Lady riding in negligee. Lady Godiva. Legend and real history. See what "Lady Godiva" is in other dictionaries
Legend
According to legend, Godiva was the beautiful wife of Count Leofric. The count's subjects suffered from exorbitant taxes, and Godiva begged her husband to reduce the tax burden. Once at another feast, being very drunk, Leofric promised to reduce taxes if his wife rode naked on a horse through the streets of Coventry. He was sure that this condition would be completely unacceptable to her. However, Godiva still took this step. The residents of the city, loving and respecting her very much for her kindness, closed the shutters and doors of their houses on the appointed day; no one went out into the street. So she drove through the entire city unnoticed.
The count was amazed by the woman’s dedication and, keeping his word, lowered taxes.
According to some versions of the legend, only one resident of the city, “Peeping Tom,” decided to look out of the window and at the same moment became blind.
Real characters
Most likely, this legend has little connection with real events. The lives of Leofric and Godiva are described in detail in chronicles preserved in England. It is known that Leofric built a Benedictine monastery in 1043, which overnight transformed Coventry from a small settlement into the fourth largest medieval English city. Leofric endowed the monastery with land and gave the monastery twenty-four villages, and Lady Godiva donated such an amount of gold, silver and precious stones that no monastery in England could compare with it in wealth. Godiva was very pious and after the death of her husband, while on his deathbed, she transferred all his possessions to the church. Count Leofric and Lady Godiva were buried in this monastery.
However, the chronicles are silent about the events described in the legend.
The story of the naked horsewoman was first mentioned by the envious man of Coventry's fame and fortune - the monk of the monastery of St. Alban, Roger Wendrover, in 1188, and according to his words, the events took place on July 10, 1040. Subsequently, popular rumor only supplemented this legend. Later in the 13th century, King Edward I wanted to find out the truth about this legend. A study of the chronicles confirmed that in Coventry, starting from 1057, no tax was actually levied, but the period of 17 years clearly does not speak in favor of the reality of the events described in the legend.
The detail about “Peeping Tom”, according to some sources, appeared in 1586, when the Coventry city council ordered Adam van Noort to depict the legend of Lady Godiva in the painting. Once the order was completed, the painting was exhibited in Coventry's main square. And the population mistakenly mistook Leofric, depicted in the picture, looking out the window, for a disobedient townsman.
Other
To the cinema
- In 1955, American director Arthur Lubin made a full-length feature film based on the legend, Lady Godiva of Coventry. The main role in the film was played by Irish actress Maureen O'Hara, popular in the 1950s.
One of the plots of the Russian comedy series “DMB” (2000-2003) is called “Lady Godiva”. The plot is dedicated to a naked cowgirl.
Links
Categories:
- Heroes of legends
- Characters of English folklore
- English mythology
- Personalities in alphabetical order
- Born in 980
- Died in 1067
- Medieval legends
- Persons:Coventry (England)
- Women of the Middle Ages
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See what "Lady Godiva" is in other dictionaries:
Lady Godiva (reactor)- Lady Godiva is an experimental pulsed nuclear reactor built at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The reactor got its name in honor of a character in British history, due to the fact that its core was completely... ... Wikipedia
Godiva- (Lady Godiva) wife of the feudalniot Gospodar in English from the city of Coventry (11th century) spored legenda, pominapa javaji gola niz gradot but into mazh i go baral toa od nea kako conditions yes gi liberate your podanitsi od pregolemite davachki ... Macedonian dictionary
Lady Godaiwa- Painting by John Collier “Lady Godiva” (1898) Godiva (English Godiva from the Latinized Old English Godgyfu, Godgifu given by God; 980 1067) Anglo-Saxon countess, wife of Leofric, Earl (Count) of Mercia, who, according to legend, passed... ... Wikipedia
GODIVA- ((1040 1094) – the wife of Count Leofric, who rode naked on a horse through the city to force her husband to reduce taxes; the heroine of A. Tennyson’s poem “Lady Godiva”) Is it not because I saw Lady Godiva in a children’s picture with her flowing red mane ,… … Given name in Russian poetry of the 20th century: a dictionary of personal names
Collier, John (artist)- Wikipedia has articles about other people named Collier, John. John Collier English John Collier ... Wikipedia
List of deaths in 1067- ... Wikipedia
Figueiredo, Guilherme- Guilherme Figueiredo Guilherme Figueiredo Date of birth: 1915 Place of birth: Brazil Date of death: 1997 ... Wikipedia
Collins, Joan- Joan Collins Joan Collins ... Wikipedia
Heritage Floor- “Heritage Floor” is a composition that forms a single object with the installation “Dinner Party” by Judy Chicago, paying tribute to the achievements and hardships of women’s work and having the shape of a triangular banquet table for 39... ... Wikipedia
Claxton, Marshall- Marshall Claxton English Marshall Claxton Date of birth: May 12, 1811 (1811 05 12) Place of birth ... Wikipedia
Lady Godiva’s act is still praised in Great Britain. It consisted in the fact that beautiful woman rode naked on horseback through the city to lower taxes for ordinary people.
In this ancient history early Christianity and dying paganism intertwined. Who was the brave horsewoman? How is the memory of her preserved to this day? What makes you doubt the established legend of the beneficent lady? In this article we will try to answer these questions.
The Legend of the Countess
According to legend, Lady Godiva's kindness was so strong that she could not bear the suffering of the ordinary people of Coventry. The count of this city was her husband, who once again decided to increase taxes. The Countess began to beg her husband to change his decision. In the next conversation, Count Leofric said that he would fulfill her request only if he saw his wife ride naked on a horse through the whole of Coventry.
The legend of Lady Godiva says that the heroine seized the opportunity to help people and decided to accept her husband's offer. On the appointed day and hour, she rode on horseback, covering her body only with luxurious golden hair. The townspeople at this time were in their houses with the shutters closed.
The Earl was forced to fulfill his promise and reduced taxes for the people of Coventry.
Real historical figure
Lady Godiva's act, glorified in legend, is associated with a real person. It is assumed that the count's wife lived in the 11th century. Her husband was one of the most influential people in England and owned not only Coventry, but also vast territories in Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire.
The count and his wife built a large Benedictine monastery in their city, giving it more than 20 villages and a lot of jewelry. After the death of her husband, the woman gave all the count's possessions to the church.
As for the act described in the legend, there is no mention of it in the sources of the 11th century. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is silent about the naked horsewoman, as well as the “Book Last Judgment» V. the Conqueror. Lady Godiva, whose story is much controversial, is mentioned with her feat in 1236 in the records of an English monk. The source, which was written 2 centuries after the death of the heroine, indicates the date of her noble deed, namely July 10, 1040. In addition to this discrepancy in written sources, there are a number of other contradictions that are worth considering separately.
Contradictions in the legend
The story of the good countess has its adherents and skeptics. Not everyone believes in its reality, despite the historical basis.
The main contradictions in the legend:
- the count's wife was very obedient to her husband, but at the same time opposed him on the issue of taxes;
- the townspeople revered the lady as a modest, chaste lady, and she rode naked through the whole city;
- Lady Godiva came from an aristocratic family, and her immense compassion ordinary people was not appropriate for the time.
Many have tried to understand the legend. For example, in the 13th century, the English king Edward the First tried to find out the whole truth. IN modern times English professor Daniel Donahue studied this issue. He claims that the legend is replete with pagan rituals, moreover, it was the inhabitants of Coventry who from ancient times worshiped a pagan goddess, represented naked on a horse.
Representatives of the Christian church most likely replaced the pagan goddess with a real woman with a similar name and supplemented her pious image with a story about taxes.
Lady Godiva's act became famous in art and culture. Even those who do not believe in the legend happily celebrate the festival that is held annually in Coventry in honor of it.
Memory of the Lady of Coventry
In the city of Coventry, of course, they remember and honor the legend of their lady. There is a monument with a naked horsewoman here, and annual celebrations have been held here since 1678. The legend has glorified the city, so local residents support it and dress up in 11th-century costumes on the day of honoring their patroness. The best “Lady Godiva” is chosen at the monument, and she must have long golden hair.
The image of a noble horsewoman in art:
- “Lady Godiva” - painting by John Collier;
- "Lady Godiva of Coventry" - feature film by Arthur Lubin;
- “Lady Godiva’s Prayer” - painting by E. Landseer;
- poem by Osip Mandelstam;
- one of Freddie Mercury's songs.
The wife of Leofric, Earl (Count) of Mercia, who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in England so that the Earl, her husband, would reduce exorbitant taxes for his subjects.
| Lady Godiva | |
|---|---|
| John Collier's painting "Lady Godiva" (1897), Herbert Art Gallery and Museum |
|
| Date of birth | OK. |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | prep. September 10 |
| Country |
|
| Occupation | scientist |
| Spouse | Leofric |
| Children | Elfgar |
| Media files on Wikimedia Commons | |
Legend
According to legend, Godiva was the beautiful wife of Count Leofric. The count's subjects suffered from exorbitant taxes, and Godiva begged her husband to reduce the tax burden. Once at another feast, being very drunk, Leofric promised to reduce taxes if his wife rode naked on a horse through the streets of Coventry. He was sure that this condition would be completely unacceptable to her. However, Godiva put her people above her own honor and pride and took this step. The residents of the city, loving and respecting her very much for her kindness, closed the shutters and doors of their houses on the appointed day; no one went out into the street. So she drove through the entire city unnoticed. The count was amazed by the woman’s dedication and kept his word, lowering taxes.
Historical reality
Most likely, this is a legend and has nothing to do with real events. The lives of Leofric and Godiva are described in detail in chronicles preserved in England. It is known that Leofric built a Benedictine monastery in 1043, which overnight transformed Coventry from a small settlement into the fourth largest medieval English city. Leofric endowed the monastery with land and gave the monastery 24 villages, and Lady Godiva donated such an amount of gold, silver and precious stones that no monastery in England could compare with it in wealth. Godiva was very pious and after the death of her husband, while on his deathbed, she transferred all his possessions to the church. Count Leofric and Lady Godiva were buried in this monastery. The chronicles are silent about the events described in the legend.
The story of the naked horsewoman was first mentioned by an envious man of Coventry's fame and fortune - the monk of the monastery of St. Alban, Roger Wendrover, in 1188; according to him, the events took place on July 10, 1040. Subsequently, popular rumor only supplemented this legend. Later in the 13th century, King Edward I wanted to find out the truth about this legend. A study of the annals has confirmed that in Coventry, although 17 years later, no tax was actually levied since 1057. In the same year (August 31 or September 30), Count Leofric died. However, how these events are connected and whether they are connected at all is unclear.
Peeping Tom
According to some versions of the legend, only one resident of the city, "Peeping Tom" ( Peeping Tom), he decided to look out of the window at the naked horsewoman - and at that very moment he became blind.
The story of Tom has been known since 1586, when the Coventry city council commissioned Adam van Noort to depict the legend of Lady Godiva in a painting. Once the order was completed, the painting was exhibited in Coventry's main square. And the population mistakenly mistook Leofric, depicted in the picture, looking out the window, for a disobedient townsman.
Memory of Godiva
In 1678, the people of Coventry established an annual celebration in honor of Lady Godiva. This festival is still held today. Mainly it is a carnival, where there is a lot of music, songs, and fireworks in the evening. Carnival participants dress in costumes from the 11th century. The procession starts from the ruins of the first cathedral and then follows the route laid by the once brave lady. The final part of the festival takes place in the city park near the Lady Godiva monument. Here the music of that time is played and the participants of the holiday compete in various competitions, the most popular of which is the competition for the best Lady Godiva. This competition is attended by women dressed in the toilets of ladies of the eleventh century, and an indispensable condition competition are long golden hair.
Not far from the former Coventry Cathedral there is a monument - Lady Godiva with her hair flowing on horseback
In the first half of the 11th century, Count Leofric imposed excessive taxes on the residents of the city of Coventry (Great Britain). Those who could not pay went straight to the scaffold. The count's wife, Lady Godiva, was a very kind-hearted person and repeatedly tearfully begged her husband to reduce taxes, but he was adamant.
Sometimes his wife’s request bothered the count so much that he decided to come up with a serious test for her, and if she agreed, he promised to reduce the tax.
It must be said that Godiva was a rather pious woman and strictly observed decorum. Knowing this, the count came up with the following idea: his wife was supposed to ride through the square and streets of the city on horseback, naked. Naturally, Leofric hoped that Godiva would never agree to such humiliation. But to his disappointment, she agreed to fulfill all his conditions.
On the appointed day, a woman appeared on horseback on one of the streets of Coventry. It must be said that the subjects loved Godiva very much and decided to somehow help and save her from shame. The townspeople closed the windows and doors of their houses so as not to see the Lady without clothes.
It is not possible to say for sure whether this story is true or fiction. However, historians have discovered that Count and Countess Leofric actually lived in England.
According to historical documents, Count Leofric was indeed cruel person. But despite all this, he was a believer and invested a large amount of money in the restoration and construction of churches. And his wife Lady Godiva donated most of their jewelry to the temples.
Today, near the city of Coventry there is a monument to the fearless Lady. It depicts Godiva naked, sitting on a horse with her head down. In addition, a holiday is held in her honor.
The English legend about a beautiful lady who overcame her modesty for the well-being of ordinary townspeople is known throughout the world. Researchers are divided into skeptics who believe that the story of Lady Godiva is a myth, and those who firmly believe in its veracity. But perhaps both camps are partly right. Be that as it may, in England they still extol the feat of the naked horsewoman...
Godiva (English Godiva from the Latinized Old English Godgyfu, Godgifu - “given by God”; 980-1067) - Anglo-Saxon countess, wife of Leofric, earl (count) of Mercia, who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of the city Coventry in Great Britain in order for the Earl, her husband, to reduce exorbitant taxes for his subjects.
The Legend of the Noble Savior
According to legend, the kind-hearted Lady Godiva could not look indifferently at the suffering of the inhabitants of the medieval English town of Coventry, for whom her husband, Count Leofric, once again raised taxes. She turned to her husband more than once with a plea to take pity and cancel the exactions.
For a long time the count was adamant. Finally, tired of the requests, he angrily declared that he was ready to make concessions if she rode naked on a horse through the streets of the city, for which she so ardently asked.
The count thought that the condition was too humiliating and impossible to fulfill. However, Lady Godiva, taking her husband at his word, decided to take a crazy step. She went out into Coventry Square, covering her nakedness only with her luxurious hair. The townspeople remained at home at the appointed hour and closed the shutters on the windows. The legend mentions Tom the tailor, who looked at the horsewoman through the crack of the door. Heavenly punishment was instantaneous - he became blind.
The Count had no choice but to fulfill his promise. For the residents of Coventry, Lady Godiva became a heroine and savior from an unbearable tax burden.
Jules Joseph Lefebvre. Lady Godiva
Real woman and historical inconsistencies
Lady Godiva, wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, actually lived in the 11th century. Her husband was one of the most influential people in England, close to the Anglo-Saxon king Edward the Confessor. Authorized by the monarch, he collected taxes from his subjects.
There is evidence of the count's cruelty towards defaulters, even to the point of death penalty. In addition to Coventry, to which the legend refers us, the wealthy aristocratic family owned lands in Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire. It is known that the couple were actively involved in the construction and repair of temples and chapels in their domains.
In Coventry they built a priory, a huge Benedictine monastery that occupied half of the medieval city, and gave it ownership of 24 villages. Monastic chronicles describe Lady Godiva as a devout parishioner and generous patron.
One gets the impression that contemporaries had not heard anything about Lady Godiva’s brave deed. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, compiled before 1066, ignores the departure of the count's wife in silence. There is not a word about him in William the Conqueror's Domesday Book, a detailed source of information about 11th-century England.
The first mention of a naked horsewoman appears in the records of Roger Wendrover - a monk of the monastery of St. Alban - only in 1236, or almost 200 years after the death of Lady Godiva. He even indicated the exact date of the event - July 10, 1040.
Lady Godiva. Antique engraving
At the end of the 13th century, King Edward I, being an inquisitive man, wanted to find out the truth about the history of Lady Godiva and ordered to study the documents of a bygone era. Indeed, in 1057 some taxes in Coventry were abolished, which was unprecedented for those times. However, the difference of 17 years between the departure of the brave horsewoman and the actual date of the abolition of taxation forced the inquisitive king to doubt the veracity of the story.
The legend of Lady Godiva is filled with contradictions. The lady is obedient to her husband, but boldly seeks the abolition of taxes. She drives naked through the streets of the city, but in the minds of the townspeople she remains modest and highly moral. She's a representative ruling class and yet sympathizes with the plight of the common people.
Professor English literature Daniel Donahue argues that the myth developed over centuries and was based on the life of a real woman who may have helped the common people. However, this myth lay on the fertile soil of ancient folklore legends and pagan rituals. The legend of Lady Godiva appealed to the people of Coventry because they had worshiped the naked pagan goddess on horseback since time immemorial.
Ancient goddess
Before the Norman invasion, a tribe of Angles, the Mercians, lived to the north of modern Coventry, and a tribe of Saxons, the Hwicke, lived in the south. It is the latter that is associated with the appearance of the word “Wicca” - pagan witch. By the way, in the official title of the count
He was also mentioned by Leofric as “Lord of the Hwikks.” The supreme fertility goddess of the Hwik was named Koda, or Goda. This ancient name found in many geographical names in the area southwest of Coventry. During excavations in the village of Weginton on the southern outskirts of Coventry, archaeologists discovered a temple to the goddess Goda. In the north there is a settlement called Koda. It has been suggested that an entire region, the Cotswolds, bears the name of this goddess.
Coventry, isolated among forests, far from major cities and main roads, was an ideal place to preserve pagan culture for several centuries after the country's adoption of Christianity. It is now generally accepted that the place name "Coventry" comes from the name of the sacred Kofa tree, which the locals worshiped and near which pagan rituals were performed.
Every year, in the middle of summer, in honor of the goddess Goda, mysteries were held with a procession, in which a naked priestess, personifying the goddess, rode around the city on horseback and headed to the sacred tree, where she was honored and young men and horses were sacrificed.
Christianization of a pagan holiday
The Anglo-Saxon pagan cult lasted for a very long time. Even after the construction of the monastery of St. Osburgh in the 10th century and the Benedictine abbey in 1043, annual pagan processions and sacrificial rites continued. Having failed to ban the pagan holiday, the monks very wisely replaced the pagan goddess with a real pious woman with a consonant name, and here the story of taxes came in very handy. In fact, the monks changed the meaning of the holiday - instead of a pagan cult, they began to worship a Christian believer, almost a holy woman.
A turning point in the consciousness of the inhabitants of Coventry occurred around the 12th century. The pagan Goda was forgotten, Lady Godiva was revered, the processions continued, but they no longer had anything to do with paganism.
The figure of the peeping Tom in this talented substitute is interesting. In paganism, Tom was associated with the young man who was sacrificed to the goddess. The monks managed to turn the curious tailor into an odious figure of a punished sinner. Undoubtedly church authorities chose the surest path to fight paganism, which was too strong to be eliminated overnight. They managed to transform the worship of a pagan goddess into the veneration of a good Christian woman, while omitting all the unwanted details from the past.
Actress and stuntwoman Emily Cox is photographed filming a historical recreation of the Lady Godiva legend at St. Ann's Square in Manchester.
Festivals and festive processions in Coventry continue to this day. They are dedicated to Lady Godiva, and her name has become a brand and part of the history of the city. Whether this story is made up or real - modern residents of Coventry do not care. Every year, like their ancestors many centuries ago, they gladly go to the main square of the city to pay homage to their protector and patroness - a naked woman on a horse.
The detail about Peeping Tom, according to some sources, appeared in 1586, when the Coventry city council ordered Adam van Noort to depict the legend of Lady Godiva in the painting. Once the order was completed, the painting was exhibited in Coventry's main square. And the population mistakenly mistook Leofric, depicted in the picture, looking out the window, for a disobedient townsman.
Most likely, this legend has little connection with real events. The lives of Leofric and Godiva are described in detail in chronicles preserved in England. It is known that Leofric built a Benedictine monastery in 1043, which overnight transformed Coventry from a small settlement into the fourth largest medieval English city.
Leofric endowed the monastery with land and gave the monastery twenty-four villages, and Lady Godiva donated such an amount of gold, silver and precious stones that no monastery in England could compare with it in wealth. Godiva was very pious and after the death of her husband, while on his deathbed, she transferred all his possessions to the church. Count Leofric and Lady Godiva were buried in this monastery.
However, the chronicles are silent about the events described in the legend.
In 1678, the city's residents established an annual festival in honor of Lady Godiva, which continues to this day. This holiday is a carnival with a lot of music, songs, and fireworks in the evening. Carnival participants dress in costumes from the 11th century. The procession starts from the ruins of the first cathedral and then follows the route laid by the once brave lady. The final part of the festival takes place in the city park near the Lady Godiva monument. Here the music of that time is played and the participants of the holiday compete in various competitions, the most popular of which is the competition for the best Lady Godiva. This competition is attended by women dressed in the costumes of eleventh-century ladies, and long golden hair is an indispensable condition for the competition.
The image of Lady Godiva is quite popular in art. Poems and novels are dedicated to her. The image has been recreated in marble, on tapestry, on paintings by painters, in cinema, on TV and even on the wrapper of Godiva chocolate. Archaeologists have found stained glass windows depicting Lady Godiva, which are now located in the surviving church of the first monastery founded by Leofric and Godiva.
Interesting facts
Asteroid 3018 Godiva was named after Lady Godiva.
Not far from the former Coventry Cathedral there is a monument - Lady Godiva with flowing hair riding a horse. An image of the monument is also featured on the seal of Coventry City Council.
Graham Joyce, in his 2002 book The Facts of Life, writes about how a monument to Lady Godiva was erected in Coventry. There is also an episode where one of the main characters, fascinated by Lady Godiva’s deed, repeats her feat.
As strange as it may sound, clothing stores are sometimes named after Lady Godiva.
Lady Godiva “with her flowing red mane” is mentioned by Osip Mandelstam in a poem I was only childishly connected with the world of power...
Lady Godiva is mentioned by Sasha Cherny in the poem “City Tale” (“... a figure like Lady Godiva’s”)
Lady Godiva is mentioned by Joseph Brodsky in “Lithuanian Nocturne” (“At midnight, all speech / takes on the grips of a blind man; so that even the “fatherland” feels like Lady Godiva”)
Peter Gabriel mentions Lady Godiva's name in his song Modern Love: "For Lady Godiva I came incognito / But her driver had stolen her red hot magneto."
Lady Godiva is mentioned by Boris Grebenshchikov in the song “Steel” (Well, if someone is not yet but already / And the soul is like that lady riding in a negligee "
Freddie Mercury mentions Lady Godiva in the song Don't Stop Me Now: "I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva."
The British band Placebo mentions in their song “Peeping Tom” a Peeping Tom who is watching an unknown girl from a distance.
The Velvet Underground mentions Lady Godiva in their song "Lady Godiva's Operation".
The group Boney M recorded the song “Lady Godiva” in 1993. It was first published that same year on the album More Gold.
Mother Love Bone released the song "Lady Godiva Blues" on the 1992 album Mother Love Bone and on the Apple reissue of the album.
Episode 2 (“Magic Nude”) of season 7 of the TV series “Charmed” about Lady Godiva.
Sergei Lukyanenko’s story “The Klutz” mentions Lady Kadiva, who also rode naked through the streets of the city so that her husband would cancel taxes. And she passed by more than once.
The first episode of Black Mirror plays out the story of Lady Godiva.
English video blogger and singer Alex Day recorded the song “Lady Godiva”, which tells the legend of the countess.
German metal band Heaven Shall Burn have a song called Godiva, and a fragment of John Collier's painting Lady Godiva is featured on the cover of the Veto album.
The famous Belgian chocolate owes its name to the beautiful legend of Lady Godiva, which in Belgium is still told to children at Christmas.
Godiva chocolate is the official supplier of the Belgian royal court and is served at the official ceremonies of the Cannes Film Festival.
Archaeologists have found stained glass windows depicting Lady Godiva, which are now located in the surviving church of the first monastery founded by Leofric and Godiva.
Edward Henry Corbould (1815-1905). Lady Godiva
John Thomas (1813 - 1862). Lady Godiva. Maidstone Museum, Kent, England
William Holman Hunt (1827-1910). Lady Godiva. 1857
