Norse Hagiography Network
@networknorse.bsky.social
The Norse Hagiography Network is an international, interdisciplinary network with the aim of bringing together scholars with similar interests for collaboration
St Dionysius was also co-patron of the churches at Reykholt and at the nearby Engey. A Norse version of the saint’s life, Dionysius saga, is extant in two large C15 legendaries (AM 235 fol. & - pictured here - Stock. Perg. fol. no. 2). (5/n)
October 9, 2025 at 9:28 AM
St Dionysius was also co-patron of the churches at Reykholt and at the nearby Engey. A Norse version of the saint’s life, Dionysius saga, is extant in two large C15 legendaries (AM 235 fol. & - pictured here - Stock. Perg. fol. no. 2). (5/n)
Denis was beheaded. His legend states that he picked up his head & walked to the place where he subsequently died. In medieval art, he is often depicted as carrying his head or the crown of his head. Thus he is represented in a modern copy of a medieval statue from Trondheim cathedral. (2/n)
October 9, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Denis was beheaded. His legend states that he picked up his head & walked to the place where he subsequently died. In medieval art, he is often depicted as carrying his head or the crown of his head. Thus he is represented in a modern copy of a medieval statue from Trondheim cathedral. (2/n)
Two Icelandic redactions of Máritíuss saga do not mention etymology or the saint’s skin but focus on the moral economy of obedience & martyrdom, the geography of Agaunum, & the miracles worked at the shrine. Law & liturgy meet in Grágás, whose calendar grades Mauricius’ day as leyfisdagr.
[5/n]
[5/n]
September 22, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Two Icelandic redactions of Máritíuss saga do not mention etymology or the saint’s skin but focus on the moral economy of obedience & martyrdom, the geography of Agaunum, & the miracles worked at the shrine. Law & liturgy meet in Grágás, whose calendar grades Mauricius’ day as leyfisdagr.
[5/n]
[5/n]
In the late C12, Valdemar the Great minted coin types with the image of Mauritius, imitating Magdeburg models. In church art, he appears both as a white man (e.g. Vittskövle church (15th c) & Skive old church (early 16th c)), & as a Black African (e.g. Roskilde Cathedral (c.1465-75).
[3/n]
[3/n]
September 22, 2025 at 7:03 AM
In the late C12, Valdemar the Great minted coin types with the image of Mauritius, imitating Magdeburg models. In church art, he appears both as a white man (e.g. Vittskövle church (15th c) & Skive old church (early 16th c)), & as a Black African (e.g. Roskilde Cathedral (c.1465-75).
[3/n]
[3/n]
Deadline extended to September 15! There is still time to send us your abstracts, & we look forward to hearing from you.
[Alt text can be found in the replies to the quoted post]
[Alt text can be found in the replies to the quoted post]
September 4, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Deadline extended to September 15! There is still time to send us your abstracts, & we look forward to hearing from you.
[Alt text can be found in the replies to the quoted post]
[Alt text can be found in the replies to the quoted post]
CfP for @imc-leeds.bsky.social 2026, organised together with @celtichagiography.bsky.social.
Deadline: August 31.
[Alt text in thread]
Deadline: August 31.
[Alt text in thread]
August 5, 2025 at 9:27 AM
CfP for @imc-leeds.bsky.social 2026, organised together with @celtichagiography.bsky.social.
Deadline: August 31.
[Alt text in thread]
Deadline: August 31.
[Alt text in thread]
CfP @imc-leeds.bsky.social 2026:
New Studies in Old Norse Hagiography
Session Jointly Sponsored by the Norse Hagiography Network and the Viking Society for Northern Research
Deadline: August 24.
[Alt text in thread]
New Studies in Old Norse Hagiography
Session Jointly Sponsored by the Norse Hagiography Network and the Viking Society for Northern Research
Deadline: August 24.
[Alt text in thread]
August 5, 2025 at 9:22 AM
CfP @imc-leeds.bsky.social 2026:
New Studies in Old Norse Hagiography
Session Jointly Sponsored by the Norse Hagiography Network and the Viking Society for Northern Research
Deadline: August 24.
[Alt text in thread]
New Studies in Old Norse Hagiography
Session Jointly Sponsored by the Norse Hagiography Network and the Viking Society for Northern Research
Deadline: August 24.
[Alt text in thread]
The Saga af Fídes, Spes, ok Karítas has been most recently edited by Kirsten Wolf in Gripla (2011). It was also edited by C. R. Unger (1877, vol. 1, pp. 369-376). In addition to the saga, the saints’ story is the subject of stanza 58 of the Heilagra meyja drápa.
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August 1, 2025 at 8:31 AM
The Saga af Fídes, Spes, ok Karítas has been most recently edited by Kirsten Wolf in Gripla (2011). It was also edited by C. R. Unger (1877, vol. 1, pp. 369-376). In addition to the saga, the saints’ story is the subject of stanza 58 of the Heilagra meyja drápa.
