If you were to make a pilgrimage to Japan today and wanted to climb Mount Fuji, at the base you would receive a staff (for a small price). As you hike up the mountain your staff would be stamped at different stations to show proof to all back home that you made it all the way up the mountain. This concept is not new and was found as far back as the ancient Greeks. Pilgrimage was an important aspect of a devout believer and Pilgrim badges gave the pilgrim proof that they had indeed sojourned to a holy place and had come back home bearing proof of their adventure.The image above is a pilgrim badge currently held at the British Museum and it depicts St. George slaying the Dragon. It is made of a lead alloy and is about an inch in size. It's estimated date of origin is anywhere from 400 to 1500 CE. A badge like this or one I have pictured below would have been bought by a pilgrim at the St. George shrine in Windsor England. The pilgrim would have traveled thousands of miles from France, would have made his or her way to the Shrine, would have purchased this badge to show their devotion and commitment, and would have then returned home. Some accounts tell us that back at home for good luck some pilgrim would then hurl their badge into a river; the badge below was found in the Seine River in France which gives some credibility to these accounts. The badge is about an inch in size and is made from pewter.
Resources
“Pilgrim badge.” British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=47970&partId=1.
“Pilgrim Badge.” Medieval London, medievallondon.ace.fordham.edu/collections/show/28
I find it absolutely amazing that pilgrimages still take place today... I didn't know that! A journey to a deemed holy place must be beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic. I had no idea that this was a thing, but it is super cool.
ReplyDeleteI knew that pilgrimages have existed though I did not know that it was so formalized. It is interesting that the concept of the pilgrimage has emerged in so many cultures across the world.
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