medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Ellis Peters has a great "Brother Cadfael" mystery, "Pilgrim of Hate"
(or title close to it) in which a relic merchant figures prominently
(and hilariously). A body is discovered in the improvised pilgrims'
hall and Cadfael has a junior monk guard the bones, stripped of their
flesh by boiling in vinegar I think, lest they be stolen and passed
off as relics.
As for mummies and Chaucer's Prologue, how sophisticated were folks
in the MA (I know, we're talking almost 1000 years) in human anatomy?
Except for skulls, how easy (or not) would it have been to pass
off "pigges bones" as human? Unless one wanted to claim possession
of the whole body or the head, why purchase a mummy?
Chaucer seems to suggest that "pigges bones" worked fine, at least
for simple folk.
"And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.
But with thise relikes, whan that he fond
A povre person dwellynge upon lond,
Upon a day he gat hym moore moneye
Than that the person gat in monthes tweye"
MG
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