Aki's ABCs: 34 Saints: Editor's Notes

These notes identify the Saints and illuminate some aspects of the illustrations. Click on the letter to return to that page or use the links above to further explore the site.

The Book:
(return to title page)

This book is a standard-issue green spiral notebook (10.5 cm X 14.7 cm). Aki Beam has applied Florentine marbled paper to the covers and illuminated the pages by gluing chocolate wrappers to the borders. The illustrations are coloured with pencil crayons, metallic markers and sparkly glue markers (a widely available children's craft supply). The poems are computer-printed and glued into the book and the photos are contact prints. The book is very fragile and tends to shed sparkles wherever it is placed.

Hagiography:

The term hagiography is derived from Greek roots (hagios=holy; graphe=writing) and has come to refer to the full range of Christian literature which concerns the saints. Hagiography can also be used to refer to the modern discipline of studying such writings. This modern hagiography contains both content and criticism.
The student of hagiography should remember that these works tell us at least as much about the author and about those who used the text--their ideals and practices, their concerns and aspirations--as it does about the saints who are their subjects. Thus detailed study of 34 Saints will reveal much about Aki Beam and her concerns and obsessions.

A - Anthony of Egypt (back)

hermit, mystic, abbot
gave away inherited wealth to live as a recluse in mountain ruins
started a colony of hermits and worked miracles
meditated, wove mats, grew a garden
visited by temptations taking many forms
died at age 105, body still that of a young man

Anthony is customarily shown surrounded by his demonic temptations, suffering strange conflicts during which the demons inflict blows upon him, and leave him for dead. Aki Beam depicted Anthony's temptations as a mini alphabet: aardvark / apple, bee, cat, devil, eggplant, fish, grapes, heaven, ice-cream, juggler, key (a reference to her own name), ladder, monkey, nose, octopus, pirate, queen, rat, snake, tea, umbrella, viola, woman, xylophone, and zipper.

B - Barbara (back)

father shut her in a tower to keep her from suitors
isolated, she converted to Christianity
made a third window in her tower to better reflect the Trinity
angels tried to hide her from her angry father
a shepherd who betrayed her hiding place had his flock turned into grasshoppers
father found her and tried to make her recant her faith
she refused, and he had her beheaded
father was struck by lightening as punishment

Barbara is traditionally shown holding her tower and a palm representing her martyrdom. Aki Beam depicts a more proactive Barbara in the process of crafting her third window and cursing shepherds. Unusually for Beam, Barbara's mangled corpse does not appear, although her father is frying in the top right corner.

C - Catherine of Alexandria (back)

Christian Egyptian princess who enjoyed philosophical disputes
described in one hermit's vision as the "bride of Christ"
she refused to marry the Emperor Maximus, so he condemned her to die on a spiked wheel
the wheel shattered, either because of angels or lightening
Catherine was instead beheaded, and milk rather than blood flowed from her veins

D - Daniel (back)

stayed in a tiny room for 9 years, communicating only through a window
very keen on the stylites, or pillar hermits and took over from Simon Stylite upon his death
originally on one pillar near the Bospherous, he nearly died of exposure
the Emperor gave him a second pillar,
he lived on a sheltered perch supported between the two pillars for 33 years performing various good deeds
when he died his hair and beard were almost 4 cubits long

E - Elmo (back)

fleeing persecution, he hid on a mountain
fed by ravens while in hiding
spread the gospel, even in thunderstorms, thus his name was linked to electrical discharge: "St. Elmo's fire"
captured, beaten, rolled in pitch, set on fire
windlass used to remove the entrails from his body

F - Francis of Assisi (back)

enjoyed trading his clothes with beggars
enjoyed repairing churches
enjoyed (and preached) poverty
preached to the birds
made a wolf sign a treaty with townsfolk
for Christmas, he decorated with a manger, an ox and an ass, inventing a tradition
prayed to share Christ's agony, and received the stigmata: marks on his hands and feet duplicating the wounds of crucifixion

G - George (back)

village terrorized by a dragon had to make daily virgin sacrifices
George overcame the dragon, tied it up with a maiden's girdle and led it to town
there, he converted the townsfolk before killing the dragon
captured by pagans, he was dragged along the ground by horses, roasted in a brass bull, and finally beheaded

