Dear Meg
Ever one to stick his neck out, here's a totally intuitive take on Erasmus and
his windlass that won't help your search for source-based material, but if you
(or any other List-Fellows) care to comment, be as rough on me as you like.
Erasmus was associated with mast-tip electric efflorescence (St Elmo's Fire).
This phenomenon was also known as St Helen's Fire.
The dual-naming is usually explained as Elmo (diminutive of Erasmus) > Elena.
However, Elena > Elmo may be plausible as follows:
In ancient Greek tradition this 'fire' attributed to Dioscuri (Castor, Pollux).
Marian Wenzel has argued that the Dioscuri were fire-makers, associated with a
form of friction machine that was shaped like a mast and yard...
or, if you like, shaped like a windlass turned through 90 degrees.
These heavenly twins (one per end of the yard) were sibs of the mythic Helen.
Constantine's mother Helena was credited with finding the Cross, with which she
was thereafter associated iconographically.
Mast and yard soon became metaphors for the Cross (as the ship for the Church).
Attribution for mast-tip effloresence shifted from Dioscuri to Helen to Helena.
As patron of sailors in the Bay of Naples (?still under Byzantine influence at
time of his relics' translation to Gaeta in 9th century), by virtue of
his presumed see at Formiae, Elmo eventually replaced Elena.
(Elena can lose the medial 'e', as in the name of Elne in Rousillon.)
Conflation with another, martyred Erasmus, plus conflation of fire machine with
mast-and-yard and windlass, produced the late medieval iconography.
Nice idea, but how am I ever going to find the evidence to clinch it
(especially the last bit)?
Best wishes
Graham
PS: Does your inquiry have anything to do with Iceland, by any chance?
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|