Gripla - 20.12.2016, Qupperneq 249

249
tion or introduction of its terminology, and in no way is it highlighted as
something exceptional.
the sermon under discussion thus can be connected to a well-estab-
lished cult and can be seen to have supported it by giving the audience
an example of virtue and faith. In this regard, the sermon should be seen
as being in line with the majority of sanctorale sermons.52 Specific ser-
mons to promote a cult or even to support the canonisation of a saint are
rather rare and restricted to prominent saints such as thomas Becket.53 In
Þorlákr’s case, the cult had been established quickly, and it would not have
needed further promotion nationally.54 nor is there any evidence that a
particular effort was made to have Þorlákr canonised, as discussed above.
thematically, the sermon would not fit a canonisation scenario due to its
theme of veneration and its very restricted transmission. Moreover, it is
unlikely that it was ever intended to be used outside of Iceland. the fact
that MS uppsala uB C 301 was used in Sweden does not contradict such
an intention. the Þorlákr sermon could simply have been skipped, or it
could have served as a model for other saints or as a source of quotations
for a new sermon, making it a new starting point in the never-ending series
of copy-paste compilations.
We can suppose from its skeleton outline that it is highly unlikely that
the Þorlákr sermon was actually preached in its present state. rather, the
written sermon would have served as a point of departure, providing the
preacher with a host of quotations and a rough structure. In any case, he
would have needed to have added prayers at the beginning and at the end.
He would also have had to link many of the quotations by adding explica-
tory sentences, as well as adding life to the sermon by incorporating details
from Þorlákr’s life. the preacher might even have added further quota-
tions as he went along, without them being noted in the manuscript, or
have omitted those that he found of little use in the given context.55 There
would also have been opportunity to work in illustrative stories, exempla,
52 ferzoco, “Sermon Literature,” 106.
53 Ibid.; Phyllis B. roberts, “thomas Becket: the Construction and Deconstruction of a Saint
from the Middle ages to the reformation.”
54 Þorlákr was among the five most popular saints in medieval Iceland according to the evi-
dence of patronages, imagery and other markers of veneration, Cormack, Saints in Iceland,
29 and 159–62.
55 Hedlund, “Vadstena Preacher,” 140.
FORGOTTEN PREACHING