Herbot
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Herbot | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Statue of Herbot at Pleyben parish church | |
| Residence | Berrien, Finistère; Rusquec, Finistère |
| Feast | 17 June |
| Patronage | Horned beasts |
Saint Herbot, also called Saint Herblon and Saint Hermelan (not to be confused with Hermeland of Indre), is one of the semi-legendary Breton saints, not officially recognized by the Catholic Church. His cult was very popular among Breton peasants, who saw in him a protector of horses and horned animals. There is a life of him in Latin, the Vita Herbaudi.
The evidence as to the life of this Breton saint is very slight, and estimates of his date range from the 6th century to the 14th. Even his historical existence is not certain, some considering him only an avatar of the mythical Celtic king Gwar or Guéor, supposed to be buried under the tumulus of Roc'h Bleingor which overlooks the hamlet of Saint-Herbot, Finistère.[1][2]
Christian tradition says that he belonged to a powerful family in Britain, that he came to Armorica and first settled in Berrien where he lived as a hermit in a forest, obeyed even by wild animals, working many miracles and converting many of the inhabitants.[3] According to legend, the women of Berrien rioted against Herbot because their husbands were wasting their time listening to him instead of sowing their fields or reaping their crops. They chased him, going so far as to throw stones at him. Herbot became angry, predicting that the inhabitants of Berrien would never be able to remove the stones from their parish (this is a legendary explanation for the Chaos de Rochers blockfield at Huelgoat, which was then only a hamlet of Berrien) and condemning the inhabitants of the hamlet de Nank never to be able to plough with oxen because they had refused to lend him any.[4]
Herbot took refuge in Rusquec (in Loqueffret) where he was well received; he built himself a house and traded in cattle. He listened, it was said, to their language and was never so pleased as when he could converse freely with them, and began to work miracles. He was buried in Saint-Herbot; in Saint-Herbot church there is a recumbent sepulchral monument to him. According to his legend, when he entered heaven he asked to become the cattle's patron saint. The protection he is supposed to bring to horned animals has given him a real presence in rural areas.[5]
