Saints and Sinners: Saints, Demons, and Constructions of Agender Identity in the Later Middle Ages

Sainthood entails performance — of holiness, of spiritual virtue, of connection to the divine. It also entails the performance of gender. Using Judith Butler’s theory of gender performance, this thesis, focusing on the thirteenth century, examines the hagiographies of six saints — St Margaret, St Juliana, St Martin, St George, St Francis of Assisi, and Christina Mirabilis — to argue their hagiographers construct them performing multiple gender states, regardless of their assigned sexes. Additionally, it examines St Michael Archangel to suggest medieval hagiographers could have understood through him that saintly gender performance need not depend on assigned sex, St Michael being without gender or sex of his own. To contextualise these hagiographical works, it examines medical, natural philosophical, and theological discussions of human, angelic, and demonic gender, which changed significantly in the period, arguing they offered hagiographers conceptions of gender variance. Ultimately, this thesis argues saints were constructed separating from human gender entirely as they moved to a heavenly state. Male saints are not automatically masculine, nor are female saints automatically feminine; all saints have the potential for separation from gender. It thus speaks to the growing field of trans, intersex, and non-binary history, focusing on a broad spread of both ‘male’ and ‘female’ saints. Demons, too, are vital for the performance of sainthood. The thwarting of Satan and his followers was a mark of spiritual progress, and of saintly power over the forces of Hell. Demons are also vital for the saints’ gender performances. Through an analysis of the saints’ demonic encounters in their vitae, this thesis argues demons serve as key facilitators of saintly gender performance. As fluidly-gendered entities, demons offer gender performances against which the saints’ own performances can be constructed. Understanding their role in saintly gender construction increases our own understanding of the saints and their gender.<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• Verity Bruce (21041396)

• Saints
• Demons
• Gender
• Non-binary
• Hagiography
• Angels

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved
• Embargoed

Identifier

10779/exe.31900717.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/31900717