May 8, 2003
Sanctofrauduometer
Teresa Nielsen Hayden really outdid herself with her handy, D&D-style modification chart for determining how unlikely a saint's life (or, indeed, the actual existance of the saint) truly is. Modifiers include:
- -1: levitated
- -2: flew
- -4: performed significant actions after being beheaded
- -1: is fun to draw
- -2: is credited with the spontaneous generation of roses or rose petals
- -5: had a run-in with a dragon
- -15: is a member of the current lineup of the X-Men
That last one would seem to cast doubt on the rightful canonical status of a person, it's true. And then Teresa's readers went off on some amazing tangents, producing links to St. Guinefort (the canine saint), theories about Celtic religious traditions and incorruptable corpses, and a brief discussion of whether Christina Mirabili, a patron saint of mental illness, gets credibility points added back in for her wholly unsuitable miracles and inconveniently timed levitations. Good stuff.
