The process of imposing celibacy on priests was long and
difficult. Many priests had some concubine, this of course very much against
the official doctrine. Of course women had to be warned against entering such
relationships and the following story makes clear the consequences: they will
go to Hell! Apart from reflecting social conditions, this story is also interesting
for the various fairy-tale and folk-tale elements: the encirclement with a sword to create a
safe space (also known from the werewolf story in Petronius’ Satyricon), the Devil disguised as
hunter and the opening of the grave to prove the truth.
The story is taken from Caesarius of Heisterbach’s Dialogus Miraculorum, a vast collection
of short miracle stories, compiled in the early decades of the 13th
century. Priests used this collection for illustrating their sermons, but I wonder
how many with a concubine would have used this story.
Caesarius of Heisterbach, Dialogus Miraculorum, distinctio 12, capitum 20
Concubina
cuiusdam sacerdotis cum esset moritura, sicut a quodam religioso didici, cum
multa instantia calcios sibi novos et bene taccunatos fieri petivit, dicens :
Sepelite me in eis, valde enim mihi erunt necessarii. Quod cum factum
fuisset, nocte sequenti longe ante lucem, luna splendente, miles quidam cum
servo suo per viam equitans, femineos eiulatus audivit. Mirantibus illis quidnam hoc esset ; ecce mulier
rapidissimo cursu ad eos properans, clamavit : Adiuvate me, adiuvate me. Mox
miles de equo descendens, et gladio circulum sibi circumducens, feminam bene
notam infra illum recepit. Sola enim camisia et calciis praedictis induta erat.
Et ecce ex remoto vox quasi venatoris terribiliter buccinantis, nec non et
latratus canum venaticorum praecedentium audiuntur. Quibus auditis illa dum
nimis tremeret, miles cognitis ab ea causis, equum servo committens, tricas
capillorum eius brachio suo sinistro circumligavit, dextera gladium tenens
extentum. Approximante infernali illo venatore, ait mulier militi : Sine me
currere, sine me currere ; ecce appropinquat. Illo fortius eam retinente,
misera diversis conatibus militem pulsans, tandem ruptis capillis effugit. Quam
diabolus insecutus cepit, equo suo eam iniiciens, ita ut caput cum brachiis
penderet ex uno latere, et crura ex altero. Post paululum militi sic obvians,
captam praedam deportavit. Qui mane ad villam rediens, quid viderit exposuit,
capillos ostendit ; et cum minus referenti crederent, aperto sepulchro feminam
capillos suos perdidisse repererunt. Haec contigerunt in Archiepiscopatu
Maguntinensi.
sicut a quodam
religioso didici: the stories are told by an elderly monk to a novice
cum multa instantia:
with great urgency
calcius (calceus): shoe
taccuno (tacono): to patch up (this word doesn’t
fit well for new shoes and one branch of manuscript has consutos `stichted’)
fieri petivit:
asked to be made
sepelio sepelivi
sepultum: to burry
equito: to
ride a horse
eiulatus –us (m.):
wailing, lamenting
infra: within
the circle
camisia: linen
shirt
induo indui
indutum: to dress
venator venatoris
(m.): hunter (venaticus: belonging
to the hunt)
buccino (bucino): to blow the horn
nec non: and
also
latratus –us (m.):
barking
trica: tress
brachium: arm,
hand
circumligo: to
bind
extentum: drawn
sine: from sino!
diversis conatibus:
after several attempts
inicio inieci iniectum:
to throw in/upon
crus cruris
(n.): leg
obvio (+
dat.): to meet
expono exposui
expositum: to relate
reperio repperi
(reperi) repertum: to find
in Archiepiscopatu Maguntinensi.: in the archdiocese of Mainz
in Archiepiscopatu Maguntinensi.: in the archdiocese of Mainz
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