Margareta Ebner

Albrecht Classen (University of Arizona)

A-A A+

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

Born c. 1291
Died 6 Jun 1351
Activity 1312-1348

Places

Born in Germany
Active in Germany

Activities

Primary

Mystic/ Saint
Religious writer

Resources

Ebner's Works

Save to Bookshelf

In the late Middle Ages, an increasing number of monastic women found ways to express themselves very personally through writing. Many of them were mystically inspired, and if they gained the right support, they were publicly recognized as God’s mouthpieces. At times, this mystical experience turned into a catalyst for spiritually inspired friendship and companionship between a male confessor and the female visionary. By way of recording the visions, she could turn into the center of wider circles of like-minded religionists. Famous mystics such as Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Birgitta of Sweden, or Dorothea of Montau enjoyed international respect and turned into authors of highly popular texts.

One of them was Margareta Ebner (ca. 1291-June 6, 1351), daughter of a wealthy

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

986 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Margareta Ebner". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 February 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15383, accessed 29 March 2025.]