Infernal Imagery in Anglo-Saxon Charters PDF
Preview Infernal Imagery in Anglo-Saxon Charters
INFERNAL IMAGERY IN ANGLO-SAXON CHARTERS Petra Hofmann A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St. Andrews 2008 Full metadata for this item is available in the St Andrews Digital Research Repository at: https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/498 This item is protected by original copyright Infernal Imagery in Anglo-Saxon Charters Petra Hofmann Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of English University of St Andrews 2008 ABSTRACT This doctoral dissertation analyses depictions of hell in sanctions, i.e. threats of punishments in Anglo-Saxon charters. I am arguing that an innovative use of sanctions as pastoral and ideological instruments effected the peak of infernal imagery in the sanctions of tenth-century royal diplomas. Belonging to the genre of ritual curses, Anglo-Saxon sanctions contain the three standard ecclesiastical curses (excommunication, anathema and damnation). It cannot be established if other requirements of ritual cursing (authoritative personnel, setting and gestures) were fulfilled. A lack of evidence, together with indications of more secular punishments, suggests that sanctions were not used as legal instruments. Their pastoral function is proposed by frightening depictions of hell and the devil, as fear is an important means of achieving salvation in biblical, homiletic and theological writings available or produced in Anglo-Saxon England. The use of the infernal motifs of Hell as a Kitchen,Satanas theMouthofHell andwingeddemons insanctions arediscussedin detail. Sanctions frequently contain the overtly didactic and pastoral device of the exemplum. Notorious sinners believed to be damned in hell (e.g. Judas) are presented as negative exempla in sanctions to deter people from transgressing against charters. The repeated use of terms from classical mythology for depicting hell in Anglo- Saxon sanctions appears to correlate with the preference for hermeneutic Latin by tenth-century monastic reformers. The reasons for employing classical mythological terminology seem to agree with those suggested for the use of hermeneutic Latin (intellectual snobbery and raising the stylistic register), and glossaries constitute the main source of both types of Latinity. The sanctions of the Refoundation Charter of New Minster, Winchester, which is known to displaythe ‘ruler theology’ propagated by the monastic reform, are examined in their textual contexts with regard to the observations madeinthe earlierparts ofthis dissertation. I, Petra Hofmann, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 73,985 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by meandthat it has not beensubmittedinanyprevious applicationforahigherdegree. 24.01.2008 Date Signature I was admitted as a research student in September 2004 and as a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophyin September 2005; the higher studyfor which this is arecordwas carriedout in theUniversityofSt Andrews between2004and 2008. 24.01.2008 Date Signature I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. 24.01.2008 Date SignatureofSupervisor In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews I understand that I am giving permission for it to be available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. I also understand that the title and abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work baybe made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. I have obtained anythird-partycopyright permissions that maybe required in order to allow suchaccess andmigration. Date Signature INFERNAL IMAGERYINANGLO-SAXONCHARTERS VolumeI Acknowledgements i-ii Abbreviations iii-xi Introduction 1-27 1.TheGenreofSanctions 28-56 2.TheDevil inHell 57-96 3.TheDamnedinHell 97-125 4. Infernal Imageryand Classical Mythology 126-159 5.TheRefoundationCharterofNewMinster,Winchester 160-210 Conclusion 211-217 Bibliography 218-242 VolumeII IntroductiontotheAppendices 243-246 Appendix 1: SanctionFormulas of LatinCharters 247-281 Appendix 2: Unique LatinSanctions 282-325 Appendix 3: Sanctions ofOldEnglish Charters 326-330 Appendix 4: Latin and Old English Sanctions of Charters Extant in 331-337 Latinand OldEnglish Appendix 5: MotifIndex ofSanctions ofAnglo-SaxonCharters 338-401 Acknowledgements i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Doctoral research in the Geisteswissenschaften