Saints end up in the Lent Madness bracket for a variety of reasons. Some for heroic acts or miracles, some for leadership or great teachings. And some simply because they have cool names (ie. Christina the Astonishing in 2014). Today's saintly souls didn't end up in the bracket because of their names alone, but they are kind of awesome. Hermione vs. Melangell. It just kind of rolls off the tongue -- at least if you can pronounce them. But just to be clear, Hermione is not the one from the Harry Potter series. And Melangell is not the one from, well, no best-selling book series we're aware of. Yet.
Yesterday, Albert the Great proved greater than Leo the Great 54% to 46% in a matchup between two great saints.
Also yesterday, Tim and Scott shared another epic episode of Monday Madness. You can watch it here, but know that we're disappointed in you. Fortunately you can redeem yourself by watching this week's episode and waiting with an expectant heart for next week's version.
Hermione
Hermione was a saint of the second century who had an ability to both heal people—and avoid martyrdom.
According to church tradition, Hermione was one of the daughters of Philip, the deacon. She and her sisters had the gift of prophecy and were Christians from an early age. We know nothing about her childhood, but we know that when she became an adult, she and her sister Eutychia set out from Caesarea in Palestine to Ephesus, to seek out the apostle John to study with him.
Upon arrival, they discovered that John had died, so they studied instead with Petronius, a disciple of Paul’s. From Petronius, Hermione learned about healing and began to minister to the sick of the city. Meanwhile, the emperor Trajan came to town on his way to battle the Persians. Encountering Hermione, he ordered her to renounce Christianity, but she refused. He ordered her to be hit in the face for hours on end. By all accounts, she withstood this undeterred because she had a vision of Jesus sitting enthroned in front of her, encouraging her. Seeing that she would not renounce her faith—and not wanting to be late for his war—Trajan finally let her go.
Hermione decided this would be a great time to start setting up hospices in Ephesus—a place that was half-hospital, half-hotel, where people could receive both spiritual and physical nourishment. She carried on her hospice work with vigor until the next emperor, Hadrian, came to town. He, too, decided to try his luck with Hermione and demanded she recant her faith. When this didn’t work either, he ordered her to be boiled alive in a cauldron of boiling lead, tar, and brimstone. But one did not simply boil Hermione; an angel appeared and scattered the coals so that the cauldron went cold. Enraged, the emperor came forward and touched the cauldron to see if it had gone cold. (He burned his hand off.)
Not being one to take a hint, Hadrian ordered Hermione to be roasted on something like a big iron skillet. This also didn’t work. He then told two servants to go and chop her head off. When they tried, their hands withered, and beholding the miracle, they immediately converted themselves. Hadrian declared defeat, and Hermione died of natural, non-martyrdom causes in 117.
Collect for Hermione
Almighty God, whose will it is to be glorified in your saints and who raised up your servant Hermione to be a light in the world: Shine, we pray, in our hearts, that we also in our generation may show forth your praise, who called us out of darkness into your marvelous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Melangell
A poem penned in 1723 in the registry of the Welsh church named for Melangell reads: “Melangell with a thousand angels triumphs over all the powers of evil.” Also hunters, as her story goes.
Melangell was the daughter of a sixth-century Irish monarch, as recorded in the book Tours of Wales. When her father attempted to marry her off to a nobleman in his court, Melangell, who wanted to pursue a life of prayer and solitude, fled Ireland. She found sanctuary deep in the Berwyn Mountains in what is now Wales, where she lived as a hermit for fifteen years.
Enter the hunter in our tale, the prince of Powys. While hunting a hare, the prince chased the animal into a “great thicket,” where he was surprised to find instead “a virgin of surpassing beauty.” It was Melangell, deep in prayer, with the hare seeking sanctuary beneath her robe. The prince’s hunting dogs retreated, howling. Impressed by the hermit’s courage and devotion, the prince not only let the hare go free, but he also gave the land to Melangell to be “a sanctuary to all that fled there.”
