Reginald of Durham

But he did not entertain any dread on that account, nor did he fear the nests of that multitude of vipers, nor the gloomy tombs that existed in that uncultivated solitude.

The details of his life are uncertain, but he was "apparently of English descent" and had joined the monks at Durham by around 1153.

He was active in the 1160s and 1170s, spending time in Finchale with the hermit and saint Godric, and writing the works for which he is now known.

The first is an account of the life of Godric—including his taming influence on the snakes of Finchale that eventually nestled by his fireside—and the miracles that followed the saint's death.

According to Tudor, that style could "degenerate into almost incomprehensible turgidity", but his desire for detail and capacity for close observation made him capable of "extremely vivid evocation of contemporary conditions".