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
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