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IMC 2008: Sessions

Session 614: The Saint, the Natural, and the Supernatural World, II: Female Saints and Miracles in Hagiographical Tradition

Tuesday 8 July 2008, 11.15-12.45

Sponsor:Hagiography Society
Organisers:Ulla Bucarey, Universität Augsburg
Christian Krötzl, School of Social Sciences & Humanities, History & Philosophy, University of Tampere
Moderator/Chair:Christian Krötzl, School of Social Sciences & Humanities, History & Philosophy, University of Tampere
Paper 614-aHoly Violence: Crime and Punishment in the Miracles of St Thecla
(Language: English)
Stavroula Constantinou, Department of Byzantine & Modern Greek Studies, University of Cyprus, Nicosia
Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Hagiography, Women's Studies
Paper 614-bWhen One Dress is Plenty: Garment Miracles and Clothing Exchanges in Female Saints' Lives
(Language: English)
Undine Brückner, St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford
Index terms: Hagiography, Language and Literature - German, Women's Studies
Paper 614-cExplaining the Unexplainable: Interpretation of Miracles and Signs in Late Medieval Female Saints' Lives
(Language: English)
Ulla Bucarey, Universität Augsburg
Index terms: Hagiography, Language and Literature - German, Women's Studies
Abstract

This session gives insight into the impact and meaning of signs and miracles in female saints legends. From early tradition on virgin martyrs played a crucial role in hagiographical tradition, and their violent persecution was often described in horrifying details. Although women were considered to be inferior to men, female saints seem to have a special supernatual power male saints don't have. The session will show examples of the early Byzantine tradition as well as late medieval German tradition, and thus present quite different aspects of female saints and the supernatural world.