Saints and Their Legacies in Medieval Iceland

Description

Icelanders venerated numerous saints, both indigenous and from overseas, in the Middle Ages. However, although its literary elite was well acquainted with contemporary Continental currents in hagiographic compositions, theological discussions, and worship practices, much of the history of the learned European networks through which the Icelandic cult of the saints developed and partially survived the Lutheran Reformation remains obscure. The essays collected in this volume address this lacuna by exploring the legacies of the cult of some of the most prominent saints and holy men in medieval Iceland (the Virgin Mary along with SS Agnes of Rome, Benedict of Nursia, Catherine of Alexandria, Dominic of Caleruega, Michael the Archangel, Jón of Hólar, Þorlákr of Skálholt, Lárentíus of Hólar, and Guðmundr the Good), using evidence drawn from Old Norse\-Icelandic and Latin hagiographic literature, homilies, prayers, diplomas, sacred art, place\-names, and church dedications. By placing the medieval Icelandic cult of the saints within its wider European context, the contributions trace new historical routes of cultural transmission and define the creative processes of the accommodation and adaptation of foreign hagiographic sources and models in medieval and early modern Iceland. They provide a clear picture of an Icelandic hagiographic literature and culture that celebrates the splendour of the saints; they also show how an engaging literary genre, which became immensely popular on the island throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, was created. List of Illustrations vii List of Contributors ix Acknowledgments xiii List of Abbreviations xv Introduction: The Splendor of the Saints / Dario Bullitta 1 'Rannsǫkun heilagra bóka': The Search for Holy Books 1. Medieval Icelandic Hagiography: The State of the Art / Kirsten Wolf 11 2. An Old Norse Adaptation of an All Saints Sermon by Maurice de Sully / Stephen Pelle 29 3. The Tuscan Provenance of 'Framfǫr Maríu' / Dario Bullitta 61 'Heilagir byskupar': Holy Bishops 4. Latin Oratory at the Edge of the World: The Fragments of Gizurr Hallsson’s '*Gesta Scalotensis ecclesie presulum' and the '*Vita sancti Thorlaci' / Gottskálk Jensson 99 5. Three Scenes from 'Jóns saga helga': A Typological Mode of Thought in Early Icelandic Hagiography / Haki Antonsson 135 6. 'Lárentíuss saga byskups': Between History and Historiography / Fulvio Ferrari 159 7. Remembering Saints and Bishops in Medieval Iceland / Ásdís Egilsdóttir 175 'Heilagir karlar ok englar': Holy Men and Angels 8. 'Þat vóro lavg munka': A Reading of 'Benedikts saga' in Light of the 'Regula sancti Benedicti' / Mauro Camiz 197 9. The Lore of St. Dominic in Medieval Iceland and Norway / Simonetta Battista 229 10. The Veneration of St. Michael in Medieval Iceland / Margaret Cormack 249 'Heilagar meyjar': Holy Maidens 11. Katrínarhólar: St Catherine’s Hills, Milk, and Mount Sinai / Helgi Þorláksson 279 12. St Agnes of Rome in Late Medieval and Early Modern Icelandic Verse / Natalie M. Van Deusen 307 Bibliography 325 Index of Manuscripts 363 General Index 367