Ancrene Riwle

Deliberately seeking seclusion, anchoresses felt that their figurative death to the outside world would allow them to seek God in an undisturbed environment, and carry on a spiritual war within their confines. The “Ancrene Riwle” was written as a handbook for anchoresses and was originally intended for three sisters who chose at a young age to become anchoresses. Written sometime in the thirteenth century, probably between 1225 and 1240 (Hasenfratz), the author of the “Ancrene Riwle” is unknown, but historians have made cases for Simon

The rules in the “Ancrene Riwle” were divided into eight parts, but truly could be categorized into two parts consisting of the rules of the inner self and the rules of the outer self. The first seven rules deal with the inner self, and the eighth and last deal with the outer self, or “how one ought to conduct oneself outwardly: how to eat and drink, dress and sing, sleep and keep vigil” (Ackerman). In the preface to the rules, the author, fond of symbolism and analogies throughout the text, identifies the two rules as a parallel between a lady and her maidservant. The inner rules, said to be the most important of the rules, are the lady, and the outer rules, are the maidservant.

An anchoress was supposed to devote her life to questing for a “smooth” soul. By having a maid, this freed up the anchoress for her daily prayers and devotionals, which brought her closer to God. Without her maid, an anchoress would have to attend to all the detail of running a household (however small). Thus the maid fulfilled a truly vital part of the anchoress’ life when it came to daily assistance and staving off loneliness. Anchoresses were clearly a big influence on their maidservants, as several maids became anchoresses themselves upon the death of their superior (Clay, 145).

The author states, “You should in all ways with all your might and strength guard well the inner and the outer for her sake. The inner is always the same, the outer differs; for each should keep the outer according to the way she can best serve the inner using her”. One could not have a pure soul if their outer self was not being properly cared for as well. The outer self was a means in which to feed the inner self. Moreover, the author writes that an anchoress “should not in any way promise to keep any of the exterior rules as though under a vow” because the outer rules could be tailored to suit each anchoress, but the inner rules could not be changed because “[t]his rule is not of man’s invention but is God’s commandment … she is without change and all ought to hold to her in the same way forever” (Ackerman).

of Ghent, Richard Poor, Gilbert of Sempringham, Robert Bacon, the hermit Godwine, and Brian of Lingen, though “none of these attributions has proved ultimately very convincing” (Hasenfratz). Whoever the author, he writes a series of rules for the anchoresses to follow in their daily lives and quest for a pure soul.

The analogy of the maidservant serving the lady is telling of the late medieval period. The political, economic and social environs were based on an arrangement of homage and reward. The anchoress not only received vital support (homage) from her maidservant in the functions of allowing

Some topics in this essay:
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