“The Swet, Gracious Handes of Oure Moder” : divine and earthly mothering in St. Birgitta of Sweden, Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe

“The Swet, Gracious Handes of Oure Moder”: Divine and Earthly Mothering in St. Birgitta of Sweden, Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe Like the major part of medieval devotional culture since the thirteenth century, medieval visionary writing was fascinated by the physical and emotional aspects of Mary’s motherhood. Striking depictions of these, as well as of Christ as a mother, can be found in the works of three near-contemporary female visionaries: St. Birgitta of Sweden (1303-1373), noblewoman, pilgrim and mother of eight, Julian of Norwich (1342- after 1416), anchoress, vernacular theologian and first known English woman writer, and Margery Kempe (c. 1373 - after 1439), businesswoman, pilgrim and mother of thirteen. Birgitta, Julian and Margery not only explore the mothering by the Mother of God and (as Julian writes) “God oure moder”, (self)-representations of earthly mothers and children occur throughout their texts as well. In this paper I discuss the unique yet interacting forms of what of Liz Herbert McAvoy calls the “motherhood matrix” (64) in these three medieval mystics’ texts, focusing on physical acts of mothering such as giving birth, swaddling a newborn, breastfeeding, chastising, and washing. I argue that in their self-representation as and depiction of earthly mothers and children, each seeks to emulate divine motherhood and childhood in a distinct manner closely linked to their larger themes regarding self, body and God: Julian’s theme of mutual indwelling of God and mankind, Margery’s physical appropriation of Christ’s and Mary’s body, and Birgitta’s theme of the inscription of Mary’s sensations on her own body. Furthermore, Birgitta’s Liber Celestis being well-known in late-fourteenth- and early-fifteenth-century England, the dialogue between these three motherhood matrices will be addressed. Finally, I show that depicting themselves as similar in body and actions to the Mother of God and God our Mother allows Birgitta, Julian and Margery to create texts with both theological authority and strong narrative agency. Work cited: Herbert McAvoy, Liz. Authority and the Female Body in the Writings of Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2004. Print.