![]() ![]() Similarly, the legend of the 4th-century hirsute saint Onuphrius originated in the East but emerged in the West in the 13th and 14th century in Italy and Spain, before thriving in Northern Europe in the 15th century (Husband 1980, 98). From the 15th century, the image of John as a wild hirsute creature appeared in the West with remarkable frequency, although there appears to be no connection between the historical theologian and the later apocryphal legend in which the saint flees to the desert to avoid sexual temptation (Husband 1980, 102). One of the Church Fathers, John Chrysostom (d.407), is an extensively represented hairy saint. Stories of holy men and women who had grown wild as a consequence of their isolation stemmed from the Apophthegmata Patrum (an influential collection of over a thousand stories and sayings of the Desert Fathers, dating from late 5th or early 6th century), and had affinities with eastern pre-Christian traditions (Williams 1926, 116). These hirsute penitent saints are found considerably earlier in the East than West (Husband 1980, 98). In the later Middle Ages in western Christendom, legends and images of anchorite saints who became hairy, like beasts, increased in popularity, as fleeing from the corrupt world, in the image of the desert fathers, was encouraged. According to Pouvreau ( 2013 p.191), the marginal images of Mary of Egypt in this manuscript are the earliest depictions of a hirsute saint in the West. Image credit: ©The British Library Board, Royal 10 E IV fol. Hirsutism and Holinessįigure 1: Mary of Egypt in the margin of MS Royal 10 E IV fol. Locks of saints' hair were venerated as relics and revered for their miraculous power, while the tresses of lovers were clipped and given as gifts that symbolised emotional bonds. First I will examine the connection between hirsutism (the abnormal growth of hair) and holiness, and then explore the contexts in which detached hair was an important bearer of meaning. Similarly, later medieval holy women including Clare of Assisi (d.1253), Catherine of Siena (d.1380), and Columba of Rieti (d.1501) were known to have cut their hair as a sign of devotion (Bynum 1987, 146).Ĭonversely, the pileous saint became particularly popular during the high and later Middle Ages. The tonsure became such an important marker of status that by the 11th century it was required by ecclesiastical law (Council of Toulouse 1119 Mills 2004, 111). From the 7th century, the tonsure designated clerical status and reflected the theological notions of submission and self-denial. Hair also played an important role in medieval religious life. During the medieval period, as at other times, hair was variously deployed as a marker of status, race, physical maturity, and sexual virility (Mills 2004). Hair can convey messages of social differentiation. As a malleable body part it can be shaped, dyed, and removed so the treatment of hair is a pre-eminently socially visible act (Bartlett 1994). Hair possesses various qualities that allow it to be a tool of social action it is detachable, renewable and can be manipulated (Firth 1973). ![]() ĭuring the Middle Ages hair was charged with cultural meaning. 2016 Hair in the Middle Ages, Internet Archaeology 42. Centre for the History of Emotions, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Sydney, Australia.Įmail: this as: Knight, K.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |