Dear Medieval-R,
Heloise's remarks about women and drink have made me wonder about
drunken women in medieval literature. In Exeter Book Riddle 12, a woman
is described as "druncmennen," usually translated as "drunken
maid-servant" or "drunken slave woman." (This is the only appearance of
the word "druncmennen" in the OE corpus.) Perhaps Heloise's opinion was
widely held? As far as I can remember, there are no other drunken women
in OE literature.
I would appreciate very much hearing from anyone who has run across
other drunken women, especially in Anglo-Saxon literature but also any
other medieval literature.
Bill East wrote:
. . . .
> [Heloise] points out that, as everybody knows, it is practically impossible for a
> woman to get drunk. She cites Macrobius and Aristotle as authorities for
> this statement. This is because women's bodies have more holes than men's.
> 'Through these holes the fumes of wine are quickly released.'
Thanks -
Nina Rulon-Miller
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