Abstract
In mid-twelfth century, moved by military and political considerations, Frederick Barbarossa restored the ruined eighth century abbey at Mt. Ste. Odile, later known as the Hohenbourg. At his request, Rilinda, the abbess of Bergen, established eight nuns there sometime between 1147–1162, placing the women under the rule of St. Augustine.2 She was succeeded c. 1176 by the abbess Herrad. Details of Herrad’s early life are unknown, although it seems safe to assume an aristocratic family, since a woman without noble birth is unlikely to have ruled such an important abbey. The name under which she was formerly known — Herrad of Landsberg — contributed to the presumption of nobility, but any connection to that particular family is now discredited.3 Although Herrad acknowledges that she was instructed by Rilinda’s “admonitions and examples”, it is not certain that Herrad was in fact a pupil of Rilinda, nor even necessarily educated at the abbey of Hohenbourg.4
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Notes
I would like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for the award of a General Research Grant. I am also very grateful for the valuable research assistance of Maureen Riggin. I owe a special debt of gratitude to M.P. Hogan, Leslie Sanders and J.G. Dimond for reading and commenting on earlier drafts.
Christine Bischoff “L’Histoire”, in the Hortus deliciarum of Herrad of Hohenbourg, ed. Rosalie Green, Michael Evans, Christine Bischoff, and Michael Curschmann, vol. 1, Commentary, pp. 9–10. Subsequent references to chapters in the Commentary will be given under the author’s name, while vol. 2, Reconstruction, will be referred to as Hortus.
Ibid., p. 10.
For earlier views on this and other matters, see Lina Eckenstein, Woman Under Monasticism, pp. 238–55.
Sibylle, widow of King Tancred of Sicily, had been exiled by Henry VI, Bischoff, Commentary, p. 12.
Ibid., p. 11.
For the difficulties of enumerating the illustrations, see Green, ibid., p. 23; of the texts, see Evans, ibid., p. 6–7.
Bischoff, ibid., pp. 41–42.
Evans, ibid., p.4; Green, ibid., pp.25, 32.
Bischoff and Green seem to favour the view that there may have been a significant influence, ibid., pp. 12, 24–25; one earlier scholar doubts that any woman at all could have been responsible, cited Green, p. 25, n. 21.
Curschmann, ibid., p. 73, Green, ibid., pp. 31–32, Bischoff, ibid., p. 43.
Bischoff, ibid., pp. 57–59, Hortus, p. 4.
Bischoff, Commentary, pp. 37–38, indicates other uses of the garden motif readily available to the medieval mind.
For a complete list of sources, and description of the major sources, see Bischoff, ibid., pp. 43–61.
Bischoff feels some form of intellectual collaboration with the canons is indicated, ibid., p. 11, while Green writing on the miniatures, and Curschmann, on the glosses, allow for a female artist and scribe, ibid., pp. 31, 69. Brown, writing on the paleography, assumes the hand is by a male scribe.
Green, ibid., p. 18.
Ibid., pp. 18–19.
On the inadequacies of the materials for a thorough reconstruction, see ibid., pp. 17–22. Green indicates that even complete understanding of the structure may be lost.
For a review of the sources for a reconstruction, see Evans, ibid., pp. 4–8, for a review of previous reconstructions, see Green, ibid., p. 21.
Evidence is drawn from the nature of the sources, especially the generous use of Honorius who wrote for the instruction of his brethren, and from the poems, Bischoff, ibid., pp.46, 58–59, from the glosses, Curschmann, ibid., pp. 73–74, from the comparative informality of the paleography, Brown, ibid., pp. 83–84, 85, from the nature of the art and text, Bischoff, ibid., p. 37, and from the superimposition of text on image, Green, ibid., p. 29, as well as the section on marriage.
Hortus, p. 4.
There is no firm evidence of an external school, but cf. Bischoff, Commentary, pp. 13, 51, 59. The material on the sacrament of marriage contains a lengthy practical section on marriage legislation and morality, drawn from Peter the Lombard, Hortus, pp. 476–481.
On the limitations of viewing it as an encyclopedia see Green, Commentary, pp. 24–30, but cf. Bischoff, ibid., pp. 41–43, who highlights the way in which the text does have encyclopedic digressions.
Bischoff, ibid., pp. 38–42, Green, ibid., pp. 25–29.
Bischoff, Ibid., p. 41.
Bischoff, Ibid., pp. 25, 28–29.
On the iconographic sources, see Green, ibid., pp. 32–36, for a partial list of rarities, ibid., pp. 35–36.
See Bischoff, ibid., pp. 37–59; Gérard Carries, Allégories et Symboles is the most ambitious study.
