"Praising the Invisible Creator ... Through Visible Creatures": Illuminating the Potential of Spiritual Majority in Early Irish Hagiography Through an Ecocritical Lens

Authors

• Meredith A. Bacola, St Paul's College, University of ManitobaFollow

Abstract

The earliest Irish saints have often been romanticized within ecocritical studies for their love of their physical environment or criticized for exerting dominion over it. The difficulty with both approaches is that they fail to consider their full hagiographical context. Saints Patrick, Brigid, Columba were profoundly local saints, conveying a love for all creation that derived from their relationship with its Creator. It was manifested through nature miracles, which evidenced their attainment of spiritual majority, suggesting that Irish saints’ Lives provide a model for living in a more reverential relationship with our environment.

Recommended Citation

Bacola, Meredith A. (2026) ""Praising the Invisible Creator ... Through Visible Creatures": Illuminating the Potential of Spiritual Majority in Early Irish Hagiography Through an Ecocritical Lens," Medieval Ecocriticisms: Vol. 6, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/med_ecocriticisms/vol6/iss1/4