Spirit Traveler by Sonja Grace

Author:Sonja Grace
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Inner Traditions/Bear & Company

5

St. Winefride’s Well

That whosoever on that spot should thrice ask for a benefit from God in the name of St. Winefride would obtain the grace he asked if it was for the good of his soul.

~ St. Beuno, British saint, died AD 640

St. Winefride was a noblewoman born around AD 600 in the Welsh town of Holywell in the county of Flintshire in Britain. There are many versions of the spelling of her name. I am choosing to use the spelling the historical site itself uses in its publicity materials and documentation. Along with the various spellings of her name go the various versions of her life story. Historical manuscripts, legends, and folklore may vary regarding the exact details, but the one constant theme is that of a pure, gifted, and beautiful young woman utterly devoted to living a life dedicated to the divine.

Winefride was passionate about living a consecrated life. She was determined to remain unmarried, and under the guidance of her uncle St. Beuno, a renowned priest and missionary, she was preparing to enter the Church as a nun even as a teenager. Her beauty and goodness were widely recognized in Flintshire and in counties beyond. There are a number of interpretations of the next part of her story, however; it appears to boil down to unrequited love.

Prince Caradoc, a nobleman who reportedly lived in a nearby town, traveled to Holywell to meet the beautiful and talented Winefride to ask her for her hand in marriage. Legend has it that when he arrives at Winefride’s home, he finds her alone. He is immediately struck by her grace and charms and becomes ardent in his desire to have her be his wife. He makes advances, pleads with her, and even threatens her. Winefride refuses him. She is terrified by his intensity and by the threat to her deeply held wish to live a life of devotion. As soon as she is able, she finds a moment to rush away towards the church of her uncle, St. Beuno, who is holding a mass.

She runs as fast as she can, but unfortunately, Prince Caradoc catches up with her on a slope leading down to the church. Filled with rage at her continued refusals to accept him, Prince Caradoc raises his sword in anger, and Winefride is decapitated. Her head is said to have rolled and rolled down the slope until it came to a stop nearby the church. According to legend, a spring of natural drinking water immediately emerged in the spot where her head came to rest.

Upon hearing the news of the death of his beloved niece, St. Beuno rushes to the spring and gathers up her head, taking it to her body. Once able to unite them, he performs the Holy Sacrifice, considered by Christians to be the most powerful spiritual aid given to man, and Winefride is miraculously resurrected. The only evidence of her decapitation that remains is a faint white circle around her neck. Winefride is restored to full and vibrant health.

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