medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> Blaise is also invoked prophylactically on his feast day (which
> in the Northern Hemisphere occurs during a season when upper
> respiratory infections are common) to ward off coughs and other
> afflictions of the throat. As a parochial school student in a
> Roman Catholic parish I received annually the traditional
> Blessing of the Throat with crossed candles; as I remember the
> blessing, it was a prayer for intercession that God might deliver
> me of all illness of the throat, not specifically of +present+ illness.
>
I know it's not entirely relevant to this list, and I hope no one minds my
asking, but I wondered if there could be any connection with this saint
Blaise and the character of the same name in the Robert de Boron Merlin
tradition. In this, Blaise (or Blase) is a hermit connected with Vercelli
in Italy to whom Merlin intermittently dictates his story. There is a Blaes
who appears in the fifteenth-century Welsh work 'Pedwar Marchog ar Hugain
Llys Arthur', but he is identified very clearly as a knight of King Arthur's
court and seems unlikely as being equivalent to Merlin's confidant.
Many thanks, and apologies for going slightly off-topic.
Best wishes
Rowin Cross
(cross-posted to Arthurnet).
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