Helena of Britain in medieval legend /
The first study to examine the origins, development, political exploitation and decline of the legend of St Helena, tracing its momentum and adaptive power from Anglo-Saxon England onwards.St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great and legendary finder of the True Cross, was appropriated in the midd...
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| Định dạng: | Licensed eBooks |
| Ngôn ngữ: | Tiếng Anh |
| Được phát hành: |
Suffolk, UK ; Rochester, NY :
D.S. Brewer
2002.
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| Truy cập trực tuyến: | https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.ctt81mb0 |
| Tóm tắt: | The first study to examine the origins, development, political exploitation and decline of the legend of St Helena, tracing its momentum and adaptive power from Anglo-Saxon England onwards.St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great and legendary finder of the True Cross, was appropriated in the middle ages as a British saint. The rise and persistence of this legend harnessed Helena's imperial and sacred status to portray her as a romance heroine, source of national pride, and a legitimising link to imperial Rome. This study is the first to examine the origins, development, political exploitation and decline of this legend, tracing its momentum and adaptive power from Anglo-Saxon England to the twentieth century. Using Latin, English, and Welsh texts, as well as church dedications and visual arts, the author examines the positive effect of the British legend on the cult of St Helena and the reasons for its wide appeal and durability in both secular and religious contexts. Two previously unpublished vitae of St Helena are included in the volume: a Middle English verse vita from the South English Legendary, and a Latin prose vita by the twelfth-century hagiographer, Jocelin of Furness. Antonina Harbus is Professor in the Department of English at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. |
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| Mô tả vật lý: | 1 online resource (viii, 215 pages) |
| Thư mục: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-210) and index. |
| số ISBN: | 0585443602 9780585443607 9781846150067 184615006X 9780859916257 0859916251 |