Saint Sebaldus

Sebaldus (or Sebald) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to Germany in the 9th or 10th century. He settled down as a hermit in the Reichswald near Nuremberg, of which city he is the patron saint. Almost all details of the life of Sebaldus are uncertain, beyond his presence in the woodland of Poppenreuth, west of Nuremberg, which was explained by his being a hermit. However various legends about his life have been recorded. One of the earliest legends (c. 1280) claims Sebaldus was a contemporary of Henry III (died 1056) and was of Franconian origin. After a pilgrimage in Italy, he became a preacher at Nuremberg. Another text claims that he was a Frankish nobleman who met Willibald and Winibald in Italy (thus dating his life to the 8th century) and later became a missionary in the Sebalder Reichswald that is associated with his name. Other legends claim he was either the son of the king of Denmark or a student in Paris who married a French princess, but then abandoned her on their wedding night to go on a pilgrimage to Rome. In these versions of the legend, the Pope gave Sebaldus the mission of evangelising in the forests of Nuremberg, thereby ascribing to his ancient presence there papal authority. Throughout his life, Sebaldus is said to have performed some miracles. As recorded on his shrine, Sebaldus' hagiography includes feats such as the curing of blindness, refilling a jug of wine from thin air, and invoking the wrath of God to have a mocker swallowed up by the earth. Among the most popular legends associated with Sebaldus is the "Miracle of the Icicles." The story, as recounted by the English hagiographer Alban Butler, holds that during a snowy night in the dead of winter, Sebaldus took shelter in the hovel of a poor peasant family, but found that their weak fire could provide little relief from the elements. When Sebaldus suggested that more fuel be added, the poor man replied that this meagre kindling was all he could afford.