medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
In a message dated 03/11/2005 09:13:30 GMT Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
<<Is there a great tradition of hunters meeting stags connected with
crucifixes?>>
No crucifix in this one, I'm afraid, but it may be part of the tradition.
It's from the Vita of St Petroc and concerns Constantine, here called a 'rich
man', more usually referred to as the king of Dumnonia, whom Gildas called “
the unclean whelp of the lioness of Dumnonia.” He (Constantine) is the
patron saint and reputed founder of the parish church of Constantine in the Lizard
area of Cornwall. I believe that in other versions Constantine was already
a Christian, just not a very good one.
<<11. On a certain day, when the servant of God prayed alone in a place in
which he was accustomed to pray, he saw a stag passing, from far away, fleeing
towards him with as much effort as it could, whom the hunters of
Constantine, a rich man, pursued with trumpet calls and barking of dogs. The holy man,
in a mood of tenderness, kept that [stag] safe. The regulus followed the stag
and his soldiers, who, now hesitating to touch that one while under the
protection of the man of God, reported the matter to the rich man in due order.
Constantine, displeased and agitated with bitter wrath, as he wished to strike
the servant of God with a sword, suddenly struck by a stupor, he stiffened in
all his limbs until, at the intervention of the soldiers, the holy man freed
the supplicating one with pious prayers. He, freed, and with him [his] 24
soldiers, instructed in the Christian faith, he [Petroc] rendered them gentle
instead of tyrannical, Christians instead of pagans.>>
from Vita I Petroci (Life of St Petroc).
Source: P. Grosjean, Analecta Bollandiana 74 (1956), 471-96: Saint Méen Life
in Paris BN Ms. lat. 9889.
Translator: Dr Karen Jankulak
at The Celtic Christianity e-Library at
_http://www.lamp.ac.uk/celtic/Petroc.htm_ (http://www.lamp.ac.uk/celtic/Petroc.htm)
hth
Susan
[log in to unmask]
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|