WINGED WORDS WINDSDAY
Compiled & Edited by Rob Chappell
(@RHCLambengolmo)
Vol. 2, No. 21: March 22, 2023
Twelve Sibyls Plus One
Editor’s Introduction
The Sibyls were an ancient order
of visionary women who served their people as prophets and sages. Sibyls were
active in Africa, Asia, and Europe from prehistoric times until the end of
Classical antiquity around 500 CE. Their oracles were written down, translated,
and interpreted from one generation to the next, and prominent leaders would
often consult the Sibylline books before making critical decisions. According
to traditional sources, there were twelve lineages of Sibyls, who passed on their
knowledge, wisdom, and prophetic mantles from teacher to disciple.
When Classical antiquity passed
away, the memory of the Sibyls lingered among scholars and scribes, and they
were held to be the equals of the Hebrew prophets by many eminent authorities
in the Abrahamic family of religions. During the 12th century
Renaissance, the ”Sibyl of the Rhine” arose to take up the mantle of the
Western visionary tradition in Germany – St. Hildegard of Bingen, a true
polymath who brought a message of hope, insight, and numinosity through her
voluminous writings and musical compositions.
In this week’s edition, I will
be showcasing the ancient Sibyls and their medieval successor, Hildegard, as we
celebrate Women’s History Month.
Excerpt from the Preface to the Sibylline Oracles (5th
Century CE)
Sibyl is a Latin word meaning
prophetess, or rather soothsayer; hence the female soothsayers were called by
one name. Now Sibyls, according to many writers, have arisen in different times
and places, to the number of ten. There was first the Chaldean, or rather the
Persian (Sibyl), whose proper name is Sambethe. She was of the family of the
most blessed Noah, and is said to have foretold the exploits of Alexander of
Macedon; Nicanor, who wrote the life of Alexander, mentions her. The second was
the Libyan, of whom Euripides makes mention in the preface of (his play) the
Lamia. The third was the Delphian, born at Delphi, and spoken of by Chrysippus
in his book on divination. The fourth was the Italian, in Cimmerium in Italy,
whose son Evander founded in Rome the shrine of Pan which is called the
Lupercal. The fifth was the Erythræan, who predicted the Trojan war, and of
whom Apollodorus the Erythræan bears positive testimony. The sixth was the
Samian, whose proper name is Phyto, of whom Eratosthenes wrote. The seventh was
the Cumaean, called Amalthea, also Herophile, and in some places Taraxandra.
But Vergil calls the Cumaean Sibyl Deiphobe, daughter of Glaucus. The eighth
was the Hellespontine, born in the village of Marpessus near the small town of
Gergithion, which, according to Heraclides of Pontus, was formerly, in the time
of Solon and Cyrus, within the boundaries of the Troad. The ninth was the
Phrygian, and the tenth the Tiburtine, named Albunæa.
It is said, moreover, that the
Cumæan Sibyl once brought nine books of her oracles to Tarquinius Priscus, who
was at that time King of the Romans, and demanded for them three hundred pieces
of gold. But having been disdain fully treated, and not even questioned as to
what they were, she committed three of them to the fire. Again, in another
audience with the king she brought forward the six remaining books, and still
demanded the same amount. But not being deemed worthy of attention, again she
burned three more. Then a third time bringing the three that were left, and
asking the same price, she said that if he would not procure them, she would
burn these also. Then, it is said, the king examined them and was astonished,
and gave for them a hundred pieces of gold, took them in charge and made
request for the others. But she declared that neither had she the like of those
that were burned nor had she any such knowledge apart from inspiration, but
that certain persons from various cities and countries had at times excerpted
what was esteemed by them necessary and useful, and that out of these excerpts
a collection ought to be made. And this (the Romans) did as quickly as
possible. For that which was given from God, though truly laid up in a corner,
did not escape their search. And the books of all the Sibyls were deposited in
the Capitol of ancient Rome. Those of the Cumæan Sibyl, however, were hidden
and not made known to many, because she proclaimed more especially and
distinctly things that were to happen in Italy, while the others became known
to all. But those that were written by the Erythræan Sibyl have the name that was
given her from the place; while the other books are without inscription to mark
who is the author of each, but are without distinction (of authorship).
“Sibyl”
By John Howard Payne (1791-1852)
This is the
glamor of the world antique:
The
thyme-scents of Hymettus fill the air,
And in the
grass narcissus-cups are fair.
The full
brook wanders through the ferns to seek
The amber
haunts of bees; and on the peak
Of the soft
hill, against the gold-marged sky,
She stands,
a dream from out the days gone by.
Entreat her
not. Indeed, she will not speak!
Her eyes are
full of dreams; and in her ears
There is the
rustle of immortal wings;
And ever and
anon the slow breeze bears
The mystic
murmur of the songs she sings.
Entreat her
not: she sees thee not, nor hears
Aught but
the sights and sounds of bygone springs.
