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Chap. VIII.
ST. LUCE’S HEAD.
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William, an Englishman by birth, Bishop of
Roes-_ kilde in the days of King Harald, brother of Canute
the Great, first constructed here a small wooden church,
which he dedicated to the Holy Trinity, and in the
time of Sweyn—Svend Estridsøn, as the Danes call him
—one of stone was erected in honour of St. Luce, or St.
Lucius, pope and martyr, whose skull is still preserved
in the Scandinavian Museum of Copenhagen. How the
church became dedicated to St. Luce instead of the Holy
Trinity I will now explain. In those early times there
dwelt in the fiorde of Roeskilde a horrible sea monster,
who ravaged the country, feeding on mariners and young
maidens. In vain the holy brethren of the Trinity
implored him to depart, only to go just a little
higher up some other fiorde; a change of air might be
of service to him. He resisted all entreaties, all
conjurations of bell, book, and candle, declared he would
remain there in sæcula sæculorum, and gobble them up
into the bargain, unless he were straightway gratified
with the head of St. Luce the martyr, for which he felt
himself seized with a most uncommon “ longing.” The
monks, not relishing the idea of being devoured, at once
despatched an embassy to Rome to implore the loan or
gift of the holy relic, to deliver them from their pain
and terror. Their request was granted, and
permission given to retain it. The monks, not too much
at their ease, in grave procession bore the skull to
the banks of the fiorde, and, placing it on board a
boat, left it to the sea monster, and then, taking to their
heels, scampered off to their convent as fast as their legs
could carry them. The precious relic had the desired
effect; the monster was never heard of more; but strange
to say, he went off on his travels, leaving the head behind
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