the reference is:
Arne Odd Johnsen Naar slo Sunniva-kulten igjennom?
in Bjorgvin bispestol (theres a slash through the o in
bjorgvin which my computer will not insert)
ed. Biskop per Juvkam
Bergen 1968
the similariteis dont convern oars, but rather a
high born maiden taking off with a huge number
of followers who are eventually victims of the
heathens. obviously if the stories were identical
in all respects, someone in the MA would have
identified Sunniva with Ursula, whose main
shrine was Cologne. and in the 12th century
norway was trying to distance itself from
germany, rather than give them a chance to
claim a saint (or her story) as their own!
meg
> Thank you for these and can you give me the Norwegian reference in full ? I
> cannot read any Scandinavian language, but Canon Anders Bergquist of the
> Cathedral-and-Abbey-Church of St Albans is of Swedish parentage and
> bi-lingual. He has been working recently on Nicholas Breakspeare's mission
> to Scandinavia just prior to his (NB's) election as Pope Adrian IV.
> Obviously it would be interesting to have read as much as possible before we
> all go to Selja. The link with Ursula is suggestive but surely the "chucking
> the oars overboard" habit is a pretty common one with celtic saints ? esp.
> Cornish & Irish ones. I don't recall Ursula being crushed to death in a cave
> ....
> Brenda M. Cook
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2000 12:22 PM
> Subject: norwegian - english relations
> > for the latest assessment of the english missions to
> > scandinavia, see
> > Lesley Abrams Eleventh-century Missions and the Early Stages of
> > Ecclesiastical Organisation in Scandinavia, ANglo-Norman studies
> > xvii 1995 21-40
> > and her article (whose title i do not have at hand)
> > in Anglo-Saxon England 24
> >
> > with regard to Sunniva, it has been argued quite convincingly
> > by Arne Odd Johnsen (i can provide references for those who
> > read norwegian) that the original saints were simply the
> > "people of selja" (seljumen) and that the specific name and
> > story of Sunniva (which resembles the story of St Ursula to
> > a remarkable degree) was attached to the church at Selje
> > on the occasion of a translation of relics in 1170.
> >
> > another connection has, however, only recently pointed out.
> > The story of St. Amphibolus of St. Albans could well have
> > reached norway with Matthew Paris in the mid 13th century.
> > at any rate, the method of martyrdom - having ones guts
> > wound out as one is forced to walk around a stake -
> > was eventually picked up by a saga author in iceland.
> > for a fascinating account of the development of a motif,
> > see
> > John Frankis From Saints life to saga:The fatal walk of alfred
> > aetheling, saint amphibalus, and the viking brodir
> > in Saga Book of the Viking Society vol xxv part 2 (1999) 121-37.
> >
> > 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
> >
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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