Become a Paid Subscriber: https://anchor.fmeric-huang10/subscribe Saints are all around us from names of people we know to song lyrics, names of cities, titles of films, and more! Saint Podcast explores the roots of saints' legends and how they've changed through time. If you like Medieval legends, Gothic tales, art history, pagan lore, feminist stories, queer stories, and multicultural traditions from around the world, you'll love Saint Podcast. Subscribe via Spotify/Anchor for bonus episodes: https://anchor.fm/eric-huang10/subscribe For contact details and image galleries for each episode, visit our website: https://www.saintpodcast.com
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episode 10: Martyrs: Saint Lucy the Pagan Spirit of Christmas
Episode ten is the final episode in Saint Podcast's Martyrs series. It’s an exploration of the legend of another virgin martyr: the patron saint of writers, sales people, Perugia, Malta, Syracuse in Sicily, and Pampanga in the Philippines. She's also the patron saint of the blind and of optometrists because she was famously tortured by having her eyes gouged out, although this horrific event is a later addition to the legend. This saint's name is a reference to light - both in a literal sense and figuratively as the light of faith. Her feast day used to fall on the Winter Solstice. Her light was invoked for protection on this darkest day of the year and links her with ancient gods, Medieval witches, and a dark figure who shares her name. Through the centuries, ancient Solstice celebrations have merged with Christian rituals in her honour to influence the development of Santa Claus. This is the story of Saint Lucy the Pagan Spirit of Christmas.