“I wolde I wer as worthy to ben sekyr of thy lofe as Mary Mawdelyn was”

Imitation of well-established, authoritative models for the purpose of establishing one’s own legitimacy is an instinctive and natural process, particularly in such a “profoundly mimetic” period as the Middle Ages. ² However, the emulation of certain precedents may be considered more problematic than others, carrying with them the potential to lead the imitator to legitimacy or condemnation in equal measure. Hagiographic archetypes are some of the most potentially disruptive models to emulate: not only do they enjoy tremendous authority and prestige because they are anchored in a distant and sacred, sometimes even biblical, past, but they also continue to live on in popular cults and legends, providing them with an immediacy and an accessibility that renders them difficult to control. ³