International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Stavroula Constantinou
University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus; 
[e-mail]
Body Work in the Legend of Agia Marina
In his famous book 
Body Work: Objects of Desire in Modern Narrative
, Peter Brooks argues that 
the body is a powerful dynamic of storytelling. A similar function of the body may be detected also 
in the legend of Agia Marina which is a story that writes the body and is written by the body. The 
present paper examines the literary depiction of the holy woman’s body, its narrative uses and its 
function as a guarantor of female holiness.

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Graham Jones
University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; 
[e-mail]
Geographic Aspects of the Cult of Dragonomache Saints
The idea of the righteous champion’s vanquishing of the demonic serpent appears to move 
seamlessly westward from the Byzantine East, but the champion’s identity varies from region to region. 
Alongside the universal champions like Michael, George and his fellow military saints, and Marina/
Margaret – more local heroes arise, not least in the Balkans, while further west popularly venerated 
bishops particularly take on the role. Renewed contact with the Byzantine East may help to explain 
Marina/Margaret’s eventual pre-eminence where Michael’s local patronage is relatively weak.
Wendy R. Larson
Roanoke College, Salem VA, United States;
[e-mail]
Iconography and Patronage: From Marina’s Hammer to Margaret’s Dragon
In both Byzantium and the West, Marina and Margaret have two modes of portrayal: static 
depictions in which female saints are nearly interchangeable, and as unique dynamic figures: Marina 
strikes the head of a demon with a hammer, and Margaret bursts from the belly of a dragon. The 
gender of patrons sponsoring images in a given context offers insight into the make-up of the cult 
in both East and West, and its concerns.
Monica White
University of Nottingham, Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies,
Nottingham, United Kingdom; 
[e-mail]
Marina as Dragon-Slayer: A Comparative Approach
One of Marina’s most famous attributes was her vanquishing of a dragon, an act connecting 
her with a rich tradition of dragon-slaying in Byzantine hagiography. Although Marina’s method 
of dispatching the dragon (i.e. bursting through its belly after being swallowed alive) was unique, 
she was not the only female saint to overcome this type of monster, nor was she the only saint to 
undertake such a challenge without using a sword or other weapon. This paper will investigate the 
description of dragons and dragon-slaying in Byzantine hagiography and discuss Marina’s place 
within these diverse and often surprising sources.

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