medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
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> Dear Stella -
The Capitula negotiated between Charlemagne and his son Pippin with the Italian bishops contains a very confusingly worded clause about a practice apparently associated with the winter solstice:
"Concerning those wicked med who honour (or keep?) the brunaticus, and who burn candles beneath the maida, and make vows cvoncerning their own men: that they should indeed remove therm from such iniquity; but if they want to offer bread to the church, let them do so in a natural fashion, not with an admixture of any of that wickedness." (Monumenta Germaniae Historica Cap. Reg. Francorum 1, 202).
Du Cange was almost certainly wrong that maida was related to the ancient Gaulish custom of placing wood or wax models of human limbs at the crossroads. The more probable meaning is breadtrough from the Latin magis, -idis (see Fr. Diez, Etymologisches Woerterbuch der romanischen Sprachen, n. 4980). Cf. the modern Italian madia (kneading-trough, bread-bin).
I don't know if this helps you, but your question is of immense interest to you.
Bernadette
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> Finally, in the c11-12th century Statute of Vladimir, 'praying under the
> corn-drying bin' is listed as one of the offences that the Church Courts
> are to judge. I suspect that rather than reflecting actual practice in
> early Rus, this is a prohibition taken from the Nomocanon, but I can't
> track it down. Any ideas? Are there other European Christian cultures in
> which this is recorded as a problem?
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> Many thanks in advance,
>
> Stella
>
>
> *****************************************
> Dr Stella Rock
> Research Fellow
> Arts B
> University of Sussex
> Brighton BN1 9QL
> Tel: 01273 678837
> Fax: 01273 877174
> Email:[log in to unmask]
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