Dunstan

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For other uses, see Dunstan (disambiguation).

Saint Dunstan of Canterbury
Dunstan shoeing the Devil's hoof, as illustrated by George Cruikshank

Born	909, Baltonsborough, Somerset, England
Died	988, Canterbury, England
Major shrine	Canterbury Cathedral (but also claimed by Glastonbury Abbey), both now destroyed
Feast	May 19
Attributes	gold cup; pincers; man holding a pair of smith's tongs; with a dove hovering near him; with a troop of angels before him
Patronage	armourers; blacksmiths; blind people; Charlottetown, Canada; gold workers; goldsmiths; jewellers; lighthouse keepers; locksmiths; musicians; silver workers; silversmiths; swordsmiths

Dunstan (909 – May 19, 988) was an Archbishop of Canterbury (960 – 988) who was later canonized as a saint. He gained fame for the many stories told about his cunning in dealing with the Devil.

He was born at Baltonsborough,^[1] and lived for a while in the household of King Athelstan of England. He was pressured to leave the court some time later, when, after having alienated some court officials with his love of singing and reading, he was accused of being involved in black magic. He then lived with the Bishop of Winchester for a while thereafter, being persuaded by the bishop to become a monk.

He began his monastic career as a hermit at nearby Glastonbury Abbey. He worked as a silversmith and in the scriptorium there. He was called back to court by King Edmund I of England, who made Dunstan one of his counselors and abbot of Glastonbury Abbey in 945. The abbey flourished under his administration, with a substantial extension of the irrigation system on the surrounding Somerset Levels. Dunstan was extremely influential under the reign of Edmund's successor, Edred of England, but his political fortunes floundered under the reign of his successor, Edwy of England. After allegedly critcizing Edwy for his personal conduct, Dunstan was forced to leave England. He went to Flanders, near Ghent, where he led a group of monks under the Rule of St Benedict. In 957. Edwy's brother Edgar spearheaded a revolt against Edwy and called Dunstan to return to England. On his return, in 957, Dunstan imported Benedictine customs, becoming bishop of Worcester and London in 959, and in 960 became Archbishop of Canterbury, under King Edgar of England. Having crowned Edgar in 973, he performed the same service for his successor, Edward the Martyr, and later for Ethelred the Unready. The service is still used as the basis for contemporary British coronations.

Dunstan worked closely with the all the kings from Edgar through Ethelred the Unready, He actively preached respect for the King's law to the people and for the endowment of churches and monasteries to the Kings. The monks in his communities were taught to live in a spirit of self-sacrifice, and Dunstan actively enforced the law of celibacy whenever possible. He forbade the practices of selling ecclesial offices for money, referring to the practice as simony, and people appointing relatives to offices under their jurisdiction. He died on May 19, 988 and was accepted as a saint by the English people shortly thereafter. He was formally canonized in 1029.

He functions as the patron saint of goldsmiths, and himself worked as a blacksmith, painter, and jeweller. English literature contains many references to him, for example in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and in this folk rhyme:

St Dunstan, as the story goes,

Once pull'd the devil by the nose

With red-hot tongs, which made him roar,

That he was heard three miles or more.

From this the tongs have become a symbol of St Dunstan and are featured in the arms of Tower Hamlets.

Another story relates how Dunstan nailed a horseshoe to the Devil's hoof when he was asked to reshod the Devil's horse. This caused the Devil great pain, and Dunstan only agreed to remove the shoe and release the Devil after he promised never to enter a place where a horseshoe is over the door. This is claimed as the origin of the lucky horseshoe.

The Church marks his feast day on May 19.

1 Churches dedicated to St Dunstan
2 Popular culture
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Churches dedicated to St Dunstan

St Dunstan's, Mayfield
St Dunstan's, Stepney
St Dunstan-in-the-East, London
St Dunstan-in-the-West, London [1]
St. Dunstan's, Auburn, AL
St. Dunstan's Church of the Highlands Parish, Shoreline, Washington
St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Madison
St Dunstan's Parish, Fredericton, NB, Canada [2]
St Dunstan's, Canterbury , Kent
St Dunstan's, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
St. Dunstan's Basilica, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada [3]
St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Waitsfield, VT

[edit] Popular culture

In the Dark Horse Comics series Hellboy by Mike Mignola, the legend of St. Dunstan is referenced in the story Box Full of Evil (a two-issue tale included in the graphic novel The Right Hand of Doom). The story is embellished upon so that not only did St. Dunstan pinch the devil's nose with tongs, he also hammered the devil's head on an anvil before sealing him away in a box. A thousand years later, in the present day, the box and its key are recovered by the scam artist Igor Bromhead, who opens it. In doing so he unleashes its captive devil Ualac, a minor demon of Hell who covets Hellboy's Crown of the Apocalypse.
In Robertson Davies' novel Fifth Business, at the prompting of his lover, the protagonist changes his name from "Dunstable" to "Dunstan" Ramsay based on the saint's life and personality. Ramsay is meant to personify Saint Dunstan in the novel, especially considering the saint's meeting with the Devil.
Manly Wade Wellman often made reference to St. Dunstan in his stories. His occult detective character Judge Pursuivant carried a sword cane with a silver blade forged by the saint. A later character, John Thunstone, had even closer connections to the character. The name "Thunstone" was meant to evoke "Dunstan."

Religious Posts
Preceded by Koenwald	Bishop of Worcester 957	Succeeded by Oswald of Worcester
Preceded by Byrrthelm	Bishop of London 958–960	Succeeded by Aelstan
Preceded by Aelfsige	Archbishop of Canterbury 960–988	Succeeded by Æthelgar