From Medieval Ritual Murder to Modern Blood Libel: The Narrative of "Saint" Dominguito de Val in Spain

Abstract

This article seeks to analyze the origins of the martyrdom narrative of "Saint" Dominguito de Val, a boy that the Jews of Zaragoza (Spain) were accused of murdering in 1250 CE and assess its place within the wider medieval European phenomenon of antisemitic ritual murder accusations. It explores the existing evidence for the cult of Dominguito before conducting a detailed analysis of the different extant versions of the narrative of Dominguito's martyrdom. The essential elements of these narratives are compared with those of other ritual murder narratives, as well as Marian legends circulating in medieval Europe, in order to trace the origins of the legend. Finally, this study examines the transformation of Dominguito's martyrdom narrative in Spain during the early twentieth century. It seeks to understand how the legend of Dominguito suddenly acquired a new element drawn from Northern European blood libel narratives: the allegation that Jews had ritually consumed the blood of Dominguito.