Charleston tel: 843-953-8033
> Charleston, SC 29424-0001
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