Martyrdoms paradoxically qualifying

Abstract

Some aspects of the cult of saints transcend the textual sphere and become embedded in folklore, occasionally losing direct contact with the literary tradition. The tortures of the martyrs are the most striking and visual narrative elements, so they persist in the popular imagination and are commemorated daily without the need to know the precise origin of such beliefs. These tortures thus become paradoxically qualifying mutilations, as they endow the saint in question with identity and significance—a symbolic practice with Indo-European roots that may persist in the religious system thanks to the undeniable relationship between Christian saints and pagan heroes.