Sexual Sin in Orderic Vitalis's Historia Ecclesiastica: Performative Purgation in the Penitential Parade

Abstract

Abstract:

Orderic Vitalis's 'Historia Ecclesiastica' is an important source for scholars of the Norman demesne in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. The 'Historia' is a chronicle of the history of Normandy, but also details social mores and customs. The 'Historia' also contains wonder tales, and one of these is the focus of this article—the narrative of 'Herlechin's Hunt'. This article addresses a key element of the symbolism of the story that has been largely overlooked by modern scholarship. In doing so, it argues that the narrative is as much about illicit sex and the sexual mores of the monks of Saint-Évroul as it is about anger and violence, as it has traditionally been understood.