"Medieval folktales rarely survive, but when they do, they often appear in surprising places-especially in the lives of local saints. The story of St. Prokop of Sázava reveals how ordinary Czech beliefs shaped a miracle-working saint who battled demons, defended the Slavonic rite, and even returned as a ghost to protect his community."
"The folktales that do reach us are therefore often the kind that align with the desires of the people who could write them down for posterity. As a result of this phenomenon, one of the best places to find folk beliefs is in saints' hagiographies. This is because - especially in the earlier medieval period before there was a formal process for the canonization of saints, which was overseen directly by the papacy - local belief was often the means by which saints were created."
Medieval folktales rarely survive and often surface unexpectedly in the lives of local saints. St. Prokop of Sázava exemplifies how ordinary Czech beliefs produced a miracle-working figure who battled demons, defended the Slavonic rite, and returned as a protective ghost. The word-of-mouth nature of medieval culture obscures many popular tales, and surviving stories tend to reflect the priorities of those who could record them. Saints' hagiographies frequently preserve folk beliefs, especially before centralized canonization processes. Local devotion often generated distinctive saints and deeds that could appear striking or unusual to outsiders. St. Prokop founded the Sázava monastery and lived as a modest, ascetic figure whose community venerated him.
Read at Medievalists.net
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