Fact vs. Fiction: 7 Myths About St Hildegard von Bingen

herbal medicine Jul 16, 2024
Fact vs. Fiction: 7 Myths About St Hildegard von Bingen

Declared a polymath and widely associated with various products and concepts, what is the truth behind the modern image of Hildegard von Bingen? In this article published in the German Alternative Medicine Journal, medical historians and monastery medicine researchers Johannes G. Mayer and Tobias Niedenthal debunk seven common myths surrounding this remarkable medieval saint.

(Featured image: from the film "Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen")

 

Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179) has now achieved the status of a myth [i.e. a legend]. In the media, in school lessons, on products, in guidebooks, cookery and baking books and PR campaigns – her name can be found everywhere. Whenever we talk about monastic medicine, the abbess cannot be ignored, as she has become the symbolic figure of this era and, moreover, the most famous woman of the Middle Ages in Germany.

A myth does not correspond to reality, but has a historical core of truth. Correcting a myth based on historical facts is almost impossible and perhaps pointless. Nevertheless, it is worth reflecting on some of the myths surrounding Hildegard.

Myth 1: Hildegard, the highly educated woman

If someone has written five books (three visionary texts and two on natural science and medicine) and many letters, composed and written several songs and a musical play, it is obvious that they are a very educated person, especially in the Middle Ages. In fact, Hildegard cared little about what others said and wrote. She almost never quoted, she did not use other books or authorities to support her statements, she did not even refer to the Bible [in her texts]. And - very important - she wrote a very individual Latin that was obviously not trained by reading numerous works.

At the age of about eight, Hildegard was brought up by a noble widow named Uda von Göllheim, along with Jutta von Sponheim, who was twice her age. Between 1108 and 1112, both of them and another young woman were locked in a hermitage in or near the Disibodenberg monastery (Nahe valley). This monastery had only been revived by Benedictine monks in 1108. Hildegard lived in the hermitage until about 1147 and was unable to read many books or maintain many contacts there. When she became head of the hermitage (1136), but especially when she founded her own monastery on the Rupertsberg near Bingen (from 1148), she must have come into contact with many people. Since the Synod of Trier (1147), she was a famous woman who many people were interested in – and she was easy to find. Her monastery was by no means isolated, but almost directly on the banks of the Rhine, where the Nahe flows into the Rhine. On top of that, it was close to Mainz, a political, religious and cultural center of the empire. Hildegard certainly had a lot of contacts, both personally and in writing.

Myth 2: Hildegard, the uneducated woman

In contrast to the myth of Hildegard's high level of education, opposing voices claim that she could not even read or write: "Although she could not read or write, she wrote numerous books in Latin with the help of literate secretaries...".1 Of course, the women learned to read and write in the cloister, but probably even before that. These skills were widespread among noble women, especially in the monastery, and were probably indispensable for the head of a monastery. Two contemporary miniatures show Hildegard writing down a revelation on wax tablets, and a monk then transcribes the text onto parchment in the next room. This is exactly the way books were written at that time: first the text was written on wax tablets, then it could be corrected. Once the text had been finally fixed on the durable parchment, the wax on the tablets was warmed and smoothed out so that they could be written on again.

Conclusion 1: Hildegard, the idiosyncratic thinker

Hildegard could certainly read and write, but she was still not highly educated. She apparently learned a lot through hearsay. This is probably the reason why she did not refer to other literature and did not quote anyone.

MF: Though I agree with the premise, this conclusion does not satisfy me, given that her knowledge of body systems (e.g., liver metabolism and the circulation of the portal vein) far surpassed anyone else's from her era and wouldn't be discovered until centuries later. Furthermore, Hildegard claimed that all her knowledge came to her through Divine visions.2 So, we have only two options: either we take the saint at her word (the more reasonable conclusion), or we assert that she was lying (and remain bewildered at how she acquired such knowledge).

Myth 3: Spelt

“Hildegard von Bingen described spelt beer as a medicinal and tonic,” says a plaque in the Botanical Garden in Graz.3 Today, spelt is almost inseparable from Hildegard. Wherever Hildegard is written on it, it must contain spelt. The abbess did not leave us a single recipe in which spelt flour appears as an ingredient. On the other hand, she sometimes explicitly called for wheat flour or the finest breadcrumbs. Hildegard never mentioned spelt beer either - but she did mention beer, albeit briefly. The chapter on spelt in her work “Physica” (1.5) is, by the way, the shortest and last of the five that she wrote on the types of grain. It is true that she praised this grain very highly: “Spelza optimum granum est et calida, et pinguis et virtuosa est, et suavior aliis granis est.” Translated, this means: “Spelt is the best grain and it is warm, fatty, rich and tastier than other grains.”

Myth 4: Hildegard fasting

Hildegard, like most members of the Benedictine order of her time, valued fasting highly. There is evidence of this in her letters and her work "Liber vitae meritorum". But there is only one statement about what fasting should look like in concrete terms: "You should not overdo fasting." It is simply untrue when a relevant internet portal states: "She developed her own fasting method."4 It also states: "Hildegard fasting or Hildegard juice fasting: This is the most difficult type of Hildegard fasting and should not be carried out for longer than eight to ten days. The only things consumed are spelt coffee, herbal and fennel tea, spelt semolina vegetable soup and fruit juices (grape or apple juice) mixed with fennel tea.”

