JOHAN, JOHN1. There are three writers in the New Testament with this name: John, the writer of the Fourth Gospel and the First Letter of John; John, the author of the two remaining letters that bear the name; and John, the writer of the Apocalypse or the Book of Revelation. The symbol for the Gospel writer is the eagle.
The saint's name appears eight times in rhyming tags, MLI 18, MLT 1019; WBP 164; SumT 1800, 2252; SqT 596; PardT 752; PF 451. The reference in BD 1318 and the description of the "riche hill" and the "long castel" point to John of Gaunt, Earl of Richmond and Duke of Lancaster. The Prioress says that the "little clergeon," slain for his faith, will follow the celestial white Lamb, of whom St. John the Evangelist wrote from Patmos, PrT 579-585, referring to Revelation 14:3-4. The Parson says he quotes St. John the Evangelist when he quotes from Revelation 9:6, ParsT 216; he quotes I John 1:8, ParsT 349; I John 3:15, ParsT 564; Revelation 3:16, ParsT 687; Revelation 21:8, ParsT 840; Revelation 16:4, ParsT 993. The dreamer sees a female creature in Fame's hall, who has as many eyes as birds have feathers; she is like the four beasts full of eyes, which John describes in the Apocalypse, HF III.1381-1385, found in Revelation 4:6.
Johan, the shortened form of Latin Johannes, the Anglo-Norman form, appears once, BD 1318, and seems necessary to complete the number of stresses in the line. John appears medially, SqT 596; Mars 9, and in the Parson's prose tale.