I’m restoring the articles from my old site.

Thanks for your patience while I’m adding content.  There are many articles — previously published here — to distribute among this website, FaerieMagick.com, and HollowHill.com.

One of the earliest was Fintan, husband of Cessair, grand-daughter of Noah. Cessair and her family fled the approaching Deluge and settled in Ireland, but only Fintan survived.

Fintan changed shape several times, first becoming a salmon, then an eagle, and then a falcon.

Another early Irish tale describes the long life of Tuan, who told his story to St. Finnian around the year 550.  Tuan had lived as a stag, a boar, a hawk, a salmon, and then again as a human.¹

St. Patrick used the same kind of “magic” when he intoned St. Patrick’s Breastplate to transform his followers and himself into deer, while escaping from King Loegaire’s forces.

After calling upon the powers of several Christian powers and Deity, St. Patrick invokes the elements:

“I arise to-day
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.²

In The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom¹, authors Caitlin and John Matthews note this as a fith-fath (said “fee-fohh”, rhymes with “Hee Haw”).

Generally, fith-fath is a Scots Gaelic charm to change a person into another shape or form. It makes the person invisible to his or her enemies. This might also be a useful charm when hunting, to become another animal of the forest while hunting boar, etc.

Alexander Carmichael shared a “fath-fith” charm, spell, or prayer in his book, Carmina Gadelica, published in 1900. (Carmina Gadelica is Latin for “Scottish songs and incantations.”)

In this important book, Carmichael recorded many Pagan-based prayers and rituals–most in a Christian context–from the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

Here is the “fath-fith” as he transcribed it:

Fath-fith
Will I make on thee
By Mary of the augury
By Bride of the corslet From sheep, from ram
From goat, from buck
From fox, from wolf
From sow, from boar
From dog, from cat
From hipped-bear
From wilderness-dog
From watchful scan*
From cow, from horse
From bull, from heifer
From daughter, from son
From the birds of the air
From the creeping things of the earth
From the fishes of the sea
From the imps of the storm.

*probably some animal

So, this kind of magic has existed for at least 1500 years in the British Isles.

But, it is not the only kind of magic used by St. Patrick. For example, the Matthews note that St. Patrick did not ban the magical practice of dichetal do chennaib, sometimes called a form of divination, also described as a flash of intuition.

According to Robert Graves’ research, it’s a kind of incantation from (or using) the fingertips or twigs from specific trees.

In fact, in Carmichael’s book there is a “finger-compassing” (or “finter-compassing”) reference that quotes almost directly from another passage in St. Patrick’s Breastplate:

The finter-compassing

Who is before me?
Who is behind me?
Who is beneath me?
God and the Lord.

Who upholds me?
The Three of power,
Father and Son
And Spirit of peace.

We may find even more Pagan traditions in the beliefs and especially the practices of St. Patrick.

It’s clear that he left us more than legends about shamrocks and snakes.

Let’s remember him as an interesting saint — and possibly a magician and shapeshifter — representing both spiritual sides of Ireland.

References and resources

¹The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Wisdom : A Celtic Shaman’s Sourcebook, by Caitlin & John Matthews, p. 71, 152-3.

²Fianaigecht (The Fenian Cycle), trans. by Kuno Meyer (c)1910, St. Patrick’s Breastplate

³Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations, by Alexander Carmichael

The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom
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Glastonbury’s unique history covers many centuries. Since the Middle Ages, Glastonbury in Somerset has been considered a most likely location of Avalon, the final resting place of King Arthur and Guinevere.

However, Glastonbury’s mystical and spiritual history starts far before the era of Camelot.

Glastonbury, the Isle of Glass

Over 2,000 years ago, Glastonbury was an island on the edge of the sea, near the coast of Britain. In Celtic times, it was a great Pagan sanctuary, shown by its ruins dating to the third century, BCE, and even earlier.

In Celtic times, Glastonbury was known as Yniswitrin, a Welsh name meaning “Isle of Glass,” also translated “Isle of Apples.” The surrounding county of Somerset was called the Summer Country, which can refer to its reputed connection to the Otherworldly realm of “the Summerland.”

From earliest times, Glastonbury and the Arthurian Kingdom have always been on the edge of the faery world.

