medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Camille is right, at least for some parts of medieval culture. In some
regions there are stories of certain dead bodies coming back to life as long
as there is flesh on the bones. These usually may be characterised as
"popular" stories, and many of them come from the British Isles.
I can think of at least 3 instances from the [English/Scottish] Border
Ballads which tell of communication between the living and the dead, though
it is not always clear if it is a ghost or an animated corpse. The full
texts can be found in Child and in Scott.
One concerns a girl whose body is dragged out of the millpond by her
brothers. They keep a wake and at midnight they demand of the dead body who
murdered her - she answers: her lover. They then ask what they shall do to
him - behead him or hang him or blind him ? The corpse replies that
beheading and hanging is out but they are to blind him and have him led
about by a servant on a green halter, and every seven years taken to the
milldam to do penance for his sin.
Another concerns another pair of lovers: the man is murdered by the girl's
brothers when they are caught in bed together. After the funeral, the man's
ghost (or corpse) comes to stand at the girl's window asking to be released
from his vows of love towards her. She reluctantly gives this but follows
him back to his grave, asking when she gets there if there is any room for
her beside him (no) then what is the fate of women who die in childbirth
(they have serious privileges in Heaven) and finally may she have a kiss
(warning, his kiss is corrupt and will shorten her life)
A variation on the above (for which I can't find the reference at the
moment) concerns a girl who goes weeping to her lover's grave on the
anniversary of his death. The dead man speaks to her complaining that her
tears are disturbing him; she asks if she may join him, or at least have a
kiss. His reply is like the above, that the kiss will be foul and will
shorten her life. It ends with the corpse exhorting her to go away and live
out her allotted span.
Most Border Ballads were written down in the 18th/19th century but in ethos
&c are far older: 16th C or earlier.
Brenda M. C.
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