Brother Cadfael

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Brother Cadfael is the fictional detective in a series of murder mysteries by the late Edith Pargeter writing under the name "Ellis Peters."

Cadfael is a Benedictine monk and herbalist at Shrewsbury Abbey in Shrewsbury, a small town in Shropshire, England. Cadfael himself is of Welsh extraction; his full name is Cadfael ap (son of) Meilyr ap Dafydd and he was born around 1080 to a villein (serf) family in Trefriw, in Gwynedd (northern Wales). The stories are set between about 1135 and about 1145, during the civil war between the forces of King Stephen and Empress Maud.

Cadfael became a monk in middle age, after going on the First Crusade as both a soldier and later, a sailor. As a result, he is more familiar with the secular world than most of his brother monks. In addition, his personality more reflects modern attitudes and progressive ethics than his own time which often puts him in conflict with his brethren on matters of justice and conscience. Among other things, Brother Cadfael disobeys his superiors (in Monk's Hood) and condones euthanasia (in the TV version of The Rose Rent).

Arguably, however, this very background makes him a more worthy foil for Hugh Beringar (Deputy Sheriff and eventually Sheriff, of Shropshire) than would have been a cloistered brother. Over time Beringar — and Heribert and Radulfus, Cadfael's abbots — come to recognise his slightly unusual skills, and use him as detective, medical examiner, diplomatic envoy (to the Welsh princes), and counsel.

One interesting twist which Pargeter develops over the course of the novels is that, unlike his fellow monks, Cadfael proves to have a son whom he unknowingly concieved during his crusading days. Cadfael meets his son on only on a few, nevertheless cherished, occasions, quickly realising the truth behind the young man's origins.

Thirteen of the books were adapted for a series of television movies starring Sir Derek Jacobi although the sequence of the television episodes differs from the sequence of the novels. Within the individual teleplays, most are reasonably faithful to the books, being modified primarily to minimise the size of the speaking cast, the running time of the script, or the need for extravagant special effects. One episode, however, The Pilgrim of Hate, bears almost no resemblance to the eponymous book save the presence of a few of characters sharing the names (but not the actions) of the characters in the book. Furthermore, in "The Holy Thief", one of the characters is turned into a villian, whereas in the novel, he is not.

1 The Brother Cadfael stories
2 Reference
3 External links

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The Brother Cadfael stories

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Short stories

A Rare Benedictine (1988)
- "A Light on the Road to Woodstock" (set in Autumn, 1120)
- "The Price of Light" (set at Christmas, 1135)
- "Eye Witness" (set in 1139)

Image:Cadfael tapes.JPG

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Novels

A Morbid Taste for Bones (written in 1977, this episode is set in 1137)
One Corpse Too Many (1979, set in August 1138)
Monk's Hood (1980, set in December 1138)
Saint Peter's Fair (1981, set in July 1139)
The Leper of Saint Giles (1981, set in October 1139)
The Virgin in the Ice (1982, set in November 1139)
The Sanctuary Sparrow (1983, set in the Spring of 1140)
The Devil's Novice (1983, set in September 1140)
Dead Man's Ransom (1984, set in February 1141)
The Pilgrim of Hate (1984, set in May 1141)
An Excellent Mystery (1985, set in August 1141)
The Raven in the Foregate (1986, set in December 1141)
The Rose Rent (1986, set in June 1142)
The Hermit of Eyton Forest (1988, set in October 1142)
The Confession of Brother Haluin (1988, set in December 1142)
The Heretic's Apprentice (1990, set in June 1143)
The Potter's Field (1990, set in August 1143)
The Summer of the Danes (1991, set in April 1144)
The Holy Thief (1992, set in August 1144)
Brother Cadfael's Penance (1994, set in November 1145)

Many of the novels are also available as audiobooks. Narrators for different editions of these audiobooks include Sir Derek Jacobi, Patrick Tull and Johanna Ward.

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