Juthwara
Juthwara or Jutwara was a virgin and martyr from Dorset. According to her legend, she was an eighth-century Saxon, and sister to Sidwell, though some historians have theorised she was a Briton living in the sixth century. Her relics were translated to Sherborne during the reign of Ethelred the Unready. Nothing further is known with certainty about her life.
Saint Juthwara | |
|---|---|
| Died | c. eighth or sixth century |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Sherborne Abbey (until the sixteenth century) |
| Feast | 18 November (Catholicism) 1 July, 13 (Orthodoxy) |
| Attributes | round soft cheese; sword; with Sidwell; as cephalophore |
Juthwara's name is how she is known in Anglo-Saxon. Some have suggested that it is a corruption of the British Aud Wyry (meaning Aud the Virgin), the name by which she is known in Brittany. However, since Aud Wyry simply means "Aud the Virgin" (Aud is a Germanic name used in Northern France and not a Celtic name) it is more likely that Aud Wyry is a Breton reinterpretation of her original name. Those who prefer a 6th-century British origin have hypothesised her as sister to Paul Aurelian and Wulvela, though this is debated.