You might have heard of Hildegard von Bingen, the medieval abbess who produced theological writings as well as books about herbal medicine, who corresponded with church hierarchy and high-level political leaders. Perhaps you’ve read Mary Sharrott’s book, which focuses on Hildegard’s later life. Maybe you’ve seen the illuminations of her mystical visions, or heard her music, such as O Viridissima Virga or Ordo Virtutum(the first opera written by a woman). If you have encountered Hildegard, did you wonder how a woman who was cloistered from girlhood achieved so much? The Greenest Branch, by P. K. Adams, answers these questions as it covers the first twenty-five years of Hildegard’s life.
Hildegard is fortunate to have a mother who is unafraid to be outspoken when it is required, and clever enough to learn the healing properties of herbs from her childhood nurse. After being tithed to the church at ten years old and becoming an anchorite at the Abbey of St. Disibod, Hildegard has good reason to fear that she will never again learn more than Bible verses and hymns. But again, she is lucky enough to be taken as abbey infirmarian Brother Wigbert’s assistant and smart enough to build upon that position when he takes her under his wing and shares with her what he learned as a medical student.
Hildegard evolves a personal theology as she matures, based on the concept of veriditas—greenness, vitality, the life-giving force emanating from the breath of a loving and benevolent God. It’s a humane belief system that eschews extreme asceticism and celebrates humankind and nature in perfect co-existence. Her core belief is that “The world [is] a whole, every element connected, all infused with vital energy of creation.”
There are adversaries, of course. The character of Prior Helenger represents the repressive beliefs of the time in this exchange with the precocious Hildegard:
“It is the natural order of things…that women should rear children
since they are the gentler and more nurturing of the sexes.”
…I pondered this, frowning. “But if women are better at caring for
others, they should make better doctors, too, shouldn’t they?”
This novel is packed with information about religious practices and the political intrigues of 12thcentury Europe, which we’ll need to understand as Hildegard takes her place on the world stage in the forthcoming second book of this two-book series. Yet the plot moves along at a sprightly pace. The author emphasizes a young woman’s determination to use her intelligence and talent while negotiating already-outmoded medical and religious practices, defending the abbey when it’s caught in a battle between the emperor and the archbishop, and struggling to resist a romantic figure who tempts Hildegard to leave the abbey.
I look forward to reading about the rest of Hildegard’s fascinating, unlikely life.