“Vitran af Uppnumning,” Maríu saga

Translated from Maríu saga. Unger, C.R., ed. Maríu saga: Legender om Jomfru Maria og Hendes Jartegn. Christiania: Trykt Hos Brögger & Christie, 1871, miracle CL, pp. 915-917.

“A Vision concerning the Assumption of the Virgin Mary”

When 1,156 years had passed from the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, many beautiful visions were shown to a sister named Elisabeth who lived in a cloister in Saxony. An angel, who was given into her care through divine intimacy, showed her the book which is called Viarium Domini. That angel also revealed to her on which day the blessed mother of God, the lady Mary, rose from the dead. The aforementioned Elisabeth says this: “In this year, when the angel of God revealed to me the book Viarium Domini, my spirit was taken up from the sight of earthly things.” In the octave of the feast of the Assumption of God’s mother Mary, during the celebration of the divine sacrifice, the queen of Heaven, my consolation, appeared to me as usual. Then I asked her, as I had been advised by an elder: “my lady, I ask that in your benevolence you grant me knowledge concerning whether you were assumed into heaven with only your soul or with both your soul and body.” She answered: “That which you ask you cannot yet know, but, it will nevertheless be made known to you later.” “I never dared afterward in this year,” says the sister, “to ask further about this from the angel, who was intimate to me, nor her, when she appeared to me.” The aforementioned brother entreated me to recite special daily prayers, so that through them I might be able to receive another vision from her. “When a year had passed and the eve of the festival of her Assumption had come, I had been sick for many days. I lay in my bed at that time when (they) sang holy mass. I saw through my soul in a far off place a shining grave beaming with great light, and in it I saw the body of a woman and a great multitude of angels standing around it. After a little time she rose up from the grave and went up into the sky with that multitude of angels, who were escorting up to heaven. A little while after I saw these things, my lady went to the doors of this room, where she usually appeared to me. As she stood there, she showed me her glory. At the same time the angel of God was revealed to me, the angel who came to relate to me the ten chapters of the aforesaid book Viarium Dei. I asked him what was symbolized by this vision I had seen.” The angel answered: “With this vision it was revealed to you how our lady was assumed to heaven with soul and body.” After that I asked him “how many days had passed after her death before her body was taken up?” He answered happily and said: “On that day, which is currently held to be her Assumption day, she passed from this life, and forty days after, on September 23rd, she rose from death. The holy fathers, who did not know when her body was assumed, determined that her death day alone should be held as the feast day, and called it her Assumption day, because they believed fully that she was assumed with her body.” “When two years had passed, my lady visited me again,” says the sister, “and, as she spoke with me about many things I asked how long she lived on earth after the crucifixion of our Lord.” She answered happily, saying “she herself had lived a full year and as many days as there are from the feast of the Lord’s Ascension until this day, when she died.” Then I asked whether all the apostles were with her at the burial. “All were with me,” our lady said, “and buried my body in the earth with great honor.” “On the feast day when the angel Gabriel announced God’s son to her, my lady visited me again, I was so bold that I asked her how old she was when she birthed God’s son, after the angel announced the holy birth to her.” She replied: “I had lived then, she said, fifteen years and as much time as there is from my birthday to the feast when God’s son was announced to me.”