Green, Commentary, p. 29.
Bischoff, ibid., p. 43.
See note 14.
Cames, Allégories, pp. 111–124, shows her use of balance and opposition in arrangement.
Prudence Allen, R.S.M., The Concept of Woman, p. 321.
Green, Commentary, pp. 35–36.
Hortus, p. 4.
On the elements, see Green, Commentary p. 91, on Christ as a crystal, Hortus, p. 292; the text accompanying the illustration of Ulysses omits glosses into German of a large number of technical nautical terms, Hortus, p. 364, Curschman, Commentary, p. 68, but, the terms for natural phenomena associated with the elements are glossed, Hortus, pp. 24–28.
Green, Commentary, pp. 96, 221, Hortus, pp. 30, 440.
Bischoff, Commentary, p. 53, Hortus, p. 15.
Caroline Bynum, Jesus as Mother, frontispiece and pp. 264–65. See also Adolf Katzenellebogen, Allegories of the Virtues and Vices in Mediaeval Art, pp. 24–25. Herrad is insistent on the integration of all humanity among the elect, Hortus, pp. 447–453, in the assembly of the faithful, ibid., p. 420, in the Church, ibid., pp. 370–378, and in the celestial court, ibid., pp. 412–15, 417, 419, 427–429.
Robert Javelet, “Image de Dieu et nature au Xlle siècle”, gives a good brief summary of twelfth century approaches to this theme.
Hortus, pp. 2, 506, 301, 309.
Ibid, p. 52, 56.
Ibid., p. 51.
They thus resemble less the allegorical arts of the Philosophy picture than Herrad’s portrayal of the nuns of Hohenbourg, Hortus, p. 505, or the virtues in the medallions around the pictures of Christ and the spiritual sacrifices of the New Testament, ibid., pp. 111–112.
Ibid., pp. 54–56, Green, Commentary, p. 103.
Straub-Keller, Caratzas ed., Herrad of Landsberg, p. 34, Allen, Concept, p. 320.
Bernard McGinn, Three Treatises on the Soul, gives other examples of monastic literature on the soul prior to the Aristotelian revival. See esp. pp. 40–45, 50–52, 54–55, 57–59, 76–85.
The depicition seems to owe more to wisdom literature and arts iconography than to Boethius’ Lady Philosophy, Green, ibid., pp. 104–06.
On the use of this iconographic type as an incompletely understood, but established allegory of learning, see Green, ibid. The arcade may refer to the pillars of wisdom, and the circular shape either to the temple of Soloman or the table of philosophy, or both. Cf. Cames, Allégories pp. 15–18.
This may relate to the argument derived from Plato, through Boethius in the Consolation of Philosophy, IV, prose 2, that only the virtuous and wise can achieve their desires.
Green, Commentary, p. 104, Hortus, p. 57.
On the somewhat unusual symbols of the arts, see Green, ibid., p. 106.
Ibid., p. 104, Hortus, pp. 52–54, 57, texts and illustration.
Hortus, p. 57, Green, Commentary, p. 104.
This parodies divine inspiration, as with Gregory or Jerome and the dove, Green, Commentary, p. 106. Elsewhere, Herrad contrasts magical works with true miracles, and condemns augeries, etc., Hortus, pp. 310–312ff.
Green, Commentary, p. 104, Hortus, p. 56. Similar thoughts are expressed in selections from the Itinerario dementis, ibid., pp. 487–88.
Hortus, pp. 52, 54, 56, Green, Commentary, p. 106.
Hortus, p. 54.
Ibid., pp. 52–54.
Ibid., p. 54.
Ibid., pp. 326–336, Green, Commentary, pp. 190–196.
Cames, Allégories, pp. 54–73; note Green’s caution, Commentary, p. 190. See also Katzenellenbogen, Allegories, especially pp. 10–13, 24.
Ibid., and p. vii. Katzenellenbogen claims that in both types of representation, Herrad “extends and clarifies” the imagery.
Hortus, pp. 179–80.
See for example, ibid., pp. 38–40.
For example, on angels and the human mind knowing the Trinity, ibid., p. 11, on God’s knowledge of creation, p. 15, on the knowledge of the separated souls, pp. 213–214, 449.
Allen, Concept, has drawn attention to Herrad’s treatment of the sexes, pp. 317–19, and her use of women as soldiers, p. 328. A significant proportion of Herrad’s unique or unusual pictures represent women. This aspect deserves further attention.
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Gibson, J. (1989). Herrad of Hohenbourg. In: Waithe, M.E. (eds) A History of Women Philosophers. A History of Women Philosophers, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2551-9_4
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