Gripla - 01.01.1993, Side 216

216
GRIPLA
Not until after their deaths - sometimes a good many years after -
could that performance of miracles give proof of their condition. It
was therefore in the interest of posterity to record any remarkable
deed or event. If it subsequently proved to be significant in a wider
context, so much the better; if not, it could nonetheless serve as an ex-
emplum for the living, and redound to the glory of God.
The line between sanctity and salvation was, in fact, a very fine one.
The essentiai thing was to secure the latter; with a very few exceptions
(living saints, for example) anyone who had done so was closer to God
than those who remained on earth, and his prayers more likely to be
heard. A countryman or family member who had looked after the in-
terests of his friends while alive would presumably continue to do so
after his death if at all possible. The fact that the Church did not con-
sider him qualified to intercede was not important; proof that he had
been of aid would soon reverse its judgement.
This being the case, the most the author of Hrafns saga can do is de-
scribe the cures performed by his hero, and note that ‘all healing
comes from God.’ As the story stands, Hrafn has acquired his gift by
what was, to the medieval mind, a perfectly natural process. That he is
a more direct mediator of divine power can only be suggested; howev-
er, the green field which appears at the place of his execution gives an
unmistakable hint, and Abbot Arngrímr, at least, classified his death
as a martyrdom (see p. 199 above). A single miracle attributed to
Hrafn after his death would have been sufficient to re-classify his cures
as evidence of his sanctity. (This, according to Snorri, is how people
reacted to the healings performed by St. Ólafr.) A holy life or death
may be sufficient for God, but man requires proof - the modern schol-
ar no less than the medieval monk. A description of a ‘good’ death im-
plies piety on the part of the victim or the recorder; if it once implied
something more, in the absence of miracles, each must judge for him-
self.