BARBARA

barbara, saint, a virgin martyr and saint of the roman catholic and orthodox eastern churches, whose festival day is december 4th. her legend is that she was immured in a tower [v.03 p.0382] by her father who was opposed to her marriage; that she was converted to christianity by a follower of origen, and that when her father learnt this, he beheaded her. the place of her martyrdom is variously given as heliopolis, as a town of tuscany, and as nicomedia, bithynia, about the year 235. st barbara is the patron saint of armourers and gunsmiths, and her protection is sought specially against lightning. barbarian (gr. [greek: barbaros], the name among the early greeks for all foreigners. the word is probably onomatopoetic, designed to represent the uncouth babbling of which languages other than their own appeared to the greeks to consist. even the romans were included in the term. the word soon assumed an evil meaning, becoming associated with the vices and savage natures of which they believed their enemies to be possessed. the romans adopted the word for all peoples other than those under graeco-roman influence and domination. it has long become synonymous with a general lack of civilization.