Many of the stories in Visions of Hell must be mediated through physical objects, creating a sequence of confirmations that links the vision to the physical world. Often, the stories layer different forms of validation, forming a web that supports the vision’s version of truth and strengthens the consequences of the vision. In St. Paul’s story, a man receives a vision from an angel about a hidden box in his…
Andreas gives the ocean many names: the whale-road, the formidable waterways, the menace of the water, the salt sea-streams, the cold waters. The ocean roars, jostles, surges, and encroaches. The epithets of the ocean mirror the epithets of God. In fact, one of God’s names is “the Sentinel of the Sea.” Andreas does not treat the ocean as a mere means of transport or geographical feature. The ocean becomes a…
Maragaret’s travails as a saint are pointedly isolated from human supporters. She is put to trial against her attackers, with only Theotimius secretly nourishing her. Not only does she face Olibrius alone, but her family opposes the support she receives from God. Before Olibrius captures her, she is still religiously persecuted. As Theotimius explains, “she was very hateful to her father, but very dear to God” (115). The sentence structure…
One of the more vivid scenes in Daniel occurs when Nebuchednezzer prepares to throw the three young men into the flame. Though the actual burning turns out to be anticlimactic, the paragraph of preparation is rife with anticipation and evil depictions of the flames. Nebuchednezzer commands the oven to be heated, watches as the flames are slowly and cruelly stoked, and finally gathers everyone to watch the torture (263). The…
Though the fall of Adam and Eve is the most well known story of descent in Genesis, both biblical Genesis and the Old English interpretation are full of backend stories about the biblical forefathers making a couple mistakes and seeming much less likable or heroic than who they were when they were first introduced. Lot turns from a favored nephew to a confused old man manipulated by his daughters, and…
Medieval Allegory and Classical Structures in Psychomachia Though biblical figures, stories, and sentiments form the backbone of Prudentius’ Psychomachia, echoes of classical structures weave their way into the allegory. Prudentius utilizes few explicit callbacks to Greek or Roman mythology. While Boethius calls upon the Muses and regularly references gods such as Boreas or Bacchus, Prudentius relies upon biblical stories for background, including the tale of Holofernes and Judith or the…