As years passed, the landscape changed. Glastonbury acquired its Saxon name and became an inland island, surrounded by a lake.

Today, that lake is gone and Glastonbury Tor rises 500 feet above the land around it, capped by the 14th century chapel of St. Michael. At the foot of the Tor, the serene town of Glastonbury is both a New Age and Christian landmark, and the home of significant spiritual history.

Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea in Glastonbury

There are many links between Jesus, his family, and the Glastonbury area.

According to the Herald’s Office of England’s College of Arms, the Christian history of Glastonbury begins with Ann, the mother of Mary, and Ann’s brother, Joseph (later called “Joseph of Arimathea”).

Ann was born in “Cornouaille,” or Cornwall; her father was probably involved in the mining of tin. Ann’s family had relatives in the Nazareth area, which is where Ann’s daughter, Mary (the mother of Jesus) was born. There is evidence that Ann’s family traveled often.

Ann’s brother, Joseph, moved first to Marmorica in Egypt. Most likely, it was his family with whom Mary and Joseph found shelter, when they fled to Egypt during Herod’s “slaughter of the innocents.”

In early accounts, Joseph of Arimathea is called Joseph de Marmore in reference to his years in Egypt.

Joseph later moved to Arimathea, where he was the Minister of Mines for the Roman government. He travelled to Cornwall and Somerset frequently on business.

(There are tales of Joseph of Arimathea and his nephew, Jesus, in these two regions, but nowhere else in the British Isles. Coincidentally, these are the only two areas in Britain where tin is mined.)

Additional evidence supports these legends: Archaeological digs at Ostia, a seaport of ancient Rome, produced ancient Roman drainpipes. When analysed, the tin used for the drainpipes came from the Mendip Hills, near Glastonbury, England.

According to legend, Joseph brought Jesus to Glastonbury several times when Jesus was in his teens. Together, they built the first religious building in Glastonbury, on the site where Lady Chapel stands, today.

As early as 597 CE, St. Augustin wrote to Pope Gregory, “In the Western confines of Britain there is a royal island of large extent, surrounded by water…,” where a church was “constructed by the hands of Christ himself.” St. Augustin was referring to the church at Glastonbury.

This church–and the Christianity which flourished here immediately after Jesus’ death–is the reason why, when the world Church Council is seated at the table in the order in which they received Christianity, Great Britain was traditionally placed first, even before Rome.

This is a reprint of my 2002 article about connections between gods and saints.

Recently, I read Luisah Teish’s book, Jambalaya. In it, she explains Afro-American spiritual traditions, and how they survived by adopting Christian terms and identities. She focuses on the Voudou of New Orleans, but also relates to Yoruba, Santeria, and other belief systems.

After reading this book, I realized how many spiritual traditions share nearly identical beliefs and/or practices.

In a vast number of religions, a senior deity or pair of deities is recognized. Sometimes the deity is named; sometimes the deity is implied but either not named, or the name is too sacred to be articulated.

Usually, believers do not address that deity directly, but go through an intermediary or lesser deity/identity.

In some cases, this is a priest, minister, rabbi, or priestess. At other times, the intermediary is an ancestor or another elevated spirit, or an aspect of the deity with a developed identity and personality.

They may be called “gods” or “saints,” but they are clearly cast in a demi-god role, perhaps with special access to the senior deity.

In the Irish tradition, the “gods and not-gods” of the Tuatha De Danann were literally the “people of Danu.” Danu, also called Dana and related names in various cultures, was probably the senior deity in some Celtic belief systems.

In more recent traditions, we can see spiritual beings of the “gods and not-gods” level, reidentified with saints.

The most obvious among these renamed gods is Brighid, a triple goddess whose characteristics and history were merged with a fifth-century nun, St. Bridget of Kildare.

St. Bridget’s contemporary, the Irish St. Ita, was born Deidre, and like the goddess of the same name, her biography describes her beauty as a curse.

In Celtic history, the adventures of Mael Dúin and St. Brendan the Voyager are almost indistinguishable.

The Irish Nechtan, the water god and husband of Boann, is remarkably like St. Nectan of Cornwall, who was buried under a waterfall. Today, the word “nectan” is used to mean water spirit, too.

