Mysticism between Women in Early Medieval England
Kathryn Maude
August 22, 2023 DOI: 10.4324/9781003350880-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis |
|---|---|
| Topics | Mysticism |
| Key points | Argues that the visionary experiences of Barking Abbey's early medieval nuns, especially Abbess Elfgiva's dream of being crushed by Saint Ethelburga's tomb and then holding her as a baby, functioned as a form of communal resistance, providing mystical justification to translate the saints' bodies against the wishes of Bishop Maurice of London. |
Abstract
Tracing medieval English mysticism back into the early medieval period, this chapter reads Barking Abbey’s mystical experiences as a form of communal resistance. The early medieval nuns of Barking Abbey experience rich visions of their predecessors, in particular Saint Ethelburga, the first Abbess of Barking. In one of these visionary experiences, Abbess Elfgiva experiences being crushed under Ethelburga’s tomb, showing Ethelburga’s displeasure at her cramped quarters. When Elfgiva agrees to move the sainted abbess’ body to more suitable accommodation, Ethelburga turns into a tiny baby and nestles in Elfgiva’s arms. This violent and then intimate moment, moving from crushing pain to intimate embrace, provides Elfgiva and the Barking Abbey community with the mystical justification to go ahead with the translation of the saints’ bodies in the Abbey – against the express wishes of their bishop, Maurice of London.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mystical mind: probing the biology of religious experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Religious and Mystical Experiences as Artifacts of Temporal Lobe Function: A General Hypothesis | 1983 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Problem of Pure Consciousness: Mysticism and Philosophy | 1993 | Edited collection of essays | |
| Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mysticism and schizophrenia: A phenomenological exploration of the structure of consciousness in the schizophrenia spectrum disorders. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |