Saint Christopher in medieval Spanish literature

Abstract

The thesis explores the legend of Saint Christopher as presented in four fourteenth- and fifteenth-сеntury manuscripts, the oldest extant Castillan accounts. Chapter One outlines the legend's origins in fourth-century Eastern Mediterranean culture, and its trajectory as far as its appearance in Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda aurea, commenting on the changes made to content and emphasis as the account evolved. The focus narrows in Chapter Two, where the transmission from Latin to Castillan is considered in detail, and comparisons drawn between the four vernacular accounts. Chapter Three and Four deal with thematic aspects of the legend as they appear in Spanish, including an exploration of die nature of Christopher in his dual portrayal as saint and monster, and the notions of fear, power and voice as they are depicted in the texts. The four medieval Spanish accounts are edited and presented here (three of them for the first time) in an appendix, complete with critical apparatus.