Saints revisits forty medieval saints—both famed and obscure—from Britain, Ireland, and beyond, organizing their legends month by month across the calendar year. Amy Jeffs breathes new life into stories of miracle-working martyrs and mythic figures—from St Brigid and St George to lesser-known names like Scoithín and Ia—using sources as varied as official hagiographies, folk poems, and visual art. Each tale is paired with a concise historical commentary that unpacks the roots and cultural significance of the story. With over thirty paper-cut illustrations, the book offers an immersive, sensory-rich journey into a lost religious imagination and maps the rise and decline of saint cults through medieval Europe, transporting the reader into a vanished world shaped by faith, folklore, and wonder. Reviews “Each lifestory is a gem; beautifully written, evocative, informative, compulsive reading.”— Scottish Field Magazine “A rewarding and beguiling collection of legends that are little known, a wide-ranging introduction to medieval saints' lives.”— Literary Review “The legends are beautifully told and illustrated … the writer’s approach is both imaginative and scholarly.”— The Tablet
Book Title: Saints: A New Legendary of Heroes, Humans and Magic Book Genre: Nonfiction – Mythology & Medieval Folklore ISBN: 9781529416619 Pages: 448 Publishing Date: September 12, 2024 Publisher: Quercus
