St. Helen the Talented

St. Helen the Talented, one of the many saints with The Talent, wrote several influential books about magic, its uses, and its theological implications. She also is known for her treatise on fighting demons and devils with the magic.
St. Helen was born near the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland in 1040, the daughter of an Irish prince and his wife. They had prayed for a child and had vowed that child to God in thanks. Consequently, St. Helen was entered into a monastery at age 7, where she later became a nun.
St. Helen was an intelligent girl and received a very vigorous education, learning Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. She read the Church Fathers and classical authors extensively. Early in life, however, she demonstrated The Talent as well as a head for strategy and tactics. She successfully defended her monastery from a Viking raid at age 15, using both magic and weaponry.
By age 25, St. Helen declined the office of abbess, preferring to become the monastic librarian and compose learned and artistic works. She wrote a number of plays and poems about Biblical figures, saints, and theological topics, some of which are still quoted and performed to this day. She wrote commentaries on St. Augustine and Aristotle, and, most famously, on the Book of Daniel. She corresponded with popes and with bishops and scholars throughout Europe.
St. Helen's most important contribution to the Talented World, however, are her Defense of the Talents and The Art of Defeating the Hellish Host, and for these books, she was made a Doctor of the Church.
In Defense of the Talents, St. Helen argues persuasively that The Talent is a gift from God, not the work of the devil. Christ himself, she maintains, endorsed and sanctified the Talent in his Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25). Many manifestations of the Talent are mentioned by St. Paul as gifts of the Holy Spirit in the first letter to the Corinthians (Ch. 12), and many saints, such as Patrick who spoke to animals and Katherine of Alexandria who produced earthquakes, also demonstrated the Talent. The Talent is itself a gift of the Holy Spirit, and is therefore not evil. For those with the Talent to use their gift is not sin, St. Helen says, so long as they do not use it to sin. Indeed, to refuse to use a gift from God is itself a sin. To drive home her point, St. Helen again refers to the Parable of the Talents: in that story, Christ condemns the worthless servant who does not multiply his talent but hides it in the earth. Magic, therefore, can be used morally and with the blessing of God and the Church, so long as it is used for lawful and moral purposes. The Defense of Talents was highly influential in the medieval period (where magic was considered lawful if used for good purposes), and its philosophy and defense of magic influenced De Magorum and the Broad Pearl Code.
The Art of Defeating the Hellish Host discusses fighting evil Spirits of all sorts, not just devils and demons. It is part philosophy, part spiritual handbook, and part practical instruction manual. It offers several prayers to fortify oneself against fighting the powers of darkness alongside defensive and offensive spells, binding rituals, and fortification enchantments. Many of St. Helen's spells are still in use in some form today by the Seraphim and other law enforcement that fight evil spirits.
Later in life, St. Helen became the spiritual adviser of Countess Judith of Huntington, niece of William the Conqueror, after the death of her husband Earl Waltheof. She fought and defeated no fewer than thirty-seven demons in central England. She died of old age and was buried in the monastery founded by Countess Judith, Elstow Abbey. Her tomb became a shrine after her death and remained so until the Dissolution, at which time she was reburied with honor in the churchyard.

Age

122

Date of Birth

September 14

Life

1040 1162

Circumstances of Birth

Born late in life to an Irish prince and his wife, as the answer to a prayer.

Circumstances of Death

Died peacefully in her sleep in Elstow Abbey

Gender

Female