Saint Agnes Eve
Commentary by George Soane from "New Curiosities of Literature," and the Poem by John Keats
Saint Agnes was a Roman young lady of only thirteen years of age who had the misfortune as she passed to and fro in her daily visits to school to be seen and admired by the son of the city prefect, Symphorianus.
As she did not choose to return his passion, the angry lover caused her to be thrown into the flames, and, these being extinguished by her prayers, recourse was had, as was usual in all such cases, to the sword, when either she forgot to pray, or prayers are naturally of no avail in blunting the edge of steel, the good sword did its office, and she was elected into the host of Saints, as was made manifest by her appearance on the eighth day after her decease.
It was then that her parents, who were praying at her tomb, beheld a choir of virgins all radiant in shining garments, and in the midst of them the blessed Agnes similarly attired, while at her right hand stood a lamb, whiter than snow. Hence in the pictures of her she is always painted with a lamb; and yearly also on this day, two are offered to her by the Roman women, which are then placed in some rich pasture 'till the time comes for sheep-shearing when they are dipped and their wool woven by some dexterous hand into an arch-episcopal pallium.
If Saints and Saints days were not things altogether beyond the pale of human reason, we might wonder how so bitter an enemy to the marriage state as far as concerned herself should ever be induced to reveal to curious maids and bachelors the forms of their future partners in wedlock. Yet so it was "On St. Agnes night," says Aubrey," take a row of pins and pull out every one, one after another, saying an Our Father, sticking a pin in your sleeve and you will dream of him or her you shall marry."
Fasting, however, according to some authorities, was a requisite part of the ceremony, or perhaps if this were observed the pin-sticking might be dispensed with: thus in the old comedy of Cupid's Whirligig, the alderman's daughter, Nan, tells her friend that she could find in her heart "to pray nine times to the moon, and fast three Saint Agnes' Eves so that I might be sure to have him to my husband." So too Burton, "they'll give anything to know when they shall be married, how many husbands they shall have by cromnyomantia--a kind of divination with onion--laid on the altar on Christmas Eve, or by fasting on St. Agnes' Eve, or night, who shall be their first husband; or by amphitomantia--by beans in a cake, etc.--to burn the same."
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Good Soil Magazine to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.