Thómas Saga Erkibyskups
A Life of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Icelandic

A two-volume Old Norse text and English translation of the fourteenth-century saga of Thomas Becket, first published in 1875–83.

Eiríkr Magnússon (Edited by)

9781108049221, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 November 2012

842 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 4.7 cm, 1.2 kg

This Old Norse text and English translation, prepared by the librarian and scholar Eiríkr Magnússon (1833–1913) and published in two volumes between 1875 and 1883, remains the standard edition of the 'Saga of Archbishop Thomas'. Composed in Iceland in the early fourteenth century, it narrates the life, death and miracles of Thomas Becket, based on earlier Latin and Old French traditions. Embedded in the saga is a lost Latin life by Robert of Cricklade, written soon after Becket's murder in 1170, which contains some unique details: for example, that he had a stammer. The saga is valuable not only as evidence for Becket's life, but as an insight into the development of his saintly cult in Iceland. Volume 2 includes an extensive introduction to the text and its place in the tradition of Becket historiography, an account of St Thomas's miracles, several appendices of related texts, and an extensive glossary of words and phrases.

Preface
Prologue
82. (Untitled)
83. The letter of the king of the French
84. How king Henry was shrived
85. A remarkable vision which appeared to a certain brother at Canterbury
86. Of the letter of the Lord Pope when he ordained shriving
87. Remarkable visions
88. (A miracle)
89. A miracle of Thomas
90. Concerning the miracles of Thomas
91. Miracle of the holy Thomas
92. Of the miracles of St Thomas
93. Of the miracles of the holy archbishop Thomas
94. Of a certain earl
95. Of a certain widow
96. Concerning a certain noble friend of Thomas
97. The Archbishop's undirlögr in Cancia
98. Concerning Thomas' working of miracles
99. Concerning the knight Jordanus
100. Of Louis, king of the French
101. When our Lord
102. Of pope Alexander
103. Of the translation of Thomas
104. Of lord Stephen
105. Of Maild the mother of Thomas
106. Now the story is brought to an end
Appendices
Glossary
Index.

Subject Areas: British & Irish history [HBJD1]