Hildegard of Bingen (left)
dictates to her scribe, Volmar (right), while her head is engulfed in the
flames of visionary insight. Hildegard was a natural philosopher,
pharmacologist, musician, and artist who disseminated her teachings about viriditas through her extensive Latin
writings, which included scientific and medical treatises. (Image Credit:
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179): Visionary Scientist of the
High Middle Ages
Adapted & Condensed from a Presentation by the Editor on
11/29/2015
On October 7, 2012, Pope
Benedict XVI formally canonized and declared Hildegard of Bingen a “Doctor of
the Universal Church” -- that is, a preeminent teacher of the Christian
tradition whose exemplary life, ministry, and writings continue to inspire
people today, over 900 years after her birth. This is an honor that is long
overdue and richly deserved. Hildegard, through her music and books and
artwork, can inspire us to rejoice in and be good stewards of all creation,
encourage young women to pursue careers in theological, scientific, and medical
fields of study, and remind all of us to work for justice and peace, especially
for those who dwell on the margins of our society.
Hildegard was the tenth child of
a noble family who was “tithed” to the Church at the age of eight. Already
gifted with a keen mind, a kind heart, and a visionary imagination, she was
taught by Jutta (her distant cousin), a learned anchoress who had the gift of
healing. Jutta gathered around herself a community of Benedictine nuns, and at
her death, the mantle of their leadership fell to her brilliant student,
Hildegard.
Hildegard had learned at an
early age to keep her visionary experiences to herself, after realizing that
most people cannot see into the spiritual world and behold visions of angels
and feel the ebbing and flowing of divine “uncreated energies of love” that
vivify and sustain the Universe. However, a midlife crisis in her early forties
caused her to yield to the well of inspiration bursting forth from her soul,
and so she began to write books and create stunning works of art that were
based on her experiences with the Living Light (one of her favorite titles for
God). Major themes in Hildegard’s musical compositions and voluminous writings
included Sophia (the Divine Wisdom), the goodness of the created world, viriditas, and the history of salvation.
Hildegard was a true polymath,
writing books on pharmacology, natural science, cosmology, and medicine. Her
theological treatises were firmly grounded in her visionary experiences and
were copiously illustrated with amazing representations of the divine pictures
that she beheld with the eyes of her heart. She invented a new language
(complete with an original alphabet) to communicate with her nuns at the abbey
and with her friends who lived far away.
Hildegard composed music for the
nuns of her abbey to sing -- haunting polyphonic hymns that are still performed
today (in Latin!). She preached in public and wrote letters to kings, emperors,
and popes, denouncing corruption in high places and urging charity toward
“heretics” and other disenfranchised members of society.
One concept that runs like an
emerald thread through Hildegard’s writings is viriditas
(the medieval Latin word for “greenness”). Some natural philosophers of
medieval Europe had postulated that there was some mysterious “greenifying”
power at work in Nature that revivified the world each year as the Sun crossed
the equator on its way northward at the March Equinox. This “greenifying” power
– by whatever names it might be called in various times and climes – inspired
reverential awe in peoples of the ancient world, for it was regarded as a
divine attribute. Hildegard called this “greenifying” power of Nature viriditas. She reasoned that this power
was present in all living things, causing them to grow, flourish, and reproduce
like plants in springtime.
Viriditas
was celebrated by Hildegard in this poem from her Symphonia, a
collection of innovative polyphonic music (with an English translation by
R.H.C.):
O
nobilissima Viriditas, quae
radicas in Sole,
Et quae in
candida serenitate luces in rota,
Quam nulla
terrena excellentia comprehendis!
Tu
circumdata es amplexibus divinorum mysteriorum.
Tu rubes ut
Aurora et ardes ut Solis flamma.
O very noble
Greenness, you are rooted in the Sun,
And you
shine in bright serenity in a circle
That no
terrestrial excellence comprehends!
You are
enclosed by the embrace of divine mysteries.
You blush
like the Dawn and burn like a flame of the Sun.
In these
Latin verses, Hildegard identifies the source of viriditas
as something “rooted in the Sun” – that is, in the energy radiating from our
parent star that makes life possible on Earth. In modern scientific terms, we
would say that solar radiation is the catalyst for photosynthesis in green
plants, which form the base of the food chain. Viriditas is
therefore a truly divine mystery – one of the divine “uncreated energies of
love” that communicates life and light to all creation.
This illumination from
Hildegard’s book Scivias (Know the Ways) is a “map” of the
Universe as she understood it. Notice the “greenness” that encircles the
spherical Earth in the center and the viriditas
sprouting forth from the stars. (Image Credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia
Commons)
“Sybil”
By Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910)
Your head is
wild with books, Sybil,
But your
heart is good and kind—
I feel a new
contentment near you,
A pleasure
of the mind.
Glad should
I be to sit beside you,
And let long
hours glide by,
Reading,
through all your sweet narrations,
The language
of your eye.
Since the
maternal saint I worshipped
Did look and
love her last,
No woman
o’er my wayward spirit
Such gentle
spell has cast.
Oh! tell me
of your varied fortunes,
For you know
not, from your face
Looks out
strange sadness, lit with rapture,
And
melancholy grace.
You are a
gem, whose native brilliance
Could never
wholly reign,
An opal,
whose prismatic fire
A white
cloud doth restrain.
And thus,
the mood to which you move me
Is never
perfect, quite,
‘Tis pity,
wonderment, and pleasure,
Opacity and
light.
Bear me then
in your presence, Sybil,
And leave
your hand in mine,
For, though
human be my nature,
You’ve made
it half divine.
Webliography
·
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viriditas (Viriditas)
·
http://www.hildegard.org/ (Index Page
of Hildegardian Resources on the Internet)
·
https://classicalwisdom.com/mythology/sibyl-cumae/ à The Sibyl of Cumae, Italy
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