The cult of St Edmund in medieval East Anglia

Author(s)

    • Pinner, Rebecca

Bibliographic Information

The cult of St Edmund in medieval East Anglia

Rebecca Pinner

Boydell Press, 2015

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Includes bibliographical references (p. [251]-273) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

An investigation of the growth and influence of the cult of St Edmund, and how it manifested itself in medieval material culture. Longlisted for the Katharine Briggs Award 2016 St Edmund, king and martyr, supposedly killed by Danes (or "Vikings") in 869, was one of the pre-eminent saints of the middle ages; his cult was favoured and patronised by several English kings, and gave rise to a rich array of visual, literary, musical and political artefacts. This study explores the development of devotion to St Edmund, from its first flourishing in the ninth century to the eveof the Reformation. It explores a series of key questions: how, why and when did the cult develop? Who was responsible for its promotion and dissemination? To which groups and individuals did St Edmund appeal? How did this evolveover time? Using as evidence a range of textual and visual treasures from the Anglo-Saxon king's erstwhile kingdom and later cultic heartland, Norfolk and Suffolk, the study draws on sources and approaches from a variety of disciplines (literature, art history, social history and anthropology) to elucidate the social, cultural and political dynamics of cult construction. Dr Rebecca Pinner is a Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern Literature atthe University of East Anglia.

Table of Contents

Introduction The Emergence of the Hagiographic Tradition: Abbo of Fleury, Passio Sancti Eadmundi De Miraculis Sancti Eadmundi: Herman, Osbert and Samson Vita et miracula The Elaboration of the Hagiographic Tradition The Final Flourish of the Textual Cult: John Lydgate, The Lives of Sts Edmund and Fremund Sacred Immanence, the Incorrupted Body and the Shrine of St Edmund The Devotional and Iconographical Context of the Shrine Writing St Edmund into the East Anglian landscape Miracles Beyond Bury Images of St Edmund Texts beyond Bury: Legendary Collections 'Martir, mayde and kynge', and more Appendix 1: Synoptic Account of the Legend of St Edmund Appendix 2: Chronology of Significant Events and Texts associated with the Cult of St Edmund Bibliography

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