St. Non could align with Nona/Nonna, the Roman goddess of pregnancy/harvest due to the focus on the birth of St. Non’s son, St. David. However, historians generally connect St. Non with aspects of the more senior deity, Danu or Dana, also called Anna and Nonna in some cultures.

It’s more of a stretch to link St. Ailbe who was abandoned as a baby and raised by wolves, with the hound, Ailbe, of the MacDaTho legends.

However, we can see a linguistic evolution of god to saint with the Welsh St. Teilo, whose earlier name was Elios, the Welsh version of Helios, the sun god.

This list could extend indefinitely, showing how some saints’ biographies were built upon, or included elements from, Pagan deities’ lives.

References (titles are linked to Amazon.com pages featuring their reviews)

• Dictionary of Celtic Mythology, by Peter Berresford Ellis
• The Book of Goddesses & Heroines, by Patricia Monaghan
• The Celtic Saints, by Nigel Pennick
• Wisdom of the Celtic Saints, by Edward C. Sellner
• Jambalaya, by Luisah Teish

… and a partridge in a pear tree?

Most of us recognize the song that starts, ‘On the first day of Christmas…,” but how many know the real origin of those famous twelve days?

Are they Christian?  Are they Pagan?

And, when do the twelve days start, anyway?  Do we celebrate the beginning of them, the conclusion, or every day?

BABYLON

The Mesopotamians may have started it in Babylon.

The festival was Zagmuk, their twelve-day festival of renewal that began their new year. According to lore, this celebration honored their chief god, Marduk, who brought order to a chaotic world.

At the darkest time of year, Marduk needed the help of humans to defeat Chaos once again.

In Babylonian traditions, Chaos was an actual god.  His natural state was inertia.  Anything that upset inertia was a threat to Chaos, and he tried to destroy it.

Pop Quiz: Where was Babylon?

Answer: About 50 miles south of modern Baghdad, just north of the Iraqi town of al-Hillah.

For more information, see A Brief History of Babylon. [Link]

EGYPT

Others claim another source for the 12 days.

They explain that the tradition began 4000 years ago in Egypt.  There, an annual twelve-day celebration signified the twelve divisions of their calendar year.

During these twelve days that started at the Winter Solstice, Egyptians celebrated the rebirth of Horus in his new form, the Sun.

At this festival’s conclusion, the new year began — just as ours does today — approximately 12 days after the Solstice.

PERSIA AND GREECE

Next, the Persians and the Greeks adopted the twelve-day festival, as Sacaea.

In Persia’s Sacaea traditions, servants swapped roles with their masters, so their masters served them.

(This holiday tradition is still in practice today in various parts of the world.)

In Greece, Sacaea celebrated Zeus’ defeat of Kronos (the original “Father Time”) and the Titans.

Sacaea also marked the annual ritual to protect the family–especially children–from the Kallikantzaroi (Christmas goblins).

The Kallikantzaroi are faeries or imps who live underground but visit our world between December 25th and January 6th, to wreak havoc here.

To protect the home from Kallikantzaroi, it is traditional to leave on the doorstep something with many holes in it.

Apparently, the Kallikantzaroi love to count, but–in our world–can’t safely count above two (three being a holy number). When they pronounce the number three, they are instantly returned to the Underworld.

ROME

The Persian and Egyptian versions of the twelve-day festival merged in Rome, where the celebration became Saturnalia.

During Saturnalia, people dress up in costume, visit friends, and exchange gifts.

In fact, it is from this Roman tradition that historians trace our “Christmas gift” traditions.

MITHRAS

In addition to the Winter Solstice festival, the Romans also adopted the Persian god, Mithras (or Mithra).  He was the sun god worshipped by Constantine, who made Christianity the official religion of Rome.

Mithras was the “Unconquered Sun”.  Like Jesus, he was called “the light of the world”, and we can trace Mithras’ popularity to the sixth century, BCE.

Mithras’ birthday was the 25th of December, but that’s not the only parallel with Jesus Christ:

• Mithras’ birth was attended by shepherds.
• At the end of his time on earth and before returning to his father, Mithras celebrated with a “last supper” involving bread and wine with his twelve followers (sometimes linked to the twelve signs of the zodiac).
• Mithras was put to death on a cross, and just as he was born in a cave, he was buried in a cave until he rose to join his father.
• Mithras’ followers await his return when he will raise the dead and begin a final judgement of all who have lived on earth.
• Mithras’ and Jesus’ birthday also coincide with the birthday of another, earlier Roman god who led the cult of Sol Invictus.

