. . .Khaleesi?

From the Amherst Hours, Ms. W.167, detail of f.101v. From Walters Art Museum.

Holy mother of dragons! Khaleesi, is that you?!

Game of Thrones fans might look at the picture above and think that the lady in blue, riding atop a dragon, looks remarkably like a medieval depiction of Daenerys Targaryen – Khaleesi, Mother of Dragons, Stormborn, etc., etc., etc. However, this Dany lookalike is actually Saint Margaret of Antioch, with this image dating to the fifteenth century AD.

Margaret (not to be confused with St Margaret of Scotland or Hungary) and her legend grew in popularity during the medieval period, largely thanks to her appearance in Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend – a collection of saints' lives (13C). According to this, Margaret was born in Antioch during the late third century AD. She was the daughter of a pagan prince, but nonetheless converted to Christianity and took a vow of eternal chastity. Upon discovering this, she was driven out of her home by her pagan father and went to live in an area in what is now Turkey with the nurse who raised her (Margaret's mother had died soon after childbirth) and began work as a shepherdess. 

The Roman prefect approaching Margaret. Jean Fouquet, in Book of Hours of Étienne Chevalier, Louvre, M.I. 1093 (1452.–60).

One day when she was tending her sheep in the fields, Margaret caught the eye of a Roman prefect named Olybrius who was passing by with his men. Instantly smitten, he decided on the spot that he would have this beauty no matter what. He proposed immediately, but Margaret stayed true to her vow and declined his offer. Enraged, the prefect charged her with being a Christian and had her captured and imprisoned.

Margaret's imprisonment, from Tectino’s Life of St Margaret of Antioch in verse, northern Italy, first half of 15C, Harley MS 5347, f. 26v.

Margaret was tortured with every kind of punishment imaginable but still would not renounce her Christian faith and marry Olybrius. Then, according to legend, she was visited by Satan in the shape of a dragon. He swallowed her whole, but after Margaret held her cross pendant and prayed for aid, she emerged unscathed from the belly of the beast.

Despite her incredible survival from the dragon, Margaret was ultimately martyred by beheading. However before she was killed, Margaret prayed that any woman suffering a difficult labour and who invoked her aid would receive deliverance of a healthy child – just as she had been delivered safely from the dragon's belly. Perhaps then, while she may resemble the Mother of Dragons in many works of art, a more fitting title for Margaret would be Daughter of Dragons!


Below are some medieval examples of St Margaret (click/tap to enlarge):

Getty Museum, 'Saint Margaret' by Lieven van Lathem, Ghent, 1469.

Margaret emerging from the dragon, then being beheaded. From the British Library, Queen Mary Psalter, Royal MS 2 B VII, f. 256r.

Defeating the beast with her cross. From the Morgan Library, Prayer roll, MS G.39 fol. 18r.

Saint Margaret and the dragon. From Toulouse, France, 15C.

Detail of a miniature showing Margaret emerging from the dragon, note her blue robe still in the beast's mouth after consuming her. British Library, from a Book of Hours, France (Paris), c. 1440 – c. 1450, Egerton MS 2019, f. 216r.

From Web Gallery of Art, c. 1400, Szépmûvészeti Museum, Budapest.

Notice de Paule Hochuli Dubuis, c. 1402, MS. fr. 57, f. 189r, Bibliothèque de Genève.

Saint Margaret and the Dragon, by Agnolo Gaddi, Italy (14C).

Wonderfully gruesome! From Prayer Book of Anne de Bretagne,illuminated by Jean Poyer, Tours, c. 1492–95. Pierpont Morgan Library, MS M.50 (fol. 20v).

These are just some of the wonderful images and works of art portraying St Margaret. If you have any other favourite images/artwork of Saint Margaret, leave a comment below, send me a tweet, or get in touch on Facebook, and I will share them – valar dohaeris.

The Headless Bishop: The Life of Saint Denis

Detail of Saint Denis from The Crucifixion of the Parliament of Paris, c.1452, Paris, Musée du Louvre.

Today being 9 October makes this the feast day of the patron saint of Paris, Saint Denis (variations include: Denys, and the Latin form Dionysius). But who was he, and what has he done to deserve this day of celebration? Well, Saint Denis is one of my personal favourite saints, and his story and makes rather interesting reading ...

