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Feast day of St Swithin (Swithun), England, confessor, patron of Winchester(Small Cape marigold, Calendula pluvialis, is today’s plant, dedicated to this saint. The esoteric meaning of this plant is ‘omen; sign’.)
Our story today takes us back more than a millennium, to the days when the British Isles were beset by Viking raids and Charlemagne's empire ruled supreme in Europe.
St Swithin (or Swithun) was Bishop of Winchester, England, and adviser to King Egbert of Wessex (died 839) and probably tutor to his son Ethelwulf. He was called the 'drunken saint', but no such behaviour is recorded of him.
Swithin was the one who introduced tithing into England: he persuaded King Ethelwulf to enact a law, by which he gave a tenth of his land to the church, on condition that the king should be prayed for every Wednesday in every church forever. Among other miraculous feats was his restoration, on a bridge, of a basket of eggs that workmen had maliciously broken.
Swithin's consecration by Ceolnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury, seems to have taken place on October 30, 852. We don't know the date of his birth, but he died on July 2, 862.
An old English legend says that the good bishop wished to be buried in the churchyard of the cathedral, in a humble grave outside the north wall, so that the 'sweet rain of heaven might fall upon his grave'. Nine years later his monks tried to move his remains inside the cathedral but there was a violent thunderstorm and rain for the following 40 days and 40 nights. Believing their beloved late bishop to be weeping in distress, they abandoned the venture. Miraculously, two rings of iron, fastened on his gravestone, came out as soon as they were touched, and left no mark of their place in the stone. When the stone was taken up, and touched by the rings, by themselves they fastened to it again.
A century passed and 971 came around (the year Eric Bloodaxe became the second king of Norway, by the way, not that Eric has anything to do with our tale, sorry, but it's such a great handle). Swithin was canonized (declared a saint – St Swithin was never actually canonised by a pope; he is a 'home-made saint') and, following a vision by St Aethelwold (909 - 984), the monks decided to honour him by placing his body in the Winchester Cathedral choir rather than outside amongst the common folks' graves. So ... They booked July 15 for the ceremony of the 'translation' of his relics (bones), and this time it was successful ...
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date when you're there.
St Swithun’s Day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days, it will remain:
St Swithun's Day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.
English traditional
Feast day of St Swithin (Swithun), England, confessor, patron of Winchester(Small Cape marigold, Calendula pluvialis, is today’s plant, dedicated to this saint. The esoteric meaning of this plant is ‘omen; sign’.)
Our story today takes us back more than a millennium, to the days when the British Isles were beset by Viking raids and Charlemagne's empire ruled supreme in Europe.
St Swithin (or Swithun) was Bishop of Winchester, England, and adviser to King Egbert of Wessex (died 839) and probably tutor to his son Ethelwulf. He was called the 'drunken saint', but no such behaviour is recorded of him.
Swithin was the one who introduced tithing into England: he persuaded King Ethelwulf to enact a law, by which he gave a tenth of his land to the church, on condition that the king should be prayed for every Wednesday in every church forever. Among other miraculous feats was his restoration, on a bridge, of a basket of eggs that workmen had maliciously broken.
Swithin's consecration by Ceolnoth, Archbishop of Canterbury, seems to have taken place on October 30, 852. We don't know the date of his birth, but he died on July 2, 862.
An old English legend says that the good bishop wished to be buried in the churchyard of the cathedral, in a humble grave outside the north wall, so that the 'sweet rain of heaven might fall upon his grave'. Nine years later his monks tried to move his remains inside the cathedral but there was a violent thunderstorm and rain for the following 40 days and 40 nights. Believing their beloved late bishop to be weeping in distress, they abandoned the venture. Miraculously, two rings of iron, fastened on his gravestone, came out as soon as they were touched, and left no mark of their place in the stone. When the stone was taken up, and touched by the rings, by themselves they fastened to it again.
A century passed and 971 came around (the year Eric Bloodaxe became the second king of Norway, by the way, not that Eric has anything to do with our tale, sorry, but it's such a great handle). Swithin was canonized (declared a saint – St Swithin was never actually canonised by a pope; he is a 'home-made saint') and, following a vision by St Aethelwold (909 - 984), the monks decided to honour him by placing his body in the Winchester Cathedral choir rather than outside amongst the common folks' graves. So ... They booked July 15 for the ceremony of the 'translation' of his relics (bones), and this time it was successful ...
This is just a snippet of today's stories. Read all about today in folklore, historical oddities, inspiration and alternatives, with more links, at the Wilson's Almanac Book of Days, every day. Click today's date when you're there.
Pip Wilson posted item above at 7:29 PM | Permalink
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