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Saint Edith of Wilton (961-15 September 984) (also known as Eadgyth, her name in Old English, or as Editha or Ediva, the Latinised forms of her name) was an English nun, a daughter of King Edgar of England (born 943, died 975; ruled 959-975) ''The Peaceful''. She was born at Kemsing, Kent, in 961. Following her death in 984, she became the patron saint of her community at Wilton Abbey in Wiltshire and churches were dedicated to her in Wiltshire and in other parts of Anglo-Saxon England. Her biography was written by Goscelin and her feast day is on 16 September. == Life == Edith was the daughter of Edgar, by Wilfrida (or Wulfthryth), a woman of noble birth whom Edgar carried off from the nunnery at Wilton Abbey. He took her to his residence at Kemsing, near Sevenoaks, where Edith was born.〔 Under Dunstan's direction, Edgar did penance for this crime by not wearing his crown for seven years. Although forms of bride abduction were a traditional part of Anglo-Saxon society, whether Edgar took Wulfryth forcibly is unclear. What we do know is that she stayed with him for at least a year, and that for some time after her return to Wilton, they were on good terms. As soon as Wulfthryth could, she returned to Wilton, taking Edith with her. Edgar continued to support the abbey monetarily and with land grants. 〔Mrs Jameson, ''Legends of the monastic orders: as represented in the fine arts'' (p. 95 ) online at books.google.com〕 Edith was educated by the nuns of the abbey, where her mother had become abbess. Standing not far from a royal residence at Wilton, the abbey included as part of its devotional work the contemporary equivalent of a boarding school for young ladies, as did many abbeys at the time.〔Kate Pratt, ''(St Edith )'' at bishopwilton.com〕 As was the custom of the time, Edith probably took the veil in her latter teens. Edgar died in 975, when Edith was about 14. According to legend, in 979, Edith had a dream that she had lost her right eye. She believed that the dream had been sent to warn her of the death of her half-brother Edward, who was indeed murdered at that time whilst on a visit to his stepmother Ælfthryth, at Corfe Castle, in Dorset. Religious texts, and in particular her biography, written by Goscelin, have probably embellished many details of her life for political and dramatic effect; she was likely never offered position as abbess anywhere, since she was only about 14 when Edgar died and would have been a simple novice at Wilton at the time. It is also likely legend that she was ever offered the crown after the death of her brother, Edward the Martyr, since Anglo-Saxon kingship was built upon primogeniture, and would have passed by the female in favor of younger son Aethelred. She was reported to have always dressed magnificently and was reported by the mediaeval chronicler William of Malmesbury to have worn luxurious golden garments.〔Catherine E. Karkov, ''The ruler portraits of Anglo-Saxon England''. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press, 2004; p. 114〕 When rebuked by Æthelwold of Winchester, she answered that the judgment of God, which alone penetrated through the outward appearance, was alone true and infallible, adding, "For pride may exist under the garb of wretchedness; and a mind may be as pure under these vestments as under your tattered furs".〔Jameson, ''op. cit.'', (p. 96 ) online at books.google.com〕 It is known that Abbess St. Wilfrid, Edith's mother, preferred that all the nuns at Wilton to dress in white habit with gold ornamentation, to the glory of God. What we can know without doubt is that Edgar continued to support Wulfthryth and Edith through the abbey, and that Edith made a great impression on those around her during her short life. Edith built a church at Wilton and dedicated it to Saint Denis. Saint Dunstan was invited to the dedication and is said to have wept during the Mass. When he was asked why he wept, Dunstan said it was because he knew that Edith would die in three weeks. His prediction was proved to be correct when she died on 15 September 984: the story suggests that Edith was suffering from a fatal illness.〔 She was buried at Wilton in the newly dedicated church.〔Sabine Baring Gould, 'S. Edith of Wilton' in his ''The Lives of the Saints'', vol. X () (London: John Hodges, 1875), pp. 269-271〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Edith of Wilton」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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