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Marcouf's story presents a certain number of difficulties. A third document has been joined to the two previous lives: the life of St Helier.
Let us begin by looking at the two previous lives of St Marcouf. In broad outline, they are in agreement, with little discrepancy in their beginnings.
With a priest called Romard, Marcouf goes on his way towards the people of Brittany, and arrives at an island which is called, by its inhabitants, Agna. Here Life B, specifies that it is close to the French coast. In both lives, it is sparsely inhabited, having not more than 30 inhabitants who, according to Life A, were rich, and owners of farmstock. A hermit called Eletus (or Elibertus) had been there fore many years. Our two travellers stayed with him and together they founded a small community of 3, whose only aim was to be devoted to prayer and fasting. But "the Enemy" (i.e. the Devil), seeing the small group and their virtues with a jaundiced eye, prepared a surprise for them. In the morning, at the time that the inhabitants were occupied with their affairs, a fleet of 3,000 Saxon pirates came and prepared to land. Terrified, the islanders hurled themselves at the feet of Marcouf and his companions. "'We are terribly afraid,' they said, 'and we haven't the courage to resist. How are we to strike a blow, so few in number and without the experience of warfare needed for boldly attacking such a people?' 'My little children, ' replied their hermit, 'be afraid of nothing. Act like men, and God will fight on your side.'" Then the inhabitants of Agna armed themselves and decided to strive against those pirates who had already landed. Marcouf prostrated himself on the ground and began to pray. At once, a storm followed. The Saxon ships were hurled against each other and completely destroyed, while the warriors who had landed were all killed, to the last man.
This is the story related in Life A, while that of B leaves out the prayer of the inhabitants and says that it is a large number of pirates that landed. Nevertheless, this disparity disappears, with B also ending without a single islander being lost in the fight.
The endings are different in the two versions. For the author of A, the isle of Agna, like all the land within sight, was ruled by Childebert, who rejoices at Marcouf's victories, quoting Judith: "Where is a God so great as ours? He alone is great who accomplishes so much that is wonderful." This is after the people of Brittany set sail towards the island, and Marcouf converts them, bringing almost all of Brittany to the Christian faith. In Life A, it is also related that Marcouf founded a monastery on the island before going to rejoin his brother monks at Nantus.
The editor of B believed that the island was ruled by a local lord - "the Master of the Isle." But this account probably does not give either the correct title or status of such a person. This lord, according to B, gave Marcouf half of his lands for the establishment of a monastery. When this was written, in story B, Brittany was probably no longer on good terms with the king of Paris and it was this consideration which altered the ending.
What we can be sure of is that, for both authors, there can be no question of any other region than Continental Brittany. Marcouf and his companions leave on foot, and they find their way to an island which one could reach at low tide. It is very small, for it is described as only being able to support 30 inhabitants and their flocks.
Father Lelarge sees here the island of Cezembre, which is very close to St Malo; it seems that one could reach this on foot at low tides. When Malo arrived from England in the early years of the 11th Century, he found evidence of a hermitage and some buildings which had been there for sane time.
I don't think that one can connect "Agna" (or "Agnus") with "l'Angia" which is spoken about in the "Life of St Samson" and the "Chronicles de Fontenelle". If it is necessary to place "Agnus" in a known district, it would seem that one might do well to bear in mind the "pays d'Ach" (Lat. "pagus Agnensis") where St Paul de Leon landed. One could also consider the "pays des Agnantes" which the Greek geographers imagined was on an island off Armorica, where the inhabitants lived a life in riches and idleness, following many years of civilisation.
Let us not forget that the "Vita Antiqua" on which our lives (A and B) are based, was probably written at a time when the conversion of Brittany had reached completion and when the lives of Samson, Magloire and Paul were already in circulation. The author of the "Vita Antiqua", perhaps jealous of the influence of the bishop of Dol, may have wanted to affirm that the true apostle of Brittany was Marcouf. The tradition handed down has given him the conversion of a Breton Isle by Marcouf, and he has looked for a name for this island in geographical works.
