Magia y milagros de san Paulicio en Arderique (1517): el cadáver del santo, la pareja infecunda y el nacimiento heroico

Abstract

Arderique is the title of an anonymous Castilian chivalry book, published in 1517 (Valencia, Juan Vinao). The article focuses on the role played by St. Paulicio, a character whose help is relevant in certain moments of the plot, starting at the birth of the heroine. I study the connections between this fictional Paulicio and some historical characters and vitae of hermit saints, such as St. Paul of Thebes. I also analyze three folkloric motifs that coincide with the signs that reveal Paulicio’s holiness: the lions tracking his corpse, the spontaneous tolling of bells, and the letter grasped by a closed hand. The last two motifs, which appear in the legend of Sancha de Aragon as well, belong to the legend of another hermit saint, Alexis. While the books of chivalry or knightly stories of the sixteenth century hardly accept saints or miracles, in Arderique the miracle determines the action of the protagonists.