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From: Francine Nicholson <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 9:15 PM Subject: RE: patron saints - the rise of characteristic attributes > There were also what I'll call folktales, often separate and > distinct from what was preached though they frequently overlapped as well. > Some of these stories can only be guessed at since they were strictly oral > and were lost. And many of these folk tales would have been garbled or assimilated versions of stories of saints ... And do not forget that a "poor parson" on his pastoral rounds would be sitting by sick beds / death beds or sharing a mug of ale in the toft and telling stories. This would have been seen as entertainment as much as moral exhortation, especially if he had the talent of a good raconteur. (How many modern clergy are actors manqué ???) And these stories would have been remembered and passed on by lay-folk. The intelligent illiterate usually have an excellent and accurate memory for aural input. Naturally there was a strong local feel about many stories of saints - apart from the Big Ones. What I find interesting is the enormous overlap between cults in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. BMC %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%