medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On 09/28/11, Meg Cormack wrote:
> Some years ago list members provided lots of literature on holy wells (including in some cases the practice of incubation,
> for those still interested in this question.) What I am looking for now is liturgies or ceremonies for blessing wells, springs, or other bodies of water. If you know of any, please let me know! I would also be interested in narrative accounts of wells or springs (i.e. sources of drinking water) being blessed or exorcised. Of course, St. Columba dealt with the Loch Nes monster or a relative in his day, but I'm really interested in smaller ponds, pools, especially if sources of drinking water.
>
Perhaps not quite what you're looking for but in his Vita St. Paris of Teano is said to have endowed a spring (from which he had earlier removed a noxious giant serpent to which the then pagan inhabitants of the town had been paying divine honors) with a grace of benediction and holiness such that it became a place of cures:
_Tantam autem memorato fonti, unde draconem expulerat, benedictionis & sanctitatis gratiam contulit, ut quisquis febrili disgratia seu quolibet languore detentus, de ipso fonte fideliter & devote potaret, ejusdem meritis remedii salutaris consequeretur effectum: cujus sanctificationis gratiam eidem fonti, usque in pręsentem diem manifestum est perdurare._
Best,
John Dillon
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