• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the term “St. Anthony’s fire” come from and What does St. Anthony’s fire mean?

Where does the term “St. Anthony’s fire” come from and What does St. Anthony’s fire mean?

April 16, 2020 by Karen Hill

St. Anthony, “The Great” (A.D. 251?-356?), was an Egyptian ascetic, and one of the pillars of the early Christian Church.

During his life he was reportedly tempted sorely by the devil, who took many forms, including that of a pig.

It was through this temptation that St. Anthony became the patron of pigs, which, in turn, has given his name to St. Anthony’s nut and St. Anthony’s turnip, both of which are foods favored by swine.

His bones, discovered in 561, were finally enshrined at Vienne, France, where they are said to have performed miracles of healing during an epidemic of erysipelas in the eleventh century.

For this reason, erysipelas, a feverish disease accompanied by reddening and itching of the skin, has since been popularly named St. Anthony’s fire.

Related Facts

  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • Who Were the First Explorers of Ancient Civilization?
  • What does “itching palm” mean and Where does the phrase “itching palm” come from?
  • Why is it Better to make Stock with Cold Water first?
  • How did St. Elmo’s fire get its name and Where does the term St. Elmo’s fire come from?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “tantamount” come from and What does tantamount mean?
Next Post: Where does the term “Rasher” come from and What does Rasher mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy