科研之友
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摘要
According to legend, the 7th century abbess and princess Hilda of Whitby had the power to turn snakes into stone. This was said to be supported by the abundant occurrence of %26apos;snakestones%26apos;, actually ammonites which resemble coiled snakes, in the cliffs below Whitby monastery, where Hilda was abbess. Removing snakes recalls the feat of Saint Patrick, who was said to have expelled the snakes from Ireland. Since in 664 Whitby was the location of a synod that discussed the conflict between Irish and Roman traditions of Christian practice, the fact that this legend is attached in particular to Hilda has probably a political as well as a folk-scientific background. The legend thus appears to have originated by the coincidence of unrelated facts and events rather than by a single cause. This is probably a typical rather than an exceptional case for the evolution of legends, which should raise doubts that in general monocausal accounts can fully explain the origin of narratives.
- 出版日期2012-12
