Date of Graduation
1999
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
English
Committee Chair
Gail Galloway Adams
Committee Member
James Harms
Committee Member
Kevin Oderman
Abstract
Following the legacies of two saints, Patrick and Brendan, The Hidden Child explores the fictionalized ramifications of Christianity upon eighth century Iceland. The indigenous culture of Iceland--the Hidden People, Eve’s other children--struggles with an Irish monastery and its religion which asks its followers to change, a change with which not all of the Hidden People are comfortable. Caught within this struggle is an ex-Roman soldier, Basil, two hundred years old and unchanging, who saves a child--who is half Hidden. During the conflict, Basil--along with one of the Hidden People, Caligo--discovers Cromm Cruac, the ancient fertility god of Ireland, banished by Saint Patrick nearly two hundred years before. Cromm Cruac quickly broadens and hastens the conflicts between the two cultures, leading to drastic and bloody changes which only Basil can alter, though at the cost of his convictions and more.
Recommended Citation
Marx, Luther Augustus, "The Hidden Child." (1999). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 10358.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/10358