Hildegard had no fruit juices, no coffee (not even spelt coffee), no spelt semolina vegetable soup and not even fennel tea. Perhaps Hildegard would have even described this type of fasting as “excessive fasting”, because fasting at that time meant eating until you were really full only once a day. According to the Benedictine rule, this meal should be eaten in the late afternoon before sunset. The nuns on Rupertsberg most likely followed this. After her teacher and companion Jutta von Sponheim died prematurely due to overly strict penances, Hildegard was not a fan of excessive self-mortification.

Conclusion 2: No evidence for products and concepts

It is probably more than just a guess: many Hildegard authors do not know the original writings at all or only in tiny excerpts and are also hardly interested in what Hildegard really wrote. So the evidence is almost always missing as to where it should actually be (for example the fasting concepts).

Myth 5: Hildegard's recipes

The "Pharmaceutical Journal", which is fundamentally very concerned with scientific rigor, published a report5 in its 10th issue of 2018 under the title "Hildegard von Bingen - Renaissance of a lifestyle" about a lecture given by Dr. Ilse Zilch-Döpke in the Urania in Berlin. The report states: "The former abbess of a Benedictine monastery recommended, for example, eating a lot of steamed vegetables, but only consuming fish and meat in moderation."

In the "Physica", Hildegard actually discussed some vegetables such as leeks (1.81 and 1.83), onions (1.82), cabbage (1.84) and turnips (1.89), although she did not particularly value the leek varieties. However, steaming was never mentioned. There are no cooking or baking recipes in Hildegard's writings. The numerous specific recipes are all intended as medicines. The following formulation by Dr. Zilch-Döpke is also problematic: "Many recipes in health-conscious cuisine today are based on the cooking instructions from that time." There are no cooking instructions at all from Hildegard's time. Hildegard's baking and cooking books from the last few decades are also free of original Hildegard recipes. That is not to say that the recommendations and recipes in these books are bad, but there is some mislabeling. Dishes such as quince cheeseburgers with chili and coriander, pumpkin salad, chocolate mint cream with cornelian cherries and chicory cream with espresso lack any medieval authenticity.6

Hildegard knew neither chili nor pumpkin nor chocolate mint and certainly not espresso. In her "Physica", Hildegard actually assessed many plants and animals in terms of their usefulness for humans as food and medicine. From this, one can draw certain conclusions for a theory of nutrition. But the abbess did not leave any specific recipes for dishes. The recommendation to "eat fish and meat only in moderation" does not appear either. However, in her "Causae et curae", Hildegard often spoke of how excessive eating, especially of fatty meat, was the cause of many illnesses.

What Hildegard's recipes really looked like

Hildegard von Bingen left behind a whole series of interesting and useful recipes, but most of these are rarely mentioned in publications. That is why the Monastery Medicine Research Group will be publishing a book with these remedies in 2019, in which the production is explained step by step and with photos.

MF: Unfortunately, I have searched in vain for this book. Upon Johannes Mayer's untimely death in 2019, his friend Tobias Niedenthal wrote that Mayer was still working on a St. Hildegard medicine book when he died. Sadly, he left several groundbreaking projects on monastic medicine uncompleted.

From today's perspective, the way in which Hildegard used the plants is unusual: almost never as a tea (only twice in "Causae et curae" and not at all in the "Physica"), but very often as a wine extract, mixed with honey or gently baked with flour and a little liquid. These were the usual medicinal forms of her time. As a rule, Hildegard called for a powder mixture to be made from the dried plants, which was sometimes to be taken directly or sprinkled on bread. Or the mixture was boiled in wine or macerated and drunk or eaten with honey as a lick.

But be careful: It must be pointed out that, according to current knowledge, many of the treatment instructions are toxic. Hildegard recommended eating lily of the valley for skin ulcers and epileptic seizures. Even if lily of the valley leaves are not as poisonous as generally believed, imitation is strongly discouraged.

Myth 6: Hildegard's medicinal plants and recipes

In Hildegard's literature, the medicinal plant Bertram plays a similar role among herbs as spelt does among cereals. Hildegard actually praised this root from the Mediterranean region, but it was not necessarily her favorite plant.

Fennel was definitely one of her favorites, but that seems too banal for Hildegard's marketers. You can't sell books with fennel, although what Hildegard wrote about the aromatic umbelliferous plant is really remarkable: it is said to make people happy, provide pleasant warmth and help with good digestion. It is also said to remove bad mucus and putrefaction in the internal organs as well as bad breath, help to see clearly, ensure good sleep and be helpful as an inhalation for catarrh of the respiratory tract. Hildegard also recommends fennel for stomach pain, swollen testicles, difficult births and as a tonic for healthy and sick people. Many of these uses are understandable even from today's perspective.

