Saint Cuthbert’s Legend Lives On
Cuthbert (633-687) is the patron saint of Northumbria. He brought healing to the people of Northern England during his lifetime, and his healing powers only increased after he died.
He was born in what is now southern Scotland, but was then the far north of the Anglo Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria. His family was wealthy, and he spent his youth playing ball games with the other boys. He became a soldier and might have lived a normal life, but then he had a vision of angels, and was called to a spiritual life.
Cuthbert showed up to the local monastery in typical upper-class style, on a horse with a spear and a servant. He soon turned in these worldly goods and chose to take a very ascetic path. He leaned into this solitary lifestyle, living as a hermit for many years on small islands off the northeast shore of Great Britain. Think lots of cold and rain, and then add in more rain.
He communed with the natural world, and birds would bring him food. He was known to wade out into the freezing waters of the North Sea, praying all night among the crashing waves. When the dawn came, he trudged back to the beach, where sea otters lay at his feet to warm him up. (You can see the otters in the stained-glass image above.)
When he wasn’t all on his own, Cuthbert was a man of the people. He was most famous for his reputation as a healer, and people came from far and wide to be cured by him. He brought relief to the sick and eased their suffering.
In 684, Cuthbert was called to be bishop of Lindisfarne, the place known as Holy Island. He died shortly thereafter, and his shrine on the island grew in popularity. People would bring gifts and eventually it was stuffed with treasure. This would make it a target for the Vikings when they came calling in 793 to kick off the Viking Age.
Eleven years after he died, the monks of Lindisfarne needed to move Cuthbert’s body from its crypt. When they opened his tomb, they discovered that his body had not decomposed as normal. It appeared as if he were just asleep, not dead for more than a decade.
In death, Cuthbert’s healing powers only increased. People continued to visit his shrine and be healed. Mere proximity to the clothes or belongings he had in life delivered miraculous effects. When the Vikings arrived, his body had to be moved to several locations to keep it safe.
But the Vikings didn’t want to desecrate his tomb; they respected and feared Cuthbert. Like many ancient people, the Viking religion esteemed gods for their powers. They honored Cuthbert because he could heal, even in death.
In the 880’s, after the Vikings settled in England, a Viking king even granted Cuthbert rulership of all the land between the River Tyne and the River Wear, pretty much everything between the modern cities of Newcastle and Durham. That he had been dead for two centuries must have been at least a small inconvenience.
In life, Cuthbert was a man who brought consolation to everyone through his healing, regardless of their social status. In death, Saint Cuthbert could bring comfort to his people and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. His legend continues to live on today in hearts, minds, and stained glass across northern England.
Have you ever been to a restaurant chain where the long-since-passed founder is venerated through pictures all over the dining area? They show him starting out at the first restaurant as a young man, smiling as he works the grill.
Later the pictures show him as a businessman, building the one location into a mighty empire. Finally, the pictures show him in his golden years as a philanthropist, giving back to the community.
How much of this “up by his own bootstraps” story is real? Did he really work the grill? Was he really always kind to his employees? Why is this story important to the marketing of the company?
A cynic might say that this story just helps to whitewash the fact that the “family restaurant” is now just a business unit of a giant soulless corporation that’s a conglomerate of dozens of restaurant brands.
Maybe, but maybe not. If the story of the founder’s journey makes the customers feel something special while sitting in the booth, then it has value. If it makes the fry cook see their job as part of their own journey in life, not just a minimum wage gig, then it has real value.
After he died, Saint Cuthbert had a second life in legend. People really believed that he could heal them and felt comfort from that. Even the pagan Vikings respected his powers.
If a story resonates with its audience, then it has value. If a legend brings hope in an otherwise hopeless situation, then it is a Good Thing for sure. Stories are powerful. Write your own story for the ages.