Reading Notes : Saints and Animals, Part B

Content wise, part B of this reading was not as interesting to me as part A. Like the first half of the reading, it was very much focused on the human wandering and willingly offering themselves to suffering. In each story I read, the human faced trials with nature, which the animals helped them with. One thing that I found really interesting was that while some saints chose to wander for a long time or a very difficult location to call home, others would have fine houses and cloaks. The differences in practice were very interesting; Saint Francis would barely eat and would not even touch money, but Saint Ailbe had a princess as an adopted mother and lived comfortably. Still, each one was described as having a very pure soul and morally upright in every way.

Another thing that was interesting is that these stories defy normal scientific fiendings, like Saint Ailbe being rescued from the wolf pack but being able to grow up like a normal person. As a person of science, this is the biggest thing I had a problem with, but as a lover of fantasy and animal side kicks, I was totally okay with him being friends with the wolves later. There isn't much more that stood out to me, as part A had more elements that I would be interested in. I don't think I would describe the relationship between humans and animals as harmoniously as Brown does. Just as I don't believe humans can be as good as the saints described, animals also have their own emotions and instincts and can't be easily tamed, which makes them such an interesting and volatile component to have.

Image Details: Artic Wolf; source: flickr

The Book of Saints and Beasts. Abbie Farewell Brown. 1900. Web Source.

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Mythology and Folklore

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