The cult and legends of St Michael were widespread in medieval England, as shown by Milton's use of them to create his heroic figure and warrior-angel in Paradise Lost; he is both a stern general who smites the enemies of God, and a merciful angel who intercedes on humanity's behalf. This book explores the origins of the legends of St Michael in the literature of the biblical era, looks at their development and diffusion through scriptural and hagiographical literature (including The Golden Legende, the Festial of John Mirk, the Legenda Aurea of Jacobus de Voragine, and the South English Legendary), and examines the ways in which these legends were conditioned to accommodate the Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, and medieval English worlds in which they functioned. RICHARD F. JOHNSON is Professor of History at William Rainey Harper College.