23: Saint Eloi / Sankt Eligius

Saint Eloi / Sankt Eligius

Sculpture above the Wangen Townwall / Skulptur and der Wangener Stadtmauer

5 comments so far...

Fizgig March 10, 2018, 05:43 PM

Hope that horse wasn't a live model 'cause it looks ready to kill the artist ;) I guess St. Eloi was fond of Appaloosa horses?

Anyway, nice find & capture!

Sonja March 11, 2018, 10:20 AM

I am not sure why a horse it there at all, least why the horse is so unfriendly looking and got polkadots all over. Would have to research more of the vita. He is usually not the kind of smiths patron adequated with rough things as horse irons, but with making jewelry and official gold coins and suchlike fare. He was appointed master of the coin for the french kings in the 7th century, a rich influencial dude doing some good works and finally going into a monastry after his career.

Sonja March 11, 2018, 10:22 AM

Okay, according to Wikipedia:

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There is also a legend that St Eloi resolved the problem of a horse reluctant to be shod. He thought it was possessed by demons, so he cut off the horse's foreleg and, while the horse stood on the remaining three legs and watched, he re-shod the hoof on the amputated leg, before miraculously re-attaching the leg to the horse
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Well, that should explain why the horse is not amused. LOL

Fizgig March 11, 2018, 01:43 PM

Allllllrighty then.... I hope the horse kicked his arse after the ordeal, too.... ;)

Sonja March 14, 2018, 10:56 AM

Eloi, the patron of bankers, goldmiths and of course all catholics in the FDP.... I am not really a fan, you know, I just like the curious stuff. ;o)

But as he was a holy miracle working saint, I guess the horse was in a trance not feeling any pain. ;o)

Gods of old sometimes did even worse things to pets and lifestock. Thor, when he traveled, was in the habit to eat his two rams every evening for dinner, carefully collect all the bones in the hide and make some mumbo-jumbo over them so the poor critters stood up in the flesh, happy and healthy, and pulled the cart next day for him again! So why should a 7th century Saint not have similiar edifying behaviours in his vita?

The real Eloi was just a skilled goldsmith who became appointed master of the coin press and influencial personal friend of Merowingan royalty and their bishops. One who managed to never fall out of favour (which is really impressive) and, as he aged, checked into some abbey to become a canon as there where no worldly luxuy senior residences known in his time.

Who knows what weird animal stories they will tell about Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg in 500 or 1000 years? LOL