But there exists another document which speaks of Romard and Marcouf. This is the "Life of St Helier". It is a strange biography, written relatively late (for it speaks of Normandy), where tales from different origins have been mixed up with one another.
Helier would be born at Tongres, under the reign of Childebert, after the death of the wicked Queen Brunehaut. Helier's father was a pagan and his son, although instructed in the Catholic faith, was not baptised. But while still undergoing instruction, he worked numerous miracles. Then one night, an angel came to Helier, and told him to go and receive baptism at the hands of Marcouf. Helier set off and went to Valdunes, where he found a church dedicated to the virgin, and met Marcouf there. He went with Marcouf to Nantus for three months, and there received authorisation to live as a hermit. With his companion Romard, Helier reached Genetz, set sail, and helped by the wind, came to the island called Gersuth. On .this island lived only 30 inhabitants of both sexes. Here, the two men found some caves beside the. sea. In one, Helier found a man with twisted feet, and the memory of the miracle of the healing of this unfortunate still remains. Helier then settled in another cave, with no more than bare rock for a bed.
Three years later, Marcouf arrived at the island, and hardly recognised his disciple, as Helier is so emaciated by his mortifications. They remained together for several months, when Helier’s "helper" (Lat. "pedagogus", no clear translation possible in this context) comes to warn him of ships with three thousand pirates coming towards the island. Marcouf replies that divine armies will fight for them. After God hears their prayer, a storm raised by the anger of God strikes the fleet. The ships collide and the whole enemy force is annihilated. The two saints praise the Lord who aids those who ask for help.
Three days later, Marcouf leaves with Romard, and Helier remains on the island. Fifteen years later, some vandals land. Helier does not flee or seek to defend himself, and is put to death. His body, left to the sea, is miraculously carried over to Herevande.
Even if we concern ourselves only with the Normandy part of the Life of St Helier, we find only occasional points that are in common with the Life of Marcouf. Apart from the names of Romard, Marcouf, and the abbey of Nantus, and the numbers 30 and 3000, there is hardly anything in agreement. For instance, the destruction of the fleet (in the Helier narrative) takes place only at sea. Curiously, amongst a narrative with so many extravagant details, this presents a picture with the likelihood of truth: it recalls the destruction of the Norman fleet which is related in the "Annales de St Berlin".
But, beside this, consider all the divergencies! First of all, the date gives us the wrong Childebert - the second or third king of that name. Then the meeting takes place at Valdunes which is actually far from Nantus, and, in addition, the details of the journey are problematic.
Why does Helier take Romard with him when the 2 Lives of Marcouf make Romard the companion of Marcouf? And why do they take to the sea at Genet as a point of departure from Brittany (when coming from Nantus to Jersey)? As for the identification of "Agnus" with "Gersuth", it seems most unlikely.
Marcouf, in the Life of Marcouf, lands at Agna with Romard; he finds, by chance, a single hermit called Eletus, and not a disciple whom he left there 3 years before! Who is this "helper" ("pedagogus")? Is he a servant or disciple? After the episode with the Saxons, Marcouf departs, not constructing any monastery, and leaving Helier, not alone, but with this famous "helper" I
We are tempted to see in all this the rather clumsy work of an author of the 10th or 11th century. He has been given the task of writing a life of the hermit Helier, who lived in Jersey and has a few bare facts known about him: the cave where he lived, healing of the sick, and death at the hands of pirates. He discovered a similar sounding name to Helier in the district of Tongres, and also a hermit called Eletus in the Life of St Marcouf. He did not hesitate to identify Helier with the near namesake in Tongres, or to make an identification with Eletus, taking the story of a miracle set on an island whose place-name was not to be found on the map.
In any case, he makes a confused narrative which is a complete mixture of contradictory items, which he ends by making the body of the martyr return to the North (Belgium), although both Brittany and Normandy have claim to relics from the martyr.