Radical saints and conservative churches: Cynewulf's <i>Juliana</i> in its cultural context

Abstract

the saintly heroine of Cynewulf's ninth-century poem that bears her name, fearlessly rebukes male authority figures, publicly defends her refusal to participate in a marriage she believes to be sinful, fights with a demon, and becomes the leader of a group of Christians. She is remarkably independent and authoritative, denying any obligation to follow cultural, legal, or familial expectations that conflict with her understanding of her Christian faith. Far from censuring her radicalism, Cynewulf's poem idealizes and elevates it, celebrating Juliana's martyrdom and status as an influential saint in the medieval canon. Juliana's story is by no means an anomaly, but instead belongs to a large body of similar literature: the very popular hagiographies about virgin martyr saints. The early medieval church actively promoted such stories, and people actively listened to and appreciated them. As a whole, scholars note this genre for its repetition of characters, action, and themes (Jones viii, McInerney 50, Magennis 173, Sanok 1-2). Given the repetitious nature of the genre, I will use Juliana, notable for its length and its poetic treatment of the subject, to take a closer look at precisely what these stories are repeating. For a culture in which women were denied the ability to make legal contracts, such as marriage (Bitel 71), the genre's repetition is quite radical: the stereotyped characters are all young women who, because of their faith in God, boldly deny male authority, speak assertively in public situations, and claim the right to manage their own lives. The stories also include intense verbal sparring between the saint and her male persecutors and always end with the vindication of the saint's transgressive behavior. The stories' themes stress an independent, unmediated practice of the Christian faith.

Breaking with tradition(?) : female representations of heroism in old english poetry.

“…Kimberly Joy Tanner sees Juliana as "demonstrating her religious independence" when she refuses the arranged marriage. 265 This action puts the heroine in direct opposition with cultural practices. Pat Belanoff points out that Old English poetry describes many women as "shining" 266 and asserts that "Cynewulf's Juliana is the significant female in Old English poetry whose 'shiningness' is least connected to material objects."…”