AND THE REST IS HISTORY

As Christianity spread–and with it the celebration of Christmas (and its “twelve days”)–more Pagan traditions were incorporated into the celebration.

And by Shakespeare’s time, the twelve days had spawned another celebration, Twelfth Night.

But, it probably started with the Babylonians and the Egyptians.

Whether you begin your “twelve days” on the Winter Solstice or with Christmas, may your 12 days (and many past then) be filled with blessings and delights of the season.

The word ‘Yule’

Yule is a word with uncertain roots.

We know that it was used in 11th century England, when the country was under Danish rule. There are no English records of the word before that time.

The word is jol in Old Norse, jul in Swedish, and juul in Danish, but the actual meaning of the word–except to suggest Christmas–is unknown.

Some claim it was actually a word for the harvest festival.

Linguists remain baffled.

Wassail traditions

Another word with a blurred history is “wassail.” However, we know that the word meant “good health” in Old English.

The tradition is to shout “Wassail!” and drink from a cup. The next person replies “Drinkhail,” and accepts the cup, taking a drink from it.

He says “Wassail!” to the next person, and passes the cup along, giving a kiss to the recipient.

And the next person say, “Drinkhail,” and so on.

The Yule Log

Likewise, the Yule Log is a tradition dating back to unwritten history. In the early 17th century, it was no particular kind of wood, but was burned at the holidays to bring prosperity and luck to the household.

More recently, the Yule Log is made of oak or ash, and a piece of it is saved from the fire, to light the Yule Log of the following year.

Mistletoe, and the “Kissing Bush”

Greenery has long been used in England and Ireland to celebrate this time of year.  However, the “kissing bush,” or mistletoe, was introduced in the late 18th century.

It’s only necessary for mistletoe to be part of the decoration that commands a kiss if you’re beneath it.

Celtic traditions suggest a rivalry between the Holly King, who rules the waning year (Midsummer to Yule) and the Oak King, who rules the waxing year (Yule to Midsummer).

At Christmas, holly represents the Holly King, and ivy represents his female counterpart.

It is supposed to be unlucky to have more ivy than holly in Christmas decorations.

Traditionally, all Christmas greenery is taken down on the day after Twelfthnight (January 6th), and burned in the fires of Shrove Tuesday’s pancake breakfasts.

However, the “kissing bush” remains in place all year, providing magical protection for the household until it is replaced at the following Christmas.

But, not in Scotland

In Scotland, the greenery and “kissing bush” was not a tradition, although holly was placed on houses at New Year’s Eve, to keep the faeries out.

Bah, humbug? Scotland was also the country that made Christmas celebrations illegal.

Around 1561, the Reformed Church of Scotland, called “the Kirk,” abolished all winter Christ-related holidays. These included Christmas, the Circumcision, the Epiphany, and all references to holy days related to the Virgin Mary. The Puritans declared them an “invention” of the “Papist” Church.

By 1573, people were punished and sometimes excommunicated for observing Christmas. Nevertheless, it was noted that King James VI celebrated Christmas in his court in Edinburgh in 1598 and 1599, despite local disapproval.

Resourceful Scots shifted their celebration to New Year’s, but in 1606, the Kirk (and the government) also condemned the “superstitious time of Yule, or New Year’s Day.”

Even singing a Christmas carol could result in prosecution.

Thankfully, the harsh laws against Christmas were reversed during the Restoration in 1660, although the religious holiday was disputed for many years afterwards.

A secular solution

In fact, when continuing conflicts prevented Christmas from regaining its full festivities in Scotland, the celebration was shifted once again. The birthday of poet/author Robert Burns, on January 25th, became the new, secular holiday.

Today, no matter what reasons you choose for celebrating at Yuletide, the traditions remain fairly constant.

The colors and characters of the holidays

Gold symbolizes the return of the Sun, or the Son of God. Red is for the resurgence of life-giving blood, and green is a reminder of the evergreen, which symbolized eternal life.

