Hey, podcast listeners. This summer we are hard at work making new episodes for our fall season.

Really great episodes, let me tell you. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this encore presentation

of an episode called What Do Medieval Nons and Bo Jackson having common.

Besides, of course, loving the beach.

It probably was pretty darn painful because you're not living in a world with good razors.

The chances are what they're using is kitchen cutlery, I would imagine.

And that is not necessarily all that sharp, but I can't imagine how painful it was.

That's Lisi Oliver. She studies medieval law at Louisiana State University.

What do you think she's talking about that was so darn painful?

Between the fifth and the twelfth century in early modern Europe,

barbarity swept through the continent and also the island of England,

and often the targets of these attacks were monasteries and nunneries,

but nunneries you had the added incentive of rape to add to serve pillage and destruction.

For a nun, rape was especially problematic,

aside from the obvious reasons. Rape violated a nun's chastity,

which meant that as a bride of Christ, she might be forbidden entry into heaven.

So what do you do if you're a nun and there are barbarians at the gate?

In the ninth century, one nun, an abyss, who came to be known as St. Eba,

came up with a plan. Here's Lisi Oliver reading from a history by Roger of Wendover.

The abyss with an heroic spirit took a razor and with it cut off her nose.

Together with her upper lip onto the teeth, presenting herself