It's likely that Denis was born in Italy, but little else is known of his early life. He was one of a handful of bishops (including Rusticus and Eleutherius) that was sent by Pope Fabian to Gaul on an evangelical mission. The area had suffered greatly as a result of the Christian persecutions by the Roman Emperor Decius; these bishops were sent with the hope of restoring people's faith and allegiance to Christianity, which had been beginning to flourish there.

Missal of Saint Denis, c.1050 (Cod. Lat. 8878),
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.

From Life and Miracles of St Denis, c.1317 (MS 2090-92),
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.

The group made their way to the Roman city Lutetia (modern day Paris) and settled on
an island in the Seine (Île de la Cité) where they began preaching to the locals. The image above-left depicts Denis and his companions preaching to the people of Paris, it is from a 14C manuscript dedicated to his life. The preaching was quite a success for the group, however the local pagan priests were concerned by the number of conversions to Christianity. Denis and his companions were captured and tortured as a result. There are several accounts written at a later date of the extravagant tortures they had to endure, such as being scourged, racked, and thrown to wild beasts. However, in spite of his pain Denis refused to denounce Christianity and so it was decided that he, along with his loyal companions Rusticus and Eleutherius, would be sentenced to death by beheading. The c.1050 image above-right shows Christ blessing the trio in prison before their martyrdom.

Mural of Saint Denis picking up his decapitated head, at Place du Pantheon, Paris.

The three faithful Christians were taken to the highest hill in Paris (now known as Montmartre) to be beheaded. According to legend, Denis was so devout that even death would not stop him. He simply picked up his stray head and gave it a rinse in a nearby stream, then proceeded to walk for 6 miles whilst still carrying his head and preaching the word of God. In the place where he eventually collapsed and died a small shrine was built in his honour, later to be replaced by the Basilica of Saint Denis.

As well as being the patron saint of Paris (alongside Saint Genevieve), Saint Denis can be invoked to cure headaches. Imagery of him often depicts him as headless and carrying his own head. Here are some examples:

A headless Saint Denis at the left portal of the Notre Dame de Paris.

Statue of a headless Saint Denis at the Musée du Moyen Âge, Paris.

Denis holding the top of his severed head, from a Picture Bible (f.28v) c.1190.
Manuscript (76 F 5), Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague.

Boucicaut Master, Saint Denis (fol. 31v), in Book of Hours (Ms. 2), c.1410-15.

The beheading of Saint Denis, from the tympanum of the north portal of the Basilica of Saint Denis.

The Bearded Lady - The Legend of Saint Wilgefortis

Wilgefortis was a young Christian noblewoman, the daughter of a pagan king (sometimes the King of Portugal). Her father had arranged a marriage for her to another pagan. Reluctant to enter into the marriage because of the vow of chastity she had taken, she prayed for God to make her repulsive to her future husband. Miraculously, when she awoke she discovered she'd sprouted a beard! The newly grown beard had the effect Wilgefortis had hoped for, and as a result the engagement was broken. Her father was rather less pleased with his daughter's actions, and the consequences of her new beard. He became enraged, and ultimately had her crucified.

This legend is connected to a story that when a destitute fiddler played before her crucified body (or a statue of her) she gave him one of her golden boots. The fiddler was sentenced to death for the theft of her boot, but was granted his request to play before her for a second time. He did so, and in the presence of an audience she kicked off her other boot, thereby proving his innocence. Images of Wilgefortis often show her on the crucifix with one shoe off, and a fiddler playing at her feet.

The legend of Saint Wilgefortis became quite popular during the medieval period, and her cult spread from around 1350. She was often invoked by women having marital problems with their troublesome husbands. There are different versions of the story from various places, and the saint is known by many names. In England she was known as Uncumber. In the Austrian version she was known as Kümmernis, which came from 'Kummer' meaning 'sorrow' or 'sadness'. Whilst in Italy and France she was known as Liberata, meaning 'liberator'.  








Further Reading:

• Austrian version of the legend from the Medieval Sourcebook
• Catholic Encyclopedia

• Elizabeth Nightlinger 'The Female Imitatio Christi and Medieval Popular Religion: The Case of St Wilgerfortis', in Bonnie Wheeler (ed.), Representations of the Feminine in the Middle Ages (Academia Press: Texas, 1993).
• Isle E. Friesen, The Female Crucifix: Images of St. Wilgefortis Sine the Middle Ages (Wilfrid Laurier University Press: Ontario, 2001).