medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On Mon, 15 Mar 2004, MP Bryant-Quinn wrote:
>
> There is a consistent tradition in 15th century Welsh religious verse that
> the Crown of Thorns was made from what in Welsh is called ysbaddaden, namely
> `whitethorn' or `hawthorn'
> Does anyone know of any parallels?
'Mandeville' (or at least some subset of Mandeville)
describes no less than four thorny crowns, the first
of white thorn (hawthorn, albespine), the second of
'Barbarynes' [barberry?], the third of 'Eglentier', and the
last and most sacred, of 'jonkes of the sea'
[i.e. 'rushes', thorny seaweed?].
E.g. in the Middle English version in Titus C.16
(ed. Hamelius, EETS 153 (1919), pp. 8-9):
(1) Oure lord Ihesu in that nyght that he was taken he was
ylad in to a gardyn and there he was first examyned right
scharply and there the Jewes scorned him and maden him a
**crowne of the braunches of Albespyne, that is white thorn,**
that grew in that same gardyn and setten it on his
heued so faste and so sore that the blood ran down...
And therfore hath the white thorn many vertues. For he that
bereth A braunche on him thereoffe no thonder ne
no maner of tempest may dere him ne in the hows that it
is inne may non euyll gost entre ne come vnto the
place that it is inne.
...
(2) Afterward was oure lord lad forth before the Bisschoppes ...
and there also he was examnyned repreued and scorned and
crouned eft with a swete thorn that men clepeth Barbarynes
that grew in that gardyn and that hath also manye vertues.
(3) And afterward he was lad into a gardyn of Cayphas and there
he was crouned with Eglentier.
(4) And after he was lad into the chambre of Pylate and there
he was examyd and crouned And the Jewes setten him in a
chayere and cladde him in a mantell and there made thei
the croune of jonkes of the see ... and of this croune
half is at Parys and the other half at Costantynoble. And
this croune had crist on his heued whan he was don vpon
the cros and therfore oughte men to ... holde it more
worthi than ony of the othere.
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Paul Schaffner | [log in to unmask] | http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pfs/
316 Hatcher Library N, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 48109-1205
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