St Demetrius as a winner of an evil in the Byzantine and Slavic tradition (till the fifteenth century)

Justyna Sprutta

Uniwersytet Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

Abstract

Evil wins by good, darkness by light and profanum by sacrum in every tradition. The saints, and between them St Demetrius of Thessaloniki too, achieves an analogous victory. St Demetrius was a deacon, but he is most often presented as a soldier for example in art. The legend says that St Demetrius defeated the scorpion (the personification of evil) by the sign of the cross in prison. This saint can also win with the gladiator Lieus, emperor Maximian, tsar Kaloyan or the Turk instead of the scorpion, and he does it on horseback or on foot, with a weapon or by the calcatio gesture. Not only are there historical sources, liturgical texts or belles-lettres presenting St Demetrius, but also art as well as folklore.

Keywords:

St Demetrius, Byzantium, Balkans, Ruthenia, deacon, soldier, scorpion