Because most philosophies that frown on reproduction don't survive.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

St. Margaret and Macbeth

My confirmation name is Margaret, after St. Margaret of Scotland, queen and mother. (I've emulated her in one aspect, if not in the other). Brandon of Siris provides some historical background on Margaret, including her tangential connection with Macbeth (the real guy, not Shakespeare's version).
I really do think this would make a more interesting television series than most things you find on television. Who doesn't like Vikings, Scottish kings, Anglo-Saxon political bickering, and Norman Invasions, all rolled into one big story?

5 comments:

Kiwi Nomad said...

My baptismal name is Margaret- after my grandmother. So I really don't know which Margaret it was/is- I suspect it wasn't the Queen, but who knows!

mrsdarwin said...

Kiwi, I chose Margaret for a confirmation name after St. Margaret of Castello (about whom I'd been reading when it came time to pick names), but she and I didn't really click. When I finally heard of Margaret of Scotland, I knew that she was the right Margaret to go with my name. So I think you can claim her as your namesake even if you weren't originally named after her. :)

The Opinionated Homeschooler said...

While in Scotland last summer, we visited St. Margaret's tomb and her cave in Dunfermline. We tried to get into the church to see her major relics but it was locked except for Sunday mornings, when it wasn't possible for us to get to Dunfermline on the bus. We even walked a few blocks to the priests' house, where he was pleased (though confused) at our enthusiasm for seeing the relics, but alas he didn't have the key.

Her tomb is/was in Dunfermline Abbey, which is now a Church of Scotland kirk. They remodeled it so that the tomb is now outside the church, to make access easier for Catholic pilgrims. Her cave is very odd; it was in the side of a hill, and she apparently used to go pray there in solitude. Some time in the early 20th century, the owner of the land decided to fill in the area and turn it into a parking lot. There was mass protest in the town, but they did it anyway; however permission was given to preserve the cave and build (at massive expense) a lengthy tunnel going from the corner of the parking lot down to the (now buried) cave.

Kiwi Nomad said...

I am pretty sure St Margaret of Castello doesn't sound like someone my Irish forebears would have known about. When I was at school we used to hear about St Margaret Alacoque- but then she was connected with devotion to the Sacred Heart, and I was at Sacred Heart College. May your Margaret and mine look after you all while you move into your new house!

Ana Braga-Henebry said...

I wrote a play about her-- she is the patron saint of our homeschool group:
http://anabragahenebrysjournal.blogspot.com/2009/06/last-drama-camp-report.html