Northumbria - 7th Century: The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria was originally two kingdoms: Bernicia in the north and Deira in the south. These two countries were often in conflict before their eventual semi-permanent unification in 654. While violent conflicts between Bernicia and Deira played a significant part in determining which line ultimately gained supremacy in Northumbria, marriage alliances also helped bind these two territories together. During his reign, King Oswiu presided over the Synod of Whitby, a religious meeting designed to reconcile religious differences between Roman (new) and Celtic (old) Catholicism, in which he eventually backed the Roman beliefs, thereby bringing Northumbria in line with Southern England and Western Europe. It must be remembered that this kingdom had only converted to christianity in 627 - a mere 37 years prior to Whitby!
Cuthbert grew up in or around Old Melrose Abbey, a daughter-house of Lindisfarne. He had decided to become a monk after seeing a vision on the night in 651 that St Aidan, the founder of Lindisfarne, died, but he seems to have seen some military service first. He was quickly made guest-master at the new monastery at Ripon, soon after 655, but had to return with Eata of Hexham to Melrose when Wilfrid was given the monastery instead. About 662 he was made prior at Melrose, went on a mission to Pictland (663), was appointed prior to Lindisfarne (665) before retiring to become a hermit (676). Following Wilfred's downfall in 684 he was made bishop of Lindisfarne, but by late 686 he resigned and again returned to his hermitage (on Inner Farne) as he felt he was about to die, although he was probably only in his early 50s (c.687).
Tiernan's novel follows the story of Cuthbert fairly closely and is interspersed with stories of the Northumbrian royal family as well as Cuthbert's rival, Wilfred, and of the holy abbess and royal virgin Elfleda, the daughter of Oswiu of Northumbria, who succeeded St Hilda as abbess of Whitby (680). For those readers unfamiliar with Anglo-Saxon history, this may be a challenge - it was a period of intense political and religious turmoil. I myself found it a bit confusing as the author decided to change the names of the main historical characters, which I personally felt was unnecessary.
Overall, this is still a good introductory novel for those with a fledgling interest in Anglo-Saxon religion and politics, as well as one on one of the most important religious figure of northern England, whose life spanned the transitional period from paganism to Christianity and whose cult is still active today. For as Bede himself says: "but even when the servant of Christ was dead and buried, the miracles which he worked whilst alive did not cease."
Note:
An early anonymous Life of Cuthbert was written about 700, but the discovery of Cuthbert's uncorrupted body gave a new impetus to the cult, and Bede used the earlier Life to write his own verse Life, around 716, and a longer, prose Life around 721.
Katharine on Cuthbert
Beshara Magazine - The Red Sail
Beshara Magazine - St Cuthbert of Farne
Place of Repose: A Tale of St Cuthbert’s Last Journey
Read more on Cuthbert
St. Cuthbert, His Cult and His Community to AD 1200 edited by Gerald Bonner, David W. Rollason, & Clare Stancliffe
St. Cuthbert: His Life and Cult in Medieval Durham by Dominic Marner
Two Lives of St. Cuthbert edited by Bertram Colgrave
Life and Miracles of St. Cuthbert by Venerable Bede
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