It is incomprehensible when rosehip tea is sold as a Hildegard specialty on a relevant website7: "The Benedictine Hildegard von Bingen already knew that rosehip tea strengthens the immune system and can prevent colds. To do this, finely chopped, dried rosehip shells are simmered with a little water for ten minutes and then strained. If you like, you can sweeten the tea with a little honey." In "Physica", Hildegard recommends boiled rosehips for weak stomachs (3.52). However, she does not know of rosehip tea, nor does she recommend the fruits of the dog rose for colds.

Hildegard was obviously familiar with spices from Asia. Ginger, galangal, ginger root, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon are among the preferred ingredients in her remedies. The spice mixture for the Hildegard fortune cookies, which can also be found in numerous variations on the Internet, is actually genuine (4 parts nutmeg, 4 parts cinnamon, 1 part cloves) and comes from the “Physica”. The spelt flour and especially the sugar in the fortune cookie recipes on the Internet are not authentic. The original Hildegard fortune cookies are made with just fine breadcrumbs and a little water (1.21). You should definitely leave out the sugar or replace it with honey if you like it sweet. The spice mixture can also be used to refine tea, coffee or flat red wine.

Little known: Hildegard and the trees

In the third book of the "Physica", Hildegard described the healing effects of some trees in great detail, for example the pear tree (3.2), the nut tree (possibly walnut, 3.3), the peach tree (3.5), the plum (3.7), the sweet chestnut (3.12), the laurel tree (3.15) and the olive tree (3.16). These chapters are considerably more extensive than the chapters on herbs, with the exception of fennel (1.66) and ginger (1.15). Strangely, this major topic only appears in passing in Hildegard's literature - if at all. In Hildegard's case, one can speak of a real tree medicine, similar to her gemstone medicine. The indications she describes are, however, difficult to assess, because there is insufficient knowledge about them either from scientific pharmacy and medicine or from empirical medicine.

Myth 7: Modern theory of disease

Hildegard's medical statements are often described as downright "modern", as in the article in the "Pharmaceutical Journal" already cited. In "Causae et curae" she almost always explained the causes (causae) of illnesses as violations of the (divine) order. The standard is probably the order's rule of Saint Benedict. This applies both to excessive behavior when eating and drinking, but also to moral transgressions and harmful emotions such as anger, envy, greed and uncontrolled sexual behavior. Is that modern?

MF: Indeed, this is the trouble with many of today's commentators on the life and writings of St. Hildegard, which ignore the inconvenient truth of her Catholic faith. As evidenced by her canonization by the Catholic Church, the abbess's beliefs and medical statements were anything but "modern."

In this context, however, the therapy is particularly remarkable, because Hildegard was obviously firmly convinced that her remedies help, although the actual causes are supposed to be of a religious and moral nature. She justified the effect of her remedies exclusively in humoral pathology on the basis of heat and cold. Which, by the way, no other author of her time did in such detail. In this she was very modern: she explained in detail how the individual components of her remedies should work and thus gave an account of her recommendations.

In the "Physica" chapter on chicory (1.60) she recommended a remedy for digestive disorders that consists of chicory, burdock, a little salt and honey. Digestion is stimulated "because the warmth of the chicory and burdock, combined with the power of the salt and honey, relieves and relieves the cold in the stomach that leads to constipation." At first glance, this reasoning is hardly comprehensible. But if you know what cold and warmth mean in humoral pathology, then it becomes clear: Hildegard was definitely at the forefront of her time. Manufacturers of medicines and therapists should take her as a role model.

Not a myth, but simply wrong

The question often arises in connection with Hildegard as to why she, as a woman who knew herbalism, was not condemned as a witch. The answer is simple: because there were no witch burnings in the High Middle Ages. Women who knew herbalism were never systematically persecuted. So this is not a myth, because the historical core of truth is missing, but a misjudgment.

Sources

1 Strehlow W. Hildegard medicine for every day. Introduction. Munich: Knaur; 2014

2 "Through this vision which touches my heart and soul like a burning flame, teaching me profundities of meaning, I have an inward understanding of the Psalter, the Gospels, and other volumes. Nevertheless, I do not receive this knowledge in German. Indeed, I have no formal training at all, for I know how to read only on the most elementary level, certainly with no deep analysis. ... I am untaught and untrained in exterior material, but am only taught inwardly, in my spirit." (Letter of Hildegard von Bingen to Bernard of Clairvaux)

3 seen in autumn 2017, note from Tobias Niedenthal

4 www.mayr-kuren.de

5 Evans J. Hildegard von Bingen: Renaissance of a lifestyle. Pharmaceutical Journal (2018). 163.

6 Heepen GH. Healing knowledge of Hildegard von Bingen: Natural remedies - Nutrition - Gemstones. Munich: GU; 2015

7 www.heilpraxis.de/naturheilpraxis/rote-hagebutten-wahre-vitamin-c-kicks- aus-der-natur-2017O913386943

I'm Mary Fernandez, a Catholic mom of five with a passion for history and ancient remedies.Ā Here at Humble Housewives, I dive intoĀ the world of holy saints and healing plants. WantĀ to stay in the loop about new blog posts?

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