Aelfric and the Cult of Saints in Late Anglo-Saxon England [Hardcover]

A study of ?lfric's saint's Lives in their contemporary political and intellectual setting.The cult of saints was one of the most important aspects of life in the Middle Ages, and it often formed the nucleus of developing group identities in a town, a province or a country. The literature of Anglo-Saxon England is unique among contemporary European literatures in that it features a vast amount of saints' Lives in the vernacular. Aelfric is the most important author of these Lives. In this study, Mechthild Gretsch analyzes Aelfric's Lives of five important saints in the light of their cults in Anglo-Saxon England.The cult of saints was one of the most important aspects of life in the Middle Ages, and it often formed the nucleus of developing group identities in a town, a province or a country. The literature of Anglo-Saxon England is unique among contemporary European literatures in that it features a vast amount of saints' Lives in the vernacular. Aelfric is the most important author of these Lives. In this study, Mechthild Gretsch analyzes Aelfric's Lives of five important saints in the light of their cults in Anglo-Saxon England.The literature of Anglo-Saxon England is unique among contemporary European literatures in that it features a vast amount of saints' lives in the vernacular. This study analyzes the most important author Aelfric's lives of five important saints in the light of their cults in Anglo-Saxon England, providing the reader fascinating glimpses of 'Aelfric at work'. He adapts the cults and rewrites the received Latin hagiography so that each of their lives conveys a distinct message to the contemporary political elite as well as to a lay audience at large.1. ?lfric's Sanctorale and the Benedictional of ?thelwold; 2. Gregory: the Apostle of the English; 3. Cuthbert: from Northumbrian Saint to Saint of All England; 4. Benedict: Father of Monks - and what else?; 5. Swithun and ?thelthryth: two 'Saints of our Days'; 6. Epilogue. This is a masterly revl’