(6/6)
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(6/6)
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Today is the feast of SS Faith, Hope & Charity (Fides, Spes & Caritas). They may well have been real martyrs, but no one has yet been able to connect them to historical figures. An Old Norse-Icelandic saga tells their story & notes their feast day, but no cult is known in the North. (1/n)
August 1, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Today is the feast of SS Faith, Hope & Charity (Fides, Spes & Caritas). They may well have been real martyrs, but no one has yet been able to connect them to historical figures. An Old Norse-Icelandic saga tells their story & notes their feast day, but no cult is known in the North. (1/n)
Excavations in Stavanger Cathedral in 2024 led to finds interpreted as fragments & precious stones from Swithun’s reliquary. These finds suggestt that the reliquary was not destroyed in the Reformation as once believed. (6/6)
[Photo: Annette Øvrelid, courtesy of Arkeologisk museum, UiS]
[Photo: Annette Øvrelid, courtesy of Arkeologisk museum, UiS]
July 15, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Excavations in Stavanger Cathedral in 2024 led to finds interpreted as fragments & precious stones from Swithun’s reliquary. These finds suggestt that the reliquary was not destroyed in the Reformation as once believed. (6/6)
[Photo: Annette Øvrelid, courtesy of Arkeologisk museum, UiS]
[Photo: Annette Øvrelid, courtesy of Arkeologisk museum, UiS]
The cult of Swithun was part of the catalogue of saints introduced to the Nordic sphere through English missionaries, but it had little impact except in Norway. The only recorded Swedish calendar to include Swithun’s translation is a C13 English calendar (Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 2620). (2/n)
July 15, 2025 at 7:48 AM
The cult of Swithun was part of the catalogue of saints introduced to the Nordic sphere through English missionaries, but it had little impact except in Norway. The only recorded Swedish calendar to include Swithun’s translation is a C13 English calendar (Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 2620). (2/n)
The Old Norwegian Homily Book (c.1200) contains a sermon for the feast of John the Baptist, in which his story and iconography is explained. This sermon provides an insight into how John the Baptist was viewed in the medieval North. (4/n)
[AM AM 619 4to, f.52v]
[AM AM 619 4to, f.52v]
June 24, 2025 at 7:09 AM
The Old Norwegian Homily Book (c.1200) contains a sermon for the feast of John the Baptist, in which his story and iconography is explained. This sermon provides an insight into how John the Baptist was viewed in the medieval North. (4/n)
[AM AM 619 4to, f.52v]
[AM AM 619 4to, f.52v]
Today is the feast of John the Baptist, who baptised Christ in the River Jordan & was later beheaded on the orders of Herod Antipas. Unlike most saints, John’s main feast is his worldly birthday, & this feast has a high liturgical rank in medieval calendars. (1/n)
[Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25634]
[Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25634]
June 24, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Today is the feast of John the Baptist, who baptised Christ in the River Jordan & was later beheaded on the orders of Herod Antipas. Unlike most saints, John’s main feast is his worldly birthday, & this feast has a high liturgical rank in medieval calendars. (1/n)
[Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25634]
[Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25634]
Bede's epithet 'venerabilis' appears in Icelandic sources alongside miraculous tales that explain why he was not called sanctus. Ævintýr af Beda presti & Frásagnir af Beda presti, in AM 764 4to, tell that an angel finished his tomb inscription with 'Hac sunt in fossa, Bedae venerabilis ossa'. (6/n)
May 25, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Bede's epithet 'venerabilis' appears in Icelandic sources alongside miraculous tales that explain why he was not called sanctus. Ævintýr af Beda presti & Frásagnir af Beda presti, in AM 764 4to, tell that an angel finished his tomb inscription with 'Hac sunt in fossa, Bedae venerabilis ossa'. (6/n)
A paraphrase of that passage, Frásagnir af Beda presti, appears in Flateyjarbók after the death of Hákon jarl, where it follows the death of Hákon, & accompanies Ólafr Tryggvason’s accession to the throne and his involvement in the development of the cult of St Sunniva. (4/n)
May 25, 2025 at 8:26 AM
A paraphrase of that passage, Frásagnir af Beda presti, appears in Flateyjarbók after the death of Hákon jarl, where it follows the death of Hákon, & accompanies Ólafr Tryggvason’s accession to the throne and his involvement in the development of the cult of St Sunniva. (4/n)
The relative scarcity of Old Norse-Icelandic texts focusing upon Mark suggests that he did not have a great cult in the medieval Nordics. Nevertheless, the feast of Mark was written in red ink in Nordic calendars until the late Middle Ages, marking its high liturgical rank. (5/5)
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- NB
April 25, 2025 at 11:04 AM
The relative scarcity of Old Norse-Icelandic texts focusing upon Mark suggests that he did not have a great cult in the medieval Nordics. Nevertheless, the feast of Mark was written in red ink in Nordic calendars until the late Middle Ages, marking its high liturgical rank. (5/5)
- NB
- NB
There is only one medieval account of St Mark written in Old West Norse, contained within the manuscript AM 667 V 4to, dating to 1525. The story, translated from the Low German Passionael by Björn Þorleifsson, combines events from the lives of all three Marks. (2/n)
April 25, 2025 at 10:59 AM
There is only one medieval account of St Mark written in Old West Norse, contained within the manuscript AM 667 V 4to, dating to 1525. The story, translated from the Low German Passionael by Björn Þorleifsson, combines events from the lives of all three Marks. (2/n)
Lucius is otherwise known from one C13 calendar used in Sweden, but the inclusion of his feast suggests that the calendar was produced in Denmark. For more about Lucius see the Mapping Saints database: saints.dh.gu.se/explore/sain....
[Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25630]
(6/6)
- SH
[Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25630]
(6/6)
- SH
March 4, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Lucius is otherwise known from one C13 calendar used in Sweden, but the inclusion of his feast suggests that the calendar was produced in Denmark. For more about Lucius see the Mapping Saints database: saints.dh.gu.se/explore/sain....
[Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25630]
(6/6)
- SH
[Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25630]
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- SH
A brief account of the translation is included in the liturgical office in Breviarium Roschildense (1517). Here we read about a horrible demon (‘horribile demoniu[m]) that was scared when Lucius was carried across the Baltic Sea.
[Breviarium Roschildense, f.286v; Kgl Bibliotek, Copenhagen]
(4/n)
[Breviarium Roschildense, f.286v; Kgl Bibliotek, Copenhagen]
(4/n)
March 4, 2025 at 8:34 AM
A brief account of the translation is included in the liturgical office in Breviarium Roschildense (1517). Here we read about a horrible demon (‘horribile demoniu[m]) that was scared when Lucius was carried across the Baltic Sea.
[Breviarium Roschildense, f.286v; Kgl Bibliotek, Copenhagen]
(4/n)
[Breviarium Roschildense, f.286v; Kgl Bibliotek, Copenhagen]
(4/n)
A second version of the saint's legend, called “Af Blasíus” (“about Blaise”) survives in one 15th-century manuscript. In addition to his standalone saga or vita, St Blaise appears alongside St Thorlak in a miracle found in the C-version of Þorláks saga. (7/7)
TNW
TNW
February 3, 2025 at 8:39 AM
A second version of the saint's legend, called “Af Blasíus” (“about Blaise”) survives in one 15th-century manuscript. In addition to his standalone saga or vita, St Blaise appears alongside St Thorlak in a miracle found in the C-version of Þorláks saga. (7/7)
TNW
TNW
In Denmark, an altar in Lund cathedral was dedicated to SS Vincent & Alban by Bishop Gislo of Linköping in 1145. The Necrologium Lundense specifies that the altar contained the relics of St Alban & the blood of St Vincent (‘de sangvine Sanctri Vincentii martiris’). (6/n)
January 22, 2025 at 9:18 AM
In Denmark, an altar in Lund cathedral was dedicated to SS Vincent & Alban by Bishop Gislo of Linköping in 1145. The Necrologium Lundense specifies that the altar contained the relics of St Alban & the blood of St Vincent (‘de sangvine Sanctri Vincentii martiris’). (6/n)
In Scandinavia, a saga of St Vincent (Vincencius saga) is extant in 2 versions. The 1st is transmitted in AM 655 IV 4to, f. 2v (c. 1200–25; fragmentary) & in Stock. Perg. fol. no. 2 (ca. 1425–45; complete), ff. 51v–52, one of the largest collections of saints’ lives from medieval Iceland. (3/n)
January 22, 2025 at 9:09 AM
In Scandinavia, a saga of St Vincent (Vincencius saga) is extant in 2 versions. The 1st is transmitted in AM 655 IV 4to, f. 2v (c. 1200–25; fragmentary) & in Stock. Perg. fol. no. 2 (ca. 1425–45; complete), ff. 51v–52, one of the largest collections of saints’ lives from medieval Iceland. (3/n)
The Norse Hagiography Network has now arrived at Bluesky, just in time for the feast of the three holy kings. We look forward to connecting with fellow enthusiasts, & to provide informative insights into the Nordic medieval cult of saints.
[Ål stave church; Museum of Cultural History, Oslo]
[Ål stave church; Museum of Cultural History, Oslo]
January 6, 2025 at 11:09 AM
The Norse Hagiography Network has now arrived at Bluesky, just in time for the feast of the three holy kings. We look forward to connecting with fellow enthusiasts, & to provide informative insights into the Nordic medieval cult of saints.
[Ål stave church; Museum of Cultural History, Oslo]
[Ål stave church; Museum of Cultural History, Oslo]