Editing Frithuswith (section)

==Life==

The earliest narrative of the saint is the ''Life of Saint Frideswide the Virgin'' ({{langx|la|Vita sanctae Fritheswithae uirginis}}) preserved in a manuscript from the early twelfth century, copied in the hand of [[John of Worcester]]. A longer adaptation of this work is attributed to [[Robert of Cricklade]], head of the [[Priory of St Frideswide, Oxford]].<ref name="Blair1987" /><ref>{{cite book |chapter=Two Twelfth-Century Lives of St Frideswide |date=2024-02-01 |title=The Cambridge Anthology of British Medieval Latin |pages=142–149 |editor-last=White |editor-first=Carolinne |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/9781316890738.015 |isbn=978-1-316-89073-8}}</ref>

The story recounts that Frideswide was born to [[Dida of Eynsham|King Didan]] and his wife Safrida. She founds a monastery with her father's assistance while still young. Her parents die soon after. Algar, king of [[Leicester]] ([[Æthelbald of Mercia]]) seeks to marry her in spite of her vow of [[celibacy]]. When she refuses him, Algar attempts to abduct her, and Frideswide flees into the wilderness. On fleeing, she finds a ship sent by God which takes her to [[Bampton, Oxfordshire]]. Algar searches for her in Oxford, but the people refuse to tell him where she is, and he is struck blind.

Frideswide later seeks greater solitude and migrates to [[Binsey, Oxfordshire]]. To avoid having to fetch water from the distant [[River Thames]], she prays to God and a well springs up. The well water has healing properties and many people come to seek it out. A nineteenth-century reconstruction of this well can be found at the Church of [[Margaret the Virgin|Saint Margaret]] in Binsey. She later returns to Oxford and remains abbess until her death.

Two [[Middle English]] adaptations of the Life of Frideswide are included in the ''[[South English legendaries]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reames |first=Sherry |url=https://metseditions.org/editions/W2PjE0jIWWYYu4K6H36vEIR1EDEYV6p |title=Middle English legends of women saints |date=2003 |publisher=Medieval Institute Publications |isbn=978-1-58044-046-2 |location=Kalamazoo, Mich. |doi=10.2307/j.ctv13vdhm0 |jstor=j.ctv13vdhm0}}</ref> These include several minor variants on the narrative.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Anne B. |date=1994 |title=Shaping a saint's life: Frideswide of Oxford |journal=Medium Ævum |volume=63 |issue=1 |pages=34–52 |doi=10.2307/43629614 |jstor=43629614}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Powell |first=Hilary |date=2010-08-01 |title='Once upon a time there was a saint …': Re-evaluating folklore in Anglo-Latin hagiography |journal=Folklore |volume=121 |issue=2 |pages=171–189 |doi=10.1080/0015587X.2010.481149 |issn=0015-587X |pmc=3672990 |pmid=23750046}}</ref>