St. Mungo's Cathedral

You may have thought St. Mungo was a product of JK Rowling’s imagination, but it turns out that he is the founder and patron saint of Glasgow and his bones are entombed in the city’s 12th century cathedral. St. Mungo also appears on the city’s coat of arms, which depicts his miracles (remembered in a little ditty):

          Here is the bird that never flew, Here is the tree that never grew,

          Here is the bell that never rang, Here is the fish that never swam.

Of those feats, the most impressive concerns the fish: An ancient Strathclyde queen was suspected of infidelity by the king. He demanded that she produce her ring, which he claimed she had given to her lover. In fact, the king had thrown the ring into the River Clyde. The queen appealed to Mungo, who ordered a servant to catch a fish in the river. When the fish was sliced open the ring appeared—thus saving the queen from execution (a much better trick than bringing a robin back to life or engaging in spontaneous combustion).