Colmán of Dromore's adopted deer

On animals and family.

[450-520]

I’m very partial to saint stories involving deer — at turns, they speak of strength and fragility, speed and sure-footedness. Here’s a short, sweet one set in the woods of Ireland, near the 5th-century wattle and daub church that Colmán built, when he once came across a little baby deer: a hind separated from its dam.

Mothers of newborn deer often leave their children behind in secluded, safe spots while they head off to do whatever they do all day. The hiding places should be good enough that nobody ever finds them. If you, like Colmán, ever encounter a lone fawn, it should be slightly troubling but it’s best to not approach. Protect the child from afar for 24 hours, and only if the mother fails to return should you ever intervene.

Out of respect, we can assume our saint sufficiently waited. The mother was somewhere lost. Colmán picked up then placed the baby deer with a cow whose calf had coincidentally just been stolen: the new family was happy, and the animals knew they were each’s own.