The 19th of May is a very special day for all fans of Rex Factor, for it is the feast day of the great man himself, Saint Dunstan!
Dunstan was born in 909 and led an extraordinary life. Cast into a cesspit by jealous members of the royal court, he became a hermit at Glastonbury spending his days playing his harp and, on one occasion, resisting the temptation of the Devil by holding his nose with a pair of tongs! An incredibly skilled man, Dunstan was adept as an artist, musician, and is the patron saint of gold and silversmiths as well as that of bell ringing.
Dunstan seeing off the Devil with his tongs
Dunstan was also one of the key figures in the development of the English nation, serving no less than seven kings (Athelstan, Edmund I, Eadred, Eadwig, Edgar the Peaceable, Edward the Martyr and, briefly, Aethelraed the Unready) as advisor in matters of church and state. He was effectively the equivalent of a Prime Minister, all but running the country at times as a succession of inexperienced kings came and went, as well as becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury.
He finally died in 988 (about 79 years old), which in the podcast was a matter of some relief to Ali who tired of Dunstan’s persistent meddling in matters such as interrupting Eadwig when he was shirking a coronation banquet in favour of some adult endeavours in his bedroom with his girlfriend and her mother!
Spoilsport Dunstan interrupts Eadwig’s playtime!
However, Dunstan was not done with us yet and such was his influence in all things that he reappeared in our Scottish series during the reign of Kenneth II. Dunstan designed an elaborate coronation ceremony for Edgar the Peaceable (aspects of which are still in the current ceremony) and Kenneth was one of the many sub-kings of Britain forced to row Edgar along the River Dee in a show of imperial might.
Edgar the Peaceable being rowed along the River Dee
To celebrate Dunstan’s return, Graham surprised Ali by recording a special jingle in Dunstan’s honour. On popular request, we now provide said jingle for all to enjoy and download so that they can be ready to play it whenever Ali is near.
Happy St Dunstan Day!
Just in time for St Dunstan’s day 2017, here is a book Ali is sure to want to read! http://www.booksplease.org/2017/04/27/dunstan-by-conn-iggulden/
I’m sure he’s been counting down the days to publication!
Pingback: 1016 And All That: The Battle of Assandun and the Road to Hastings | Rex Factor