J is for Juliana (Women's Epics A to Z)

This year my theme for the A to Z Blogging Challenge is Women's Epics. My goal was to read 26 traditional epics from around the world that have women as their heroes. Because epics like this do exist, and they are fascinating! Read the intoduction post here.

CW: Torture

Juliana
England

Juliana is a 9th century Old English epic poem telling the story of St. Juliana of Nicomedia. It is attributed to a poet named Cynewulf. It was preserved almost complete, with only one page missing, and published with comments by Rosemary Woolf. For a modern English translation, I used this site. The introduction to Woolf's edition talks about the linguistic intricacies of the poem as well as the dating, and points out that the poet knowlingly imitated the style of the epic Beowulf. The translator also discusses how the Anglo-Saxon poet changed the saint's existing legend to fashion it more to the taste of his own audience - with villains more evil, characters more black and white, and punishments more severe. Therefore, while the legend itself is not typically Anglo-Saxon, the way of retelling the story is; to the point where the characters are treated as characters from heroic legends. It also uses language that is reminiscent of old sagas.

What is it about?

TL;DR: Juliana, a Christian virgin, refuses to marry a pagan man, therefore she is tortured and eventually killed. However, before her death she fights a devil and beats it into submission.

Young Juliana is promised by her father to a wealthy pagan man named Eleusius, who greatly desires her. She, however, is Christian, wants to stay a virgin, and publicly declares that she would only marry if her suitor was Christian too. Eleusius is angered, and her father gives Juliana over to him to do as he pleases. Eleusius tries to convince her to sacrifice to the pagan gods and marry him. When she repeatedly refuses, he tortures her to get what he wants, but she doesn't break. He then locks her into a cell. 

In prison, a devil visits Juliana disguised as an angel, trying to talk her into avoiding death and torture by giving up her faith. Juliana prays to God, and she is told to grab the devil and make him confess his true nature. So she does. Unfortunately, the actual fights scene is the part that is missing from the folio. But somehow Juliana overcomes the devil, who confesses all the evil he had done before, and also explains his methods of corrupting people, before he begs for mercy.

The next day Juliana is brought up from prison, and she drags the devil along in chains, showing him off before she finally sets him free. Another part is missing, but the point is that they put Juliana on a pyre to burn, however, an angel puts out the flames. They then set a cauldron of lead to boil and throw her in it - but while the splashing lead burns everyone around, she is still unharmed. Eleusius then orders her to be stabbed with a sword.

At this point the devil shows up again, singing mocking songs about Juliana... but as she turns and gives him a look, he panics and flees. Juliana is led to a place of execution where she preaches to the crowds, and accepts her death. Soon after, Eleusius and his people are shipwrecked on an ocean voyage and they all drown. The story ends with an epilogue by the poet who expresses hope that people will recite the song and remember his name.

The highlights

The poem begins with a very effective and epic introduction to the dark times when the emperor persecuted Christians. "Fiend-ship was aroused, heaving up heathen idols and slaying the holy, breaking the book-crafty and burning the chosen, terrifying the champions of God with spear and flame."

I am really sad that we are missing the part where Juliana actually fights the devil. I am sure it was epic. But from later lines we can surmise that she wrestles him, beats him, and binds him in chains - "battle-bold beyond all woman-kind." He also complains later that her treatment is "excessive punishment," and that over centuries no prophets or kings dared to treat him like this.

(World's smalles violin plays in the background)

I also enjoyed the part there the subdued devil tried to explain to Juliana that he was just following orders (given by his father, the King of Hell). "We are sad-minded, frightened in spirit— He is not a merciful lord, but a terrifying prince. If we have not done anything evil, we dare not afterwards come anywhere near his presence." He then describes how he would be tortured if didn't do what he was told (corrupting humans). The part where he describes the psychological warfare against the faithful is also pretty on point.

JULIANA IS A CHRISTIAN SAINT, BUT THIS POEM ECHOES OLD LEGENDS OF WARRIOR-HEROES.

Can you guess what, or who, Juliana is the patron saint of?