I really enjoyed reading about Hildegard. From the reading, we learned that Hildegard was "dedicated at birth to the church" (1). She received a religious education from a young age and devoted her life to God. I think all of these things saved Hildegard from being persecuted as a witch. Otherwise, her visions, writings about sex, and belief that natural objects could heal people would have been more than enough for someone to accuse her of witchcraft.
The main thing that stuck out as witch-like to me was her practice of using natural objects to heal people. This reminded me of what we read in Magic in the Middle Ages; witches would mix things together and use them as potions to make crops grow or to rid someone of an illness or to even make someone fall in love with them. Isn't that pretty much what Hildegard explains? She uses natural objects -- plants, stones, animals, etc. -- to heal people of diseases.
This also struck me as witchy because we learned that the devil harnesses his powers from nature. If this is true, Hildegard's medicinal uses of plants, animals, and stones could be viewed as coming from the devil. They are found in nature, so someone could think that they get their healing powers from the devil. And maybe these powers are not to heal at all. The devil is known for his illusions, so these things could be seen as having healing effects, but they could actually harm someone. Furthermore, Hildegard is the person promoting the healing power of said natural objects.
I think Hildegard's standing with the religious community is the only thing that saved her from being convicted of witchcraft.
Wow, after reading your blog I can see why Hildegard was not accused of being a witch. I originally thought no one accused her of witchcraft because the Pope supported her and no one wanted to mess with the Pope. Though you defiantly bring up a good point. Hildegard did mention some suspicious topics that normally only witches talked about. But Hildegard was more focused on healing instead of looking for ways to harm others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you saying here, especially the last paragraph. I like the connection between the devil and nature and Hildegard and nature. No one seemed to make that connection back in these times and if someone did I bet they would have had more people getting behind them accusing her of being a witch.
ReplyDeleteYou made very interesting statements. I like that you made the connection between the devil harnessing power from nature and assumedly that would be where Hildegard would gain her powers because of all the natural items she used.
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