Pagan: a heathen - an unconverted member of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible.

Prior to Saint Patrick’s arrival in Ireland to build a Christian Church, his mission was foretold by pagan wizards. There was a fierce heathen king named Logaire who reigned in the Irish capital of Tara. He called upon his favorite wizards to look into the future with their black arts and this is what they foresaw:

“…there would come to be a certain foreign practice, like a kingdom, with a strange and troublesome doctrine; a practice brought from afar across the seas, proclaimed by few, adopted by many and respected by all; it will overthrow kingdoms , kill kings who resisted, win over great crowds, destroy their gods, and after driving out all the resources of their art it would reign for ever and ever.“

These words were indeed prophetic, for Saint Patrick wiped out the worship of idols and established the Catholic faith in Christ throughout the country. The defining moment in Saint Patrick’s mission came when he challenged King Logaire and his pagan followers on Easter, declaring that the power of their gods were no match for the power of the Christian God. This challenge also coincided with the most important pagan festival of the year. In a series of confrontations and contest over two days , Saint Patrick killed both of Logaire’s favorite wizards and reduced the king to a frightened and humiliated mortal.

It is ironic that the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, was in fact a Roman Briton who had a vision that he was to go to Ireland to establish the Christian church. He believed in this mission so passionately that he left his family behind in Britain - foresaking an opportunity for a personal life- to achieve his goal. His exploits gave rise to the legend of him driving the snakes out of Ireland. This is likely to be a metaphor for the defeat of paganism, as serpent imagery is common in pagan religions and the use of that in iconography would have died out with the fall of the heathens. Saint Patrick devoted his life to converting the Druids and his legacy is a Christian Ireland.

The Saint Patrick Limited Edition pen

This is a significantly large fountain pen with an extraordinarily brilliant decoration that commands an immediate presence. The barrel is a luminescent, brilliant colored painting in the fashion of 15th Century engrossed illuminations that are found on rare biblical documents and books. Each pen is hand painted over the hand turned ebonite barrel material. The brilliant transparency of the painting re-creates the glowing stained glass from the cathedrals of the period. The image of Saint Patrick depicts him dressed in his simple garb as a Shepherd.

The cap of the pen and the blindcap are made of rich Briarwood, which has a delicate carving to reproduce a Celtic knot pattern. The antique bronze clip is a unique Celtic symbol, which is predominant and accents the cap so beautifully. The band on the base of the barrel has the word “EIRE” which means Ireland in Gaelic. The Limited Edition signature nib is 18K.

In hand, this pen is remarkable light weight for its apparent size. Unlike other Krone limited Editions that have substantial weight and presence also, it seems to me the lightness of this Saint Patrick pen is perfectly consistent with the mystique and beauty of the image.

The Saint Patrick will also be available in an even larger Magnum edition. The cap of the Magnum version is also Briarwood, however it has two panels with an ornate Celtic cross in silver and gold. The other two panels will have hand painted mother of pearl inlays. The barrel of the pen is mother of pearl with theme richly painted picture adorned with gold leaf.

Saint Patrick fountain pen is scheduled for April 2004 release

Saint Patrick Fountain pen edition will be 288 pieces
Roller ball edition will be 28 pieces
Magnum Edition Fountain pen will be 18 pieces