Pelagien appeared at the abbey late one stormy, cold night. He seemed terrified and helpless, yet he was certain that becoming a monk was what he must do. His clothing hung on him loosely, and his hair looked like it had been cut off by some sort of blunt ax. I, being the abbot, examined him and decided that this place would be the perfect safe haven for a young, helpless soul like him.
His time at the abbey was extremely fruitful. Pelagien was eager to learn and please the Lord in all that he did and became somewhat of a role model for the younger monks at the abbey. In all of our interactions, I never did learn about this young man’s past, even though I was curious. All I knew from the very beginning was that he had escaped from a compromising situation, and that was all he ever said about it.
His countenance drastically improved over the course of his time at the abbey. When Pelagien came to me, I was afraid he would keel over at the slightest hint of a breeze. As time went on, he gained a healthy and even otherworldly glow that I could only attribute to his heart being filled with the great love of the Lord.
After some time, we at the abbey felt that Pelagien could be trusted with more responsibilities. For this reason, he became the master of the neighboring nunnery. It came as a surprise that he initially refused the duty so strongly since he was always eager to do more of the Lord’s work. Eventually, though, he consented and began to partake in all of the duties bestowed upon him. His work prospered, and the nunnery became even holier.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I found out that Pelagien had committed one of the gravest sins. There was a virgin who had committed adultery and her resulting pregnancy could no longer be hidden under layers of loose clothing. Since Pelagien was constantly around this woman and knew her, we all assumed that he was the father of the child. It was with sadness and anger at the assumed betrayal that we imprisoned Pelagien for his deed. We placed him within a dark pit that was hewn out of a rock. Pelagien handled the accusation with somber silence.
The monk sent to look after Pelagien was a stern man, and it wasn’t long before he began to report to me that Pelagien had become nothing but a mere shadow of what he once was. Regardless, the suffering man still possessed an otherworldly light that emanated from him at all times.
Soon after his imprisonment, Pelagien passed on. He left behind his emaciated body and a letter for me and my fellow monks that truly shocked all of the members of the religious community. In the letter, we discovered that Pelagien wasn’t a man, but a devout woman of the faith, Margaret. Imagine my horror when I discovered that I took part in murdering an innocent human being. All of us at the abbey and the nunnery felt so awful that we made sure to honor her dying wish of being buried among the honorable virgins. To this day, I remember Pelagien with great awe.
Author's Note: This story was based on the legend of Saint Pelagien, who is a woman that disguises herself as a man in order to become a monk. The saint, whose real name is Margaret, was desperate to get out of a marriage, which is why she went through all of the trouble of disguising herself and going to an abbey. I chose to tell this story from the point of view of the abbot of the monastery because I thought it would offer a different perspective on the story. I wanted to drive home that those from the monastery and nunnery venerated the saint and regretted their actions. I thought it was important to not make light of the fact that an innocent woman died for her pure actions. It was somewhat difficult to make this story long enough at first, but then I realized that there was so much I could describe, and that made the writing much easier. The nice thing about the stories in this unit is that they are relatively free of too many details, allowing for a lot of freedom with descriptions and details.
This story is found in The Golden Legend edited by S. F. Ellis (1900). Web source: Golden Legend: Saint Pelagien.
What a great perspective to tell this story from. I noticed that you were really successful in making the reader, me, be able to feel what was going on. Especially in the last paragraph where it was stated that, “To this day, I remember Pelagien with great awe.” This was a great way to end the story; it brought the feelings “alive”.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good read, Tatyana! I think you have a great and creative style of writing. You kept me in to the story the entire time. You did a great job developing the scenes to make the reader feel like we were really there. I also thought you did a good job portraying your characters. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHello Tatyana. Choosing a historical story to tell is hard for some. Most times it comes off like more of a history lesson than an actual story. You did a good job of avoiding this problem. You found a way to tell the story and be accurate, while at the same time making it a compelling story about this Saint’s life. Choosing to write from the perspective of the Abbot was a good choice. Your story did what I feel all literature about historical events should do, it entertained me, and also informed me about a person that I had no prior knowledge about, so good job. The picture you chose was on point. I think it really complimented the portfolio piece and added to the depth of the story. If I had any suggestions for your story it would be to possibly change the title. The title seemed to give away a little too much about the story and I think changing it to something with a little more hidden meaning would reflect the story better because the saint was hiding as a man, so choosing something along those lines might be better.
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