medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear All,
Although everyone and his friend has by now googled saint Urho (that indeed
is the right version of the name), I would like to point out few things.
1. There never existed such person, not to mention saint
2. He was invented as a practical joke. The Finns who had emigrated to US
noticed that Irish workers had a day off in Saint Patrick's and decided to
even the score. Hence they invented this bogus saint and managed to fool
their employers (furbi as the Italians would say). As is often case, the
original nature of the practical joke was forgotten (at least by some
people), and hence there actually are persons who think that this bogus
saint once existed.
3. Saint Urho's "cult" is strictly limited to ethnic Finns in USA. He is
completely and utterly unknown in Finland.
All the best,
Jussi Hanska
At 17:35 20.3.2005 -0500, you wrote:
>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
>I've been to Finland, Minnesota, a very small town on the shore of Lake
>Superior. There, he's called St. Urho, not Erho, and there's a giant
>wooden grasshopper in the town to commemorate his having driven the
>grasshoppers out of Finland (Europe). Googling should turn up quite a few
>things on him. Apologies if someone has already pointed this out.
>
>MP
>
> >From: Phyllis Jestice <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval
> religious culture <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: [M-R] saints of the day 18. March
> >Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 08:28:17 -0800
> >
> >medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> >culture
> >
> >>Try plugging "Saint Erho" and "St. Erho" into an internet search
> >>engine. There are very few hits, in a very weird dialect. The
> >>whole business of "St. Erho's Day" seems to be a complicated gag.
> >
> >Phyllis
> >
> >>medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> >>culture
> >>
> >>Hello,
> >>
> >>I have never heard from St. Erho, living surrounded by
> >>the LUTHERAN culture of Finland most of my life.
> >>
> >>Greetings from York, -Tom
> >>
> >>----- Original Message -----
> >>From: Sean Field <[log in to unmask]>
> >>Date: Friday, March 18, 2005 1:53 pm
> >>Subject: Re: [M-R] saints of the day 18. March
> >>
> >>> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion
> >>>and
> >>> culture
> >>> Growing up in Michigan's upper peninsula, an area with a large
> >>> Scandinavianpopulation, I remember that Finnish kids would
> >>>insist
> >>> that March 18 (the
> >>> day after St. Patrick's) was St. Erho's day. Erho, according to
> >>>them,
> >>> drove all the grasshoppers out of Finland. Though they seemed
> >>>to
> >>> take it
> >>> seriously, I always assumed it was an old joke whose humor had
> >>> been lost on
> >>> my fine Finnish friends. Perhaps the learned members of this
> >>>list
> >>> couldtell me whether St. Erho's day is a widespread phenomenon?
> >>>
> >>> Sean Field
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> At 04:42 PM 3/17/2005 -0800, you wrote:
> >>> >medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion
> >>>and
> >>> culture>
> >>> >Today (18. March) is the feast day of:
> >>> >
> >>> >Alexander of Jerusalem (d. 251) Alexander was a Cappadocian
> >>>and
> >>> >became a bishop there after study in Alexandria. A. was
> >>>imprisoned
> >>> >during Severus' persecution; when he was released he went to
> >>> >Jerusalem, and became coadjutor in 212---the first known case
> >>>of such
> >>> >a thing. A. was censured for giving refuge to Origen and
> >>>ordaining
> >>> >him. But he seems to have redeemed himself by dying in prison
> >>>during
> >>> >Decius' persecution.
> >>> >
> >>> >Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386) Cyril became patriarch of
> >>>Jerusalem in
> >>> >c. 349, and spent most of his life bouncing back and forth
> >>>between
> >>> >episcopacy and exile, thanks to the ongoing Arian controversy.
> >>>He
> >>> >was a firm opponent of Arianism. C. was declared a doctor of
> >>>the
> >>> >church in 1882.
> >>> >
> >>> >Frigidian (d. c. 588) Frigidian (or Frediano) was an Irishman,
> >>> >according to tradition the son of one of Ireland's many kings.
> >>>He
> >>> >went on pilgrimage to Italy, and once there became a hermit
> >>>near
> >>> >Lucca. In time F. became bishop of Lucca. After the Lombard
> >>> >invasion, F. rebuilt the cathedral and did a good job helping
> >>>the
> >>> >needy. Tradition says he formed his clergy into a community
> >>>and
> >>> >lived with them.
> >>> >
> >>> >Edward the Martyr (d. 978) Edward was the son of Edgar the
> >>>Peaceable
> >>> >of England and Ethelfleda; he became king in 975 at the age of
> >>>about
> >>> >12. His evil stepmother appears to have arranged E's murder
> >>>three
> >>> >years later, which benefited *her* son Aethelred (the Unready).
> >>> E's
> >>> >claim to saintliness is based on his close alliance with the
> >>> >reforming faction of the English church.
> >>> >
> >>> >Anselm of Lucca (d. 1086) Anselm's uncle, Pope Alexander II
> >>>(also
> >>> >named Anselm of Lucca, just to be confusing), named A. bishop
> >>>of
> >>> >Lucca in 1071. Sent off to Emperor Henry IV to be invested,
> >>>Anselm
> >>> >at first refused, then accepted, then went and became a Cluniac
> >>>monk
> >>> >instead of going home to his see. Recalled by Gregory VII, A.
> >>>soon
> >>> >became a leader of the reform party. He was driven from Lucca,
> >>>but
> >>> >spent the rest of his life in papal service.
> >>> >
> >>> >Salvator of Horta (d. 1567) Salvator was orphaned as a child.
> >>>He
> >>> >became a shoemaker in Barcelona and at the age of 20 joined the
> >>> >Observant Franciscans, serving the community as a cook. S. was
> >>> >renowned for his ascetic practices and healing miracles. S.
> >>>was
> >>> >canonized in 1938.
> >>> >
> >>>
> >>> >**********************************************************************
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> >>>NAME
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> >>> >For further information, visit our web site:
> >>> >http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
> >>>
> >>> Sean Field
> >>> Assistant Professor
> >>> University of Vermont
> >>> Department of History
> >>> Wheeler House
> >>> 133 S. Prospect
> >>> Burlington, VT 05405
> >>>
> >>> 802-656-4408
> >>> [log in to unmask]
> >>>
> >>>
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> >>
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> >>NAME
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> >
> >
> >--
> >Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
> >[log in to unmask]
> >History Department
> >University of Southern Mississippi
> >
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