H - Helena (back)

mother of Constantine the Great
at age 60 + she was guided by a vision to discover the True Cross
she also found the marble steps climbed by Jesus on his way to judgment
in addition she found Jesus' crucifixion robe, and the nails used to crucify him

I - Ignatius of Antioch (back)

bishop sentenced to death in the Roman arena
on his way there, his ship docked at 7 ports, at each he wrote 7 letters about Christian values
he was eaten by lions in the Coliseum

J - Jerome (back)

While on pilgrimage he had a vision in which he was whipped by angels for loving Latin
decided to study Hebrew and live as a hermit in the desert
frequently tempted by visions of sensuous women
lived in a cave and beat himself with a rock (tended by "devout" women)

K - Kevin (back)

Irish abbot and hermit
lived on fish brought by an otter
stood with outstretched arms and a blackbird laid an egg in his hand
he prayed there until the egg hatched

L - Lucy (back)

refusing a suitor, she pulled out her eyes and sent them to him, because he had admired their beauty
her eyes were miraculously restored, though she may have lost them again (and her teeth) during her martyrdom
when flames did not burn her, she was put to the sword

M - Margaret of Antioch (back)

the devil, in the form of a dragon, swallowed Margaret as she was tending sheep
the cross she held grew larger and split open the dragon
she walked, unharmed, from its body
she was tortured and beheaded (as were her followers)
she later surfaced as one of Joan of Arc's voices

N - Nicholas (back)

the original Santa Claus, Nicholas was a bishop of Myra
he gave three bags of gold to a widow for her daughter's dowries, saving them from prostitution
he saved men from execution, quelled storms, rescued sailors and appeared to a King in a dream
when a butcher killed an salted three young boys, Nicholas brought them back to life

O - Osyth (back)

Mexican Princess who wanted to be a nun
instead she married a King, and had a son (though remaining a virgin)
her virginity was preserved by a white stag who got in her husband's way every time he tried to consummate the marriage. This either intimidated him or tempted him to go hunting, depending on the day
Osyth became a nun, only to be beheaded by pirates
her corpse, carrying its head, is said to walk back and forth between her churchyard and the shore

P - Patrick (back)

captured by pirates as a child, he lived as a slave tending sheep
eventually he escaped, became a bishop and moved to Ireland to evangelize
there he expelled the snakes, used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, and thus single-handedly converted the entire country

Q - Quentin (back)

captured Roman Christian preacher
imprisoned, had red-hot nails driven into his flesh, and was then impaled on a stake
beheaded and thrown into a river with a millstone tied to his neck
50 years later his uncorrupted body floated to the surface
his feast day is on Halloween

R - Rose of Lima (back)

first saint of the New World
supported her parents with needlework and flower-arranging
refusing marriage, she lived in a garden-shed
she mortified her flesh by wearing a crown of thorns, sleeping on glass, and cutting herself
she had mystical visions that, among other miracles, saved Lima from an earthquake

S - Sebastian (back)

a Praetorian guard, Sebastian was a favorite of Diocletian
he "came out" as a christian after seeing two of his friends tortured
he was sentenced to death by archers
riddled with arrows and left for dead he was rescued and nursed by Saint Irene (later smothered in a pit)
discovered alive, Sebastian was eventually clubbed to death

T - Thomas Becket (back)

after being made the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas opposed King Henry VIII over the rights of the church
generally being a nuisance, with a tendency to excommunicate royal favorites, Thomas was treading on thin ice
when Henry asked "who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" many were willing to take up the cause
several of Henry's knights murdered Thomas in front of an alter in Canterbury cathedral
the murder site quickly became an important pilgrimage location

U - Uncumber (back)

one of seven daughters, Uncumber was not permitted to abide by her vow of virginity
trying to avoid an arranged marriage to the King of Sicily, she prayed for release
overnight, she grew a moustache and beard
her horrified groom called off the wedding, and her father had her crucified

V- Veronica (back)

approaching Christ on the way to Calvary, Veronica wiped his sweaty brow
later the image of his face appeared on the cloth she used
this vera icon or "true image" is on display in St. Peter's in Rome

