The South English Legendary (commonly abbreviated as SEL) is a modern title for a popular collection of thirteenth-century sanctorale and temporale. Sanctorale and temporale refer to the fixed and movable feasts, respectively, in the liturgical calendar. The fixed feasts are those celebrations like Christmas and St. Patrick’s day that are celebrated on the same date each year, while the movable feasts, like Easter, are celebrated on an unfixed schedule. The SEL’s modern title denotes its geographical origin, language, and genre. The collection originated in the southwest midlands, is composed in the Middle English vernacular, and contains the legends of the fixed and movable feasts of the liturgical calendar. Legendaries like the SEL performed an essential function for
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Citation: Taylor, Tristan B.. "South English Legendary". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 August 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39420, accessed 22 November 2024.]
