As we continue production on the Finnian and the Seven Mountains series, I wanted to explain a little bit more about the background and legends that will be brought to life.
According to tradition, as early as 495 AD (shortly after he appeared in Ireland), St. Michael was seen atop another significant rock jutting out from the middle of the sea. This time it was in Cornwall, a region in the southwest of Britain.
This time St. Michael appeared as a constant protector of mariners and fishermen in the area. He would guide the sailors to safe harbor and was invoked as a patron saint of fishermen.
It is believed there was a chapel constructed here in the 5th century and a monastery as early as the 7th century. By the 11th century the governance of the monastery was given to the monks at Mount St-Michel on the northern coast of France.
There are stories of four separate miracles occurring between 1262 and 1263, which increasingly made it an important place of devotion to the Archangel.
While the details of these miracles are not well-known, it was likely connected to miraculous interventions that saved local fishermen.
Additionally, the island is unique in that it is accessed depending on the tide. It is possible to walk to it during low tide, but can only be reached on a boat during high tide.
There is one story that has been passed down over the centuries about a rock formation on the island called “St. Michael’s Chair,” from which St. Michael sits and watches over England.
St. Michael has since been a popular patron throughout England, with numerous churches dedicated to his honor and countless boys named after the holy Archangel.
There is currently a pilgrimage route in the area called St. Michael’s Way, “based on research into old shipping records, which, along with other historical and archaeological evidence, strongly suggest that many pilgrims & traders chose an overland route to avoid sailing round the treacherous waters at Land’s End. It is a tangible reminder of Cornwall’s longstanding connections with wider Europe, and beyond.”
These stories served as an inspiration for the second issue of Finnian and the Seven Mountains and helped guide the script writing process for this chapter in the adventures of Finnian and Brendan.