Melangell founded an abbey on the land, where she remained abbess until her death. Her small religious community ordered its life around prayer and works of mercy, providing sanctuary to all creatures in need. Even the hares. After her death, she became known as patron saint of the hares and other small animals who continued to come to her. The hares became known in Welsh as “Wyn Melangell”—or St. Melangell’s lambs. Centuries later, the Tours of Wales recounted, hunters still refused to kill hares in the parish.
Today, the land remains a sanctuary, ringed by trees estimated to be more than 2,000 years old. Some consider it a “thin place,” where Celts believe heaven and earth seem especially close. The Shrine Church of St. Melangell calls it “a place beyond words and far from the rush of twenty-first-century life; a place where God speaks in the silence and where all people have an opportunity to experience a sense of the holy.”
Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox pilgrims visit the shrine, where bones that are believed to belong to the saint were discovered beneath the floor in 1958. Melangell is remembered on May 27.
Collect for Melangell
O God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich: Deliver us from an inordinate love of this world, that we, inspired by the devotion of your servant Melangell, may serve you with singleness of heart, and attain to the riches of the age to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
NOTICE
At about 8:30 p.m. EST, the Lent Madness Voter Security Unit noticed 389 bogus votes for Hermione. These votes were removed, and the suspect addresses were blocked. This is a reminder. Do not cheat. Vote once. Get your neighbors to vote. But don't vote several times, lest you be cast into the outer darkness of Lent Madness.
[poll id="305"]
221 comments on “Hermione vs. Melangell”
I love the stories about strong females bucking the norms of the day, but how can you not vote for Hermione? She was beyond strong, having avoided death three different times because of her faith and thus avoiding martyrdom. Go Hermione!
I spent the weekend searching, on line, for the missing parlor of Gwydir Castle in North Wales, home of Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet. William R. Hearst bought two rooms at the sale in 1921. Needless to say I've had a very interesting several years searching and learning about North Wales. Gwydir has been restored for the last 25+years. She is a grade 1, 16th century Tudor Manor with grade 1 gardens. To my delight Judy Corbet trimmed a giant boxwood into a giant rabbit. So, I've decided to trim some boxwoods in the corner of our yard into a giant rabbit. For years I have fed our little critters year round and yes, we have a rabbit. Also squirrels, chipmunks and a growing variety of birds. My late husband, Richard Wynn, traces back to Gwydir. Some my family have visited. Prior to the pandemic they were open for tours and are a B&B. Sir Richard Wynn was the 2nd Baronet. He built a chapel and a bridge both still standing. I have gotten to know much of the history of ancient Wales and the current political state of the area. We are fortunate to have the early history, plus letters and furnishings. Recently Gwydir was gifted the table from the missing parlor--the oldest and rarest furniture known to Wales. So Melangell and the many posts with mention of Wales was a treat for me. I love all the bizarre tales of many saints and tend not to be too hasty to reject them. I think it was last year one of them walked out of the ocean carrying her head--I did dismiss that. I do not dismiss that Gwydir's owners believe Gwydir is calling her things back.
St Denis carried his own head. And that was before the Revolution and that newfangled invention the guillotine!
Hopefully polls are still open as it is only just after noon here in Hawaii but my view of the voting appears to be a final count. Surely not because that would mean Hawaii polls close by noon. I often vote at days end.
I found the story of Melangell charming, and I liked that she was able to follow her own path by avoiding marriage as she wished. But Hermione also avoided being married off, and chose her own path, first pursuing spiritual study, then becoming a healer. Moreover, I decided that I rather like the notion of men getting comeuppance for trying to harm a woman.
SEC ALERT! Please check the server records over the last couple of hours. Every time we have had a winner overtaken by a "loser" (note to self: saints are never losers), it has been because of cheating. This sudden surge on behalf of Hermione is suspicious. As worthy as Hermione is, that old Harry Potter black magic is not acceptable during Lent Madness. Please conduct some surveillance and "doo doo" diligence.