W - Winnifred (back)

upon refusing to wed, Prince Caradoc cut off her head
her blood soaked into the ground, becoming Hollywell spring
luckily her uncle Beuno was both a bishop and a Saint and he restored her head and brought her back to life
she became a nun

X - Francis Xavier (back)

one of the first Jesuits, Xavier served as a missionary in India
he lived a life of poverty and denial, thus winning converts
trying to get to China, he died on an island accompanied only by a Chinese boy named Antony

Y - Yves (back)

as a lawyer, Yves defended widows and orphans free-of-charge
as a judge he tried to promote extra-legal arbitration
as a priest, he built a hospital and tended to the sick himself
he kept trying to give his bed and the clothes off his back to beggars. it usually worked

Z - Zita (back)

as a maid Zita got distracted by prayer and failed to bake her bread
the angels baked the bread instead
Zita gave her Master's coat to a beggar, without his permission
the angels brought it back
Zita gave loaves to a starving family, but she had stolen them
the angels turned the loaves into roses
Zita gave water to a pilgrim and the angels turned it into wine
Clearly this raises many questions about who did the deeds, what nature of deeds they were, and whether anyone benefited as a result

1 - Christopher (back)

a giant, Christopher's calling involved carrying travelers across a river
once, carrying a child across, he found him unaccountably heavy
the child explained that he was Christ and Christopher was carrying the weight of the world and its maker
as proof, the child caused Christopher's staff to burst into blossom
Christopher went to preach abroad and was imprisoned for refusing to make pagan sacrifices
when prostitutes were sent to corrupt him in prison, Christopher converted them instead
he was beaten with iron rods, shot at with arrows, and eventually beheaded

Aki Beam has given Christopher a belt buckle with a bleeding eye. Legend has it that when Christopher was shot at, one of the arrows pierced the King's eye, which was later healed with Christ's blood.

2 - Agatha (back)

refusing a suitor, Agatha was punished, allegedly for her Christianity but more likely for her chastity
she was sent to a brothel, but when that didn't take she was dragged back by bulls and tortured on a rack
she had her breasts torn off with pincers
later, Agatha was rolled in hot coals until she died
you can buy breast-shaped Agatha cakes to this day

3 - Rumwald (back)

a three-day old Mexican Prince, Rumwald announced "I am a Christian" as he lay dying
he demanded to be baptized and given COmmunion and then he sermonized for several hours
he insisted that he be successively buried in three places: King's Sutton, Brackley and Buckingham
then he died

6 - Mary of Egypt (back)

a prostitute from Alexandria, Mary bought her way to Jerusalem by consorting with sailors
at the Church of the Holy Sepulchral, she has a vision of the virgin and repented
taking three loaves of bread, she crossed the Jordan and lived as a hermit
eating only dates and berries, her clothes fell away in rags and her long hair clothed her (Aki Beam likes to call her hairy Mary)
when she died she was buried by a monk with the help of a lion

7 - Mary Magdalene (back)

Jesus drove out her seven devils
grateful, she washed his feet, dried them with her hair, and anointed him with oil
she tended Christ's crucified body, and was the first to see him resurrected

15 - Hilarion (back)

baptized at age 15 by his idol Anthony of Egypt (hence the shirt)
orphaned, he gave all to the poor and lived as a hermit on 15 figs a day
his austerity and ability to perform miracles drew followers
he hated the attention, and kept moving on, only to attract even more disciples
at age 60, upon Anthony's death, he moved into his idol's hermitage and continued his work

26 - Apollonia (back)

this elderly deaconess had her teeth broken in a riot (though some say she was young and lovely and her teeth were forcibly removed)
she was asked to repeat pagan blasphemies, or else be burned alive
she requested a moment to consider, then leapt voluntarily into the flames

11,000 - Ursula (back)

accompanied by 10 of her ladies, each with 1000 attendants, Ursula wen on a pilgrimage to Rome in a boat piloted by an angel
there, she converted the Prince,her betrothed
returning home, the women were captured by Huns
refusing the advances of their leader, Ursula was killed by an arrow
the other maidens were massacred while fighting to preserve their virginity

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