often appears to be a very lonely activity, largely performed only in the company of (often dusty) books, pen and paper and, nowadays, the conveniently and at the same time frustratingly indispensable computer. In reality, however, it is an activitythat needs the support of family, friends and fellow-scholars to see it through. Hence, I would like to thank the people who encouraged me along the way and made sure this work did not find an earlyend. First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents without whom this dissertation, andthedoctoral degreeit will hopefullyentail,would neverhavebeenpossible.Next to their unbelievable financial support, theywere ever patient when things did not go as planned or took much longer than anticipated until all hurdles and setbacks were finallytaken. I would also like to thank my supervisor Dr Christine Rauer for all her academic support and advice not only with respect to this dissertation, but also to all other professional tasks that come with striving for a PhD. I was lucky to have such a dedicatedsupervisorwho was everreadytohelp mepromptlyand effectively. I am also very grateful for the invaluable support in academic and professional matters that Ireceived from Dr IanJohnson, mysecondsupervisor. Furtherthanks go to Dr Catherine Cubitt, who was so kind as to let me read an article of hers on Archbishop Dunstan prior to publication, and to Dr Eric Stoddart for sharing his Acknowledgements ii expertise on contemporary beliefs in hell. For advice concerning the often peculiar Anglo-Latintexts, IthankDrRegineMayandDr Niels Bohnert. As a successful PhD is more than just writing a doctoral dissertation, I would like to thank Dr Kees Dekker, Dr Rolf Bremmer and Dr Thomas Hall for giving me the opportunity to broaden my knowledge and skills by letting me write a first publication for the Sources of Anglo-Saxon Literary Culture series. Further thanks go toProfessorEmeritus William Nietmann forhis good advice concerningthesubleties ofresearchproposals. Of course, moral support is just as important for a PhD as academic and professional support. I feel touched by the friendships experienced during the stressful previous three years. I would thus like to use this opportunity to thank Nadine Quenouille, Eshani Ruwanpura, Evelyn Lehmann and Regine May. I would also like to thank my brother Stefan Hofmann, who was always there with good advice and help when I neededit,eventhoughhewas inthemidst ofcompletinghis architectural project. Abbreviations iii ABBREVIATIONS I.Periodicals II. PublicationSeries III. ReferenceWorks IV.CharterEditions V.Homilies VI.Glosses andGlossaries VII.OnlineTools VIII.Miscellaneous Abbreviations I. PERIODICALS ANQ AmericanNotes andQueries ANS Anglo-NormanStudies ASE Anglo-SaxonEngland ASNSL Archivfür das Studiumder neuerenSprachenund Literaturen ASSAH Anglo-SaxonStudies inArchaeologyandHistory CCM Cahiers decivilisationmédiévale EHR English Historical Review ELN English LanguageNotes EME EarlyMedieval Europe ES English Studies FS FrühmittelalterlicheStudien JEGP Journal of English andGermanicPhilology JEH Journal of Ecclesiastical History JTS Journal of Theological Studies MÆ MediumÆvum MP Modern Philology NM NeuphilologischeMitteilungen N&Q Notes &Queries PMLA Publications of theModern LanguageAssociationof America PQ Philological Quarterly Abbreviations iv RB Revuebénédictine RES Review of English Studies SettSpol Settimane di studio del Centro italiano di studi sull’ alto medioevo (Spoleto) SM Studi Medievali SP Studies inPhilology TRHS Transactions of theRoyal Historical Society II. PUBLICATIONSERIES AS Charters Anglo-SaxonCharters ASPR Anglo-SaxonPoeticRecords CCSL Corpus Christianorum,Series Latina CSASE CambridgeStudies inAnglo-SaxonEngland CSEL Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum EEMF EarlyEnglish Manuscripts inFacsimile EETS EarlyEnglish Text Society MGHAuct.antiq. MonumentaGermaniae Historica,Auctores antiquissimi MGHEpist. MonumentaGermaniae Historica,Epistolaeaevi Carolini MGHSS MonumentaGermaniae Historica,Scriptores PL Patrologia Latina, ed. J.-P. Migne, 221 vols. (Paris, 1844- 64) III. REFERENCE WORKS1 BEASE The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England, ed. Lapidgeet al. Bosworth&TollerSuppl. An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (Supplement edition from 1921) 1Forcompletebibliographicalreferences,seebelow,pp.240-1.
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