Yes, it does seem less a miracle than an act of some suspicious nature. I second the request that SEC do a thorough look here.
It appears that as of 8:30 PM EST the SEC has taken action, 389 duplicate votes have been discarded and some unscrupulous voters have been cast into Lenten Darkness…
If I'm not mistaken, that's far and away the largest case of vote fraud in this country in the last year.
well apart from the massive purging of voter rolls to deny black voters the franchise . . .
but seriously, I ask you, WHO CHEATS IN ROUND 1?
I dunno, but I'm glad they're out early.
Are you suggesting that it's more productive to cheat in rounds 2, 3 and 4?
Who cheats in Lent Madness at all??
I love the wonderfully tangential nature of so many of the comments today. It feels like conversations that take off around the dinner table. I think it speaks, too, to the worthiness of both the contenders that our minds are goofing around instead of wrestling with our choice. Today, in honor of my son Reese (or Rhys, if you want to be Welsh about it) and the hare, I vote for Melangell.
I am voting for Melangell. I had a pet rabbit who was a dear friend to my child for a number of years, so I appreciate that she is a patron of hares. 🙂 I also love that her hermitage become a nature sanctuary, and I love the beautiful old tree that survives there (google photos of her church to see it).
I do tend to vote for the more historic saint when possible, and Melangell got me with her ties to a real and beautiful spot in Wales.
I find both of today's Saints beautiful in story and in faith. My hope is that this year's goes to a little known Saint - preferably a woman.
That's "this year's HALO"
I find myself wanting to find a place of refuge in the midst of caring for an ailing husband (back surgery) and a pandemic community. It used to be 'Calgon, take me away!' (according to an old TV ad) but now it more like 'Melangell take me in!' I think want to go to Wales for a retreat!
This one is a close race. I voted Melangell because of her protection of ALL of God's creatures at her abby.
Hermione gets my vote for her dedication to her ministry of care of people both spiritually and physically. And to stand fast against torture . The rabbits can't compare.
I definitely want to go to Melangell's place (or anywhere else, for that matter). Had to vote for her because of her care for small animals. Maybe the hare that got sanctuary was the Easter bunny!
People! Hermione is one of the founding mothers of the Holy Unmercentary Physicians, which should win her SO MANY VOTES
https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2018/10/three-holy-unmercenary-female-physicians.html
Hermione is so amazing! She’s clearly JK Rowling’s inspiration. Healing powers and escaping death! She must win.
Hey, I don't see any comments from Oliver, who used to be ten years old. Anybody know what's up?
Oliver was nine and aged out of the "cute" category. That was a couple of years ago. At puberty one has to hold one's own. We need to recruit among the "Godly Play" set.
I'm glad you asked about Oliver, 9 years old. I wondered about him.
Just for perseverance, I vote for Hermine. She accomplished much in her life and certainly stands up for her faith.
I had to go for the girl who allegedly had run-ins with two of my favorite Roman Emperors! (My research of both Trajan & Hadrian doesn't seem to back up the story, but oh well!)
Lovely as Melangell is, I‘ve got to go with Hermione. I‘m finishing a feminist commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, and what to do with 21:9, „He [Philip] had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.“ End of story. Not so! Thanks be for the authors of the apocrypha who fleshed out the lives of those intrepid souls!
Hermione’s story was too over the top for me.
But imagine traveling such a distance to study with the apostle John... and ending up with a disciple of Paul instead!
Today I had to go with Melangell. I'm fascinated by Wales, and I always loved my pet rabbits. I also love the idea of thin places and animal sanctuaries. It's always hard to choose between two wonderful people, but my hardest choice was the other day between Tarcisius and Egeria.
For once my choice looks to be victorious. I go for Mel because of the rabbit. Of course.
MELANGELL WAS THE ONE WHO SET WHERE HEAVEN AND EARTH SEEMES CLOSE AND ALSO BECAUSE OF THE RABBITS. HERMIONE WITH HEALING AND MIRACLES AGAINST TYRANTS SEEMS RIGHT BEHIND.