St. Odile (d. 740)

"Listen. listen oh my brother, for I have seen the terror of the forests and of the mountains. Fear has seized the people because never in any region of the universe has one given testimony of such trouble. The time has come when Germany will be called the most belligerent nation of the world. The period has arrived when out of her bosom will come the terrible warrior who will undertake to spread war in the world. The men in arms will call him the Anti-Christ. He will be cursed by mothers by thousands who will lament like Rachel over the fate of their children, and who will refuse consolation because they will no longer be of this world and all will be devas- tated in their homes. "The conqueror will come from the banks of the Danube. He will be a remarkable chief among men. The war that he

will make will be the most terrifying that men have ever undertaken. His arm will be flamboyant and the helmets of his

soldiers will bear points darting flashlights, while their hands will carry lighted torches. It will be impossible to calculate the number of cruelties committed. He will be victorious on land, sea, and even in the air because one will see winged warriors, in these unbelievable attacks, mounting to the heavens to seize the stars and throw them on the cities from one end of the universe to the other in order to start gigantic fires. The nations will be astonished and will say: 'whence comes this force?' 'How is he able to undertake such a war?' The earth will tremble at the shock of the fighting. The rivers will run red with blood and sea monsters will disperse with terror to the top of the oceans, while black storms will spread desolation everywhere. Future generations will be astonished to see that his powerful and numerous enemies will not have been capable of stopping the march of his victories.

"And the war will be long. The conqueror will have attained the apogee of his triumphs towards the middle of the sixth month of the second year of hostilities. This will be the end of the first period of bloody victories. He will say 'accept the yoke of my domination,' while continuing his victories. But his enemies will not submit and the war will continue and he will cry out: 'Misfortune will make them fall because I am the conqueror.'

"The second part of the war will be equal in length to half of the first part. They will call it the period of 'diminuition.' It will be full of surprises which will make the earth tremble when twenty belligerent nations will clash. Towards the middle of this period the little nations submissive to the conqueror will cry out: 'Give us peace.' But there will not be peace for these nations. This will not be the end of these wars but the beginning of the end and the combats of body against body will take place in the citadel of citadels. Then will see a revolt among the women of his own country who will wish to stone him. But one will also see prodigies in the Orient.

"The third period will be the shortest of all and the con

queror will have lost confidence in his warriors. This period will be called the 'period of invasion' because by just retribution the soil of the conqueror by reason of his injustice and his atheism, will be invaded in all parts and pillaged. Around the mountains torrents of blood will flow. This will be then the last battle.

"The nations will sing hymns of gratitude in the temples of God and will thank the Most High for their deliverance because then will have appeared the warrior (Great Monarch?) who will disperse the troops of the conqueror, the armies of which will be annihilated by an unknown and frightful illness. This evil will discourage his soldiers, while the nations will say: 'The finger of God is there. It is a just chastisement.'

"Because God is just-while sometimes allowing cruelty and depredations-all the spoliated people, who will have believed Him, will recover what they have lost and something additional as a reward on earth."