19 Comments
User's avatar
Lotte's avatar

This is an amazing piece thankyou for writing it. I’m blown away, I’d never heard these stories before and they’ve really inspired me 💛

15thCenturyFeminist's avatar

Thank you so much for spending your time with it, I am so grateful! 💜 The way medieval mystics really challenged the domination of the medieval church is quite beautiful -- I really want to focus on it in a future piece. To see the domination and to risk everything by calling it out is brave beyond measure!

(also please excuse the double notif! I hadn't realized I was logged into my personal account to monitor for troll comments when I replied initially)

Lotte's avatar

I would love to read that! I have always been really interested in this area of history! Thanks for your reply :)

Krishna Kayastha's avatar

This was absolutely intriguing and I love hearing about women who were fighting against this bullshit from the get. Sometimes we get so caught up in "solutions" that we forget we don't have to re-invent the wheel.

15thCenturyFeminist's avatar

Krishna, thank you for such a wonderful note and for the time spent with my words! I am so grateful. 💜 I often argue that is exactly why women's history is minimized and erased, it keeps us busy re-inventing a wheel as opposed to moving forward into a better tomorrow. Our collective dignity, our collective power, has been hidden from us, but it has always been there!! Thank you for seeing it.

v 🌸🌀👒🍀🍎⭐️'s avatar

brilliant work!

katsden's avatar

🙏

Stuart Anderson's avatar

Very interesting! Just full of good research and analysis, and one of the most substantive pieces I've seen on substack. Thank you!

On the denial of literacy to women:

When you see a heavily guarded gate, that is where the weakness of the system lies. That is the gate you must storm. It is the one that leads to freedom.

(Yes, I know everyone here already knows this; it's nothing but a truism, but I felt compelled to say it anyway, because some things just demand to be shouted. I'm sure you know the feeling.)

15thCenturyFeminist's avatar

I absolutely know this feeling! Thank you so much for spending such thoughtful time with my words, Stuart. I am so grateful!

And you are so right - the thing I feel I’m always shouting: “this is not natural, this is nurtured!!”

Thank you again for the time spent!

Persephone in the Garden's avatar

I cried multiple times reading this. I’m so grateful to you for your efforts to bring these stories together. I feel a renewed respect for the individual and community action it takes to preserve a woman’s story. I’m excited to read the works you recommended at the end.

15thCenturyFeminist's avatar

Oh my goodness, what an honor to have someone sit with my words so openly! Thank you so much for witnessing these women and uplifting my words, I’m grateful 💜

Joe 𐊐𐊁𐊕𐊆𐊓𐊁's avatar

I absolutely adore that opening quote

15thCenturyFeminist's avatar

Right? So good. Medieval inscriptions are so lack luster compared to early modern. They usually just include a signature and personal motto, I much prefer Eleanor's approach!

Joe 𐊐𐊁𐊕𐊆𐊓𐊁's avatar

Or I guess poem. A coole poem to wryte in a’booke.

Hans Jorgensen's avatar

This is fire. I especially appreciated the Hildegard story for the courage and daring.

15thCenturyFeminist's avatar

Thank you! I was happy to revisit these women and their words. Made me realize I miss writing a more personal essay from time to time.

Sheila (of Ephemera)'s avatar

Brilliant! Thank you for this!

15thCenturyFeminist's avatar

Thank you for spending your time with my words, Sheila! 💜