Hadewijch

Albrecht Classen (University of Arizona)

The Literary Encyclopedia. WORLD HISTORY AND IDEAS: A CROSS-CULTURAL VOLUME.

Dates

Born c. 1200
Died c. 1300
Activity c. 1240-c. 1250

Places

Born in Belgium
Active in Belgium

Activities

Primary

Mystic
Poet

Resources

Hadewijch's Works

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We might never be able to figure out completely what mysticism was, a highly intimate, individualistic religious experience in which the individual encountered, being completely awake, the Godhead, a saint, or some other transcendental beings. In other words, mysticism was not the result of a drug-induced vision or revelation; it was not a form of nightmare; and it was not simple fantasy. What we can tell, however, is that, once a mystic received public recognition and began to write down her/his visions, either in prose or in verse (as in the case of Hildegard of Bingen), mostly first in the vernacular, which a learned scribe then rendered into Latin, s/he enjoyed tremendous authority (Marguerite de Porète being a major exception, being burned at the stake in 1310 as an alleged…

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1751 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Hadewijch". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 September 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15284, accessed 23 November 2024.]