Saints and Sainthood around the Baltic Sea: Identity, Literacy, and Communication in the Middle Ages (Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Culture)

This volume addresses the history of saints and sainthood in the Middle Ages in the Baltic Region, with a special focus on the cult of saints in Russia, Prussia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, and Latvia (Livonia). Essays explore such topics as the introduction of foreign (and ""old"") saints into new regions, the creation of new local cults of saints in newly Christianized regions, the role of the cult of saints in the creation of political and lay identities, and the potential role of saints in times of war. List of Figures vii Preface xi Part I: Introduction and Methodological Questions Saints and Sainthood around the Baltic Sea — An Introduction / Carsten S. Jensen, Tracey R. Sands, Nils Holger Petersen, Kurt V. Jensen, and Tuomas M. S. Lehtonen 3 The Elusive Quality of Saints: Saints, Churches, and Cults / Martin Wangsgaard Jürgensen 13 Medieval Cults and Modern Inventions: Dorothy of Montau, the Teutonic Order, and "Katholiken für Hitler" / Cordelia Heß Finnish Saints' Traditions and Folklore: Interpreting St. Anne, St. Katherine of Alexandria, and St. Birgitta of Sweden / Irma-Riitta Järvinen 53 Part II: The Cult of Saints in Medieval Russia and Livonia Varangian Saints and Christlike Varangians in Early Rus' Christianity / John H. Lind 79 The Cult and Visual Representation of Scandinavian Saints in Medieval Livonia / Anu Mänd 101 History Made Sacred: Martyrdom and the Making of a Sanctified Beginning in Early-Thirteenth-Century Livonia / Carsten Selch Jensen 145 Part III: Saints' Cults and the Creation of Regional and National Identities St. Canute Lavard around the Baltic Sea / Nils Holger Petersen 175 Saints, Guilds, and Seals: From Exclusivity to Competition / Lars Bisgaard 201 Saints and Political Identities in Late Medieval Lund and Uppsala / Tracey R. Sands 229 Saints at War in the Baltic Region / Kurt Villads Jensen 251 Saints around the Baltic—Some Remarks, Conclusions, and Further Questions / Felicitas Schmieder 273 Bibliography 281 List of Contributors 311 Index 315 Saints and sainthood around the Baltic Sea : an introduction / Carsten S. Jensen, Tracey R. Sands, Nils Holger Petersen, Kurt V. Jensen, Tuomas M.S. Lehtonen The elusive reality of saints : saints, churches, and cults / Martin Wangsgaard Jürgensen Medieval cults and modern inventions : Dorothy of Montau, the Teutonic Order, and "Katholiken fūr Hitler" / Cordelia Hess Finnish saints' traditions and folklore : interpreting St. Anne, St. Katherine of Alexandria, and St. Birgitta of Sweden / Irma-Riitta Järvinen Varangian saints and Christlike Varangians in Early Rus' Christianity / John H. Lind The cult and visual representation of Scandinavian saints in medieval Livonia / Anu Mänd History made sacred : martyrdom and the making of a sanctified beginning in early-thirteenth-century Livonia / Carsten Selch Jensen St. Canute Lavard around the Baltic Sea / Nils Holger Petersen Saints, guilds, and seals : from exclusivity to competition / Lars Bisgaard Saints and political identities in late medieval Lund and Uppsala / Tracey R. Sands Saints at war in the Baltic region / Kurt Villads Jensen Saints around the Baltic : some remarks, conclusions, and further questions / Felicitas Schmieder. This volume addresses the history of saints and sainthood in the Middle Ages in the Baltic Region with a special focus on the cult of saints in Russia, Prussia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, and Latvia (more commonly referred to in the Middle Ages as Livonia). The articles cover a wide range of topics, for example the introduction of foreign (and old) saints into new regions, the creation of new local cults of saints in newly Christianized regions, the role of the cult of saints in the creation of political and lay identities, the adaption of the cult of saints in folk poetry, and the potential role of saints in times of war. The articles also address questions of methodology in research on the medieval cult of saints. Chronologically, the articles cover most of the Middle Ages from the Scandinavian Varangians in Rus in the tenth century to the late medieval Northern societies of the late fifteenth century. "This volume addresses the history of saints and sainthood in the Middle Ages in the Baltic Region, with a special focus on the cult of saints in Russia, Prussia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, and Latvia (more commonly referred to in the Middle Ages as Livonia)."-- Provided by publisher This volume addresses the history of saints and sainthood in the Middle Ages in the Baltic Region, with a special focus on the cult of saints in Russia, Prussia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, and Latvia (more commonly referred to in the Middle Ages as Livonia).1