In this episode, Katja and Chris are joined by Sarah Bowden, Professor of German and Medieval Studies at King’s College London, to explore one of the strangest puzzles of medieval Europe: why hundreds of churches and chapels across southern Germany, Austria and the Alps are dedicated to Oswald, a 7th-century king of Northumbria. From Bede’s account of a Christian warrior king and his miraculously incorruptible right arm to the royal marriages that carried his cult into the Holy Roman Empire, they trace how Oswald travelled from northern England to Weingarten Abbey and beyond. Along the way, they uncover how German storytellers transformed him almost beyond recognition, adding a multilingual raven, a bridal quest, mermaids and a chaste marriage enforced by a cold bath. What can one saint’s many reinventions tell us about power, faith and culture in medieval Germany?
Links:
https://oswaldusrex.co.uk/
Join us as we untangle this complex story, dispelling the popular myths and misapprehensions about a national history that still shapes the world we live in.
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Host: Katja Hoyer & Dr Christopher Dillon
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Credits:
- Host: Katja Hoyer and Dr Christopher Dillon
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