The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts

Poems and Christian stories of the animal encounters of various saints.

By : Abbie Farwell Brown (1871 - 1927)

01 - Saint Bridget and the King's Wolf 02 - Saint Gerasimus and the Lion 03 - Saint Keneth of the Gulls 04 - Saint Launomar's Cow 05 - Saint Werburgh and her Goose 06 - The Ballad of Saint Athracta's Stags 07 - Saint Kentigern and the Robin 08 - Saint Blaise and his Beasts 09 - Saint Cuthbert's Peace 10 - The Ballad of Saint Felix 11 - Saint Fronto's Camels 12 - The Blind Singer, Saint Hervé 13 - Saint Comgall and the Mice 14 - The Wonders of Saint Berach 15 - Saint Prisca, the Child Martyr 16 - The Fish who helped Saint Gudwall 17 - The Ballad of Saint Giles and the Deer 18 - The Wolf-Mother of Saint Ailbe 19 - Saint Rigobert's Dinner 20 - Saint Francis of Assisi

In the old legends there may be things which some folk nowadays find it hard to believe. But surely the theme of each is true. It is not hard to see how gentle bodies who had no other friends should make comrades of the little folk in fur and fins and feathers. For, as St. Francis knew so well, all the creatures are our little brothers, ready to meet halfway those who will but try to understand. And this is a truth which every one to-day, even tho' he be no Saint, is waking up to learn. The happenings are set down quite as they read in the old books. Veritable histories, like those of St. Francis and St. Cuthbert, ask no addition of color to make them real. But sometimes, when a mere line of legend remained to hint of some dear Saint's relation with his friendly Beast, the story has been filled out in the way that seemed most likely to be true. For so alone could the old tale be made alive again. So all one's best is dressing old words new.