eligious stories are, if anything, more common than any other
flavor. Even secular
tales tend to have religious elements. There are
hundreds of saints, each with his or her own story, miracles, liturgy, etc.—
and in many cases the commoners have huge bodies of religious tradition about
these saints which Father Hugh, the village priest, admits are not to be
found in the official Church histories. Thus,
only a few of the most famous religious legends are covered here. (In particular,
major Church figures such as Melenor and
Leofric are considered historical,
not legendary.)
This, of course, are only one side of the coin. The Church, and Church institutions,
also figure prominently in story and song—and not necessarily positively. While
the Faith itself is never denigrated, individual churchmen are seldom portrayed
flatteringly.
Saint Andrew
Called "the Wayfarer." The most important saint, with a large
order of monks. He
is the patron of travellers, vagabonds, and most especially knights-errant: those
who have no possessions but what they carry. He was a nobleman of
Melenor's time
who sold all his lands and properties to aid the rebellion against
Pyrrhenium. At
last he sold himself into slavery to pay to equip his son as a knight.
Saint Gareth
Called "the Silent." He is the patron saint of those who are tortured; he has a
small, very exclusive order of monks,
the Silent Brothers or White Monks,
dedicated to him. A companion of
Leofric the Angel-Spoken, he was captured and
tormented in Pyrrhenium in an effort to
make him recant his faith.
Saint Ildera
Patron of nuns and holy women. She has a large
order of nuns, monks, and friars (both
male and female). She was a poor woman, unmarried due to her plainness and lack
of dowry. One day in church she heard a voice which commanded her to go forth and
preach. At the time the
Atlantian
wizards were seducing the
nobles of Camberland
to treason; Saint Ildera preached a message of submission to God and the rightful
King, and was not well received. Many people tried to get her to change her
message to favor one faction or another; she always refused. Finally a powerful
knight took her captive. Rather than alter her teachings to favor his cause, she
starved to death.
Jolly Brother Jack
Brother Jack was a rogue, trickster, conniver, wencher, thief, glutton, and vagabond who somehow gained admittance into the Isombrate monastic order—an order dedicated to teaching and study. Finding that the scholar's life did not suit him, Jolly Brother Jack took to the road in a friar's habit and caroused the length and breadth of Camberland. Stories and ballads of his pranks and escapades are without number; sometimes he is the butt of the joke, but more often the victims are greedy prelates and cruel noblemen.The Wailing Pilgrim
Long ago, a wealthy merchant named Uthyr set out on pilgrimage to Aurentum, the city of the Pontifex. As befitted a man of his substance, he travelled in luxury, with a great train of servants and porters. One evening, when a rainstorm threatened to catch him unprepared, a poor but noble knight happened by and offered Uthyr shelter. Uthyr and his party stayed for three days, ruining the knight's fields, wrecking his manor, and eating and drinking him out of house and home. All this time the merchant protested about what a poor man he was, and that he could never hope to repay his host. At last, on the third evening, he called for more wine, only to find out that there was no more to be had: he and his followers had consumed it all. In a fit of drunken fury, Uthyr cursed his host, saying: "Damn me to hell if ever I knew a more stingy man!" In the morning he had vanished, leaving his money behind; now his shade is occasionally seen on the roads late at night, crying out piteously for meat and drink that no one will give him.
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