Whether Father Christmas, Santa Claus, or a Pagan god/dess (such as the red-robed German goddess, Holga) comes down the chimney, we share gifts with each other as symbols of charity, and the way that Deity showers gifts on all of us.

And at January first, we look ahead to the New Year, and its promises of wonderful things.

May your Yuletide be filled with wonder and hope, and the warmth of the promise of Spring.

However, today’s Pagans celebrate Yule as the pre-Christian holiday, when the Sun appears to be reborn.

Winter Solstice

Traditionally, Yule is celebrated around December 22nd at the Winter Solstice. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is celebrated on June 22nd.

The word “solstice” means “standing still of the Sun.” In winter, it marks the time when light starts returning and the days become longer again.

We know that the Solstice was significant in Pagan beliefs. The midwinter Sun’s movements were marked by monuments such as

• Newgrange (Ireland)
• Mae Howe (Orkney)
• Dorset’s seven-mile monument (England)
• One entrance at the Cumberland Circle (England)
• Stonehenge (England)

In the year 730, the religious historian, Bede, wrote that the most important annual (Pagan) festival in England was Modranicht. In English, that means “Mother Night,” and it was celebrated on the 24th of December according to the Roman calendar.

Although Bede’s research seems shaky, the solstice was significant in England from earliest times.

In 877, Alfred the Great passed a law that no servant had to work during the 12 days of celebration following Midwinter. (And this relates to the “12 Days of Christmas” tradition.)

But, how did December 25th become Christmas? How does this link to the Pagan midwinter festivals?

Christmas and December 25th

Most Bible scholars agree that there is little historical evidence that Christ’s birthdate was on December 25th. In fact, no actual date was suggested in the Bible.

The first time that Christ’s birth was celebated in December, was in the year 354. That’s when Philocalus put the date on his calendar in Rome. The Romans hoped to combine various religions’ holidays, so everyone was celebrating at the same time.

The Roman Holidays

In Rome, the first Pagan festival of this season was Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the god of fertility and agriculture. Celebrations were held in late December, when “his” astrological sign, Capricorn, rose in the sky.

This Roman festival preceded an even larger New Year’s celebration called Kalendae on January first.

Several other Roman religions also celebrated the birth of the Sun-god around the end of December.

Sol Invictus, a prominent tradition in Rome, celebrated the birth of God on Natalis Invictus just as the cult of Mithra/s did, on or close to the Winter Solstice.

So, Constantine–wearing his sun god costume to many decision-making meetings–moved Christmas from January 6th to December 25th.

(This is one reason why Christmas is celebrated on December 25th in the Roman Catholic Church, but not the Greek Orthodox.)

By making one general holiday on December 25th, the Romans hoped to unify the various religions in one grand celebration. Constantine took this effort one step further, when he made Christianity the official religion of Rome.

However, no decrees could fully banish Pagan beliefs and practices. The links between Christmas and midwinter/Solstice festivals have continued through the centuries.

The name, Christmas?

The English name, Christmas, didn’t appear until the year 1083 when it was recorded as Cristes Maessan.

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Today, we most often associate Babylon with its leaders Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar, as well as the the Epic of Gilgamesh.

HAMMURABI

Babylon was the most important Middle Eastern city during the reign of Hammurabi (ca. 1792-1750 BCE), remembered for the Code of Hammurabi.

Hammurabi’s code of laws, found on a black stone monument in Persia in 1901, are the earliest-known public declaration of laws by a ruler.

The code began and ended with prayers to the gods, and many were curses on anyone who disregarded the laws.

After Hammurabi’s death, Babylon survived many centuries of oppression and war, but was restored to glory by King Nebuchadnezzar II. This king is usually referred to as simply “Nebuchadnezzar”, pronounced “nebb-yoo-kuhhd-NEZZ-urr”.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR

Under Nebuchadnezzar — famous for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon — the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jews captive.

However, after casting three Jews into a “fiery furnace” (See the Bible, Dan. 3), Nebuchadnezzar was cursed for four years with depression and lycanthropy.

Nebuchadnezzar (ca. 630 BCE – ca. 560 BCE) was following in the footsteps of his father, the warrior-king Nabopolassar.

Nabopolassar freed Babylonia from the control of its northern neighbor, Assyria, and destroyed the Assyrian city of Nineveh, which is today known as Mossul.

(In ancient times, Assyria was composed of today’s northern provinces of Iraq, and parts of Turkey, Syria, and Iran.)

Nebuchadnezzar restored Babylon to glory, and created a legendary network of canals, aquaducts, and reservoirs. He was boastful of how he rebuilt Babylon, perhaps with good reason. It’s estimated that nine-tenths of the bricks found in Babylon’s ruins were stamped with Nebuchadnezzar’s name.

But, as in previous centuries, Babylon continued to war with its neighbors, especially Assyria and Persia.

MARDUK AND BABYLONIAN RELIGION

While Assyria is proud to say that it was the first country to accept Christianity in 33 CE, the Babylonians worshipped several gods, the chief of whom was Marduk, “lord of Justice”, also known as Bel-Marduk or Marduk Bal. He is also linked with Merodach, “lord god of heaven and earth” as well as “lord of Babylon”.

Marduk, according to Babylonian tradition, created heaven and earth. Babylon was his city.

Babylonians and others in that region may have believed that statues of deity really were that deity. Further, a city had its own gods. (Babylon was sometimes associated with Ishtar as well as Marduk.) Therefore, when a city prospered, other cities and countries might try to “capture” the god of that city (perhaps in statue form) to bring him or her to their own land.

This may be why Nebuchadnezzar, after destroying the Temple in Jerusalem, brought the “sacred vessels” of the temple back to Babylon, along with a large portion of the city’s population.

THE DEMISE OF BABYLON

Within 25 years of the death of Nebuchadnezzar, around 538 BCE, Babylon fell to Cyrus II of Persia.

(Persia is known today as Iran, which gets its name from the Indo-European Aryans who settled there. Their early prophet — thousands of years before Jesus Christ — was Zarathustra.)

Cyrus II — also called Cyrus the Great by some historians — allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. When American President Harry Truman supported the nation of Israel in 1948, he declared, “I was Cyrus.”

It was originally associated with the goddess Brighid of the Tuatha De Danann. (Her name can be spelled many different ways.)

The name Imbolc (pronounced like “imm-MELK”) sometimes appears as Oimelc and Imbolg (“imm-BOLK”), as well as other spellings.

Imbolc refers to the lactation of the ewes. Today, we celebrate the day on February 1st.  However, the date has varied from community to community.

The date of the festival was based on when farmers saw the milk coming in with their own sheep. Generally, this was within about two weeks of the start of February.

The milk signals the approach of spring and the birth of new life. However, winter is not fully over, so household fires are kept lit day and night, in the tradition of Brighid, who was both a goddess and a saint.

It’s important to understand that gods and goddesses in the Irish Celtic tradition aren’t exactly deity. They may be larger-than-life in the stories, but they’re still very human and make mistakes. These “gods” and “goddesses” are not worshipped, but they are respected and sometimes held in awe.

It’s also important to understand that Irish history and legend are the same thing. The stories from history are told with richness and color, and this sometimes leads people to think that they’re myths. However, there is considerable archaeological evidence to support the stories as based on fact, if not entirely literal history.

Generally, the Irish don’t think that it’s particularly important to separate the actual events from the way the stories are told; they’re all Irish heritage, and have significance.

(It’s like Santa Claus: You don’t have to know the life of the real St. Nicholas, to enjoy the holiday. In fact, some people regard Santa Claus as an allegory for a loving God.)

Many people believe that the Tuatha De Danann are still with us, in the faerie world. Some say they are living under the surface of the earth.

Brighid and her two sisters, also named Brighid, represent goddesses of poetry, healing, and smithcraft. The goddess for which the day is named is the one who married Breas (temporary leader of the Tuatha de Danann). This Brighid was the mother of Ruadhan, who was killed in battle.

There is a strong tradition in Celtic history, where three sisters or three brothers might all have the same name. When you find things in threes (or multiples of threes) in Celtic history, it usually suggests something spiritual or magical.

Brighid’s blessings were revered in Ireland, and she is one of the few goddesses whose history and lore remained mostly intact as her identity was applied to a Catholic saint of the same name.