![]() ![]() ![]() Being an anchorite means that, like Julian of Norwich (about 250 years later), this girl and her magistra are bricked in. Her mother has already arranged for this bright and curious eight-year-old child to be the companion to Jutta von Sponheim, a “holy virgin” who yearns to be bricked up as an anchorite in the Abby of Disibodenberg. But early in the novel, she learns that she is to be her family’s tithe to the church. She’s a sturdy child who loves the outdoors and enjoys running through the forest with her brother. Hildegard, who lived from 1092 to 1179, was the tenth child of a family of minor nobility in the Holy Roman Empire. I’ve just finished reading Illuminations (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), a splendid new novel about Hildegard by Mary Sharratt, who is the author of other excellent novels, including Daughters of the Witching Hill. Hildegard’s story has been told in many places, including a highly detailed entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia, which is a wonderful resource for stories about saints. In the 12 th century, She manifested to a German nun named Hildegard. The Great Goddess and Divine Mother of Us All manifests where and to whom She chooses, no matter what faith we hold. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |