aegis

Last week, as I struggled to drudge up a profound and meaningful way to relate aegis to French culture, I was suddenly inspired by the divine vision of a young woman in armor, aegis in one hand, brandishing a white flag in the other : it was Jeanne d'Arc -- or la Pucelle (the virgin) as she is also known -- one of France's most legendary historical figures.

Jeanne d'Arc's rapid rise to spiritual and military glory and eventual betrayal and martyrdom have been elevated  to  mythic proportions in France and abroad. While certain details of her story have probably been exaggerated or imagined over the centuries, her enduring popularity and cultural relevance in France are undeniable. And they are impressive when you consider how much French culture has changed since Jeanne d'Arc's time.

As the cross on her shield (or aegis) indicates, Jeanne was -- or at least claimed to be -- God's messenger. According to legend, beginning around the age of sixteen, Jeanne was visited on several occasions by angels who told her to lead the French army to victory against the English. (The English at the time had been occupying and waging war in France during a series of conflicts now known as the Hundred Years' War. )

To most people living in our contemporary age, this would seem a rather incredible and, depending on your beliefs, dubious claim for Jeanne to make. Even more incredible to me is that an illiterate peasant teenage girl living in medieval France could get anybody with power and influence to listen to her, much less take her seriously.

But after a few false starts, this is exactly what Jeanne did, eventually securing a meeting with the dauphin. I would speculate that her success in winning him and others over to her cause is a testament to her brilliance and charisma, regardless of whether her visions were the product of an intense faith, mental illness, or never actually happened. But we should be careful not to overlook the fact people probably also took Jeanne seriously because they understood their religious faith in very literal terms that are difficult for many of us living today to fully appreciate. Jeanne lead the French to victory under the aegis of the dauphin, but most importantly under the aegis of God. It was this presumed aegis that legitimized Jeanne's message and gave it urgency. When she was later tried and sentenced to death, she was de-legitimized with the accusation that she had been a liar and a heretic all along.

It's amazing to think that France was once so fervently devout. Nowadays, the Catholic church has been relegated to a ceremonial role in many French people's lives and secularism has become the norm (at least among would-be Catholics). Yet Jeanne d'Arc remains a national hero, and her story  illustrates both the concept of aegis and how French religious culture has changed dramatically over time.

Below is a video about the Crusades from the "Crash Courses World History" series by John Green. It does a nice job at the end of explaining how differently religious faith might have been experienced during the middle ages. If you haven't seen it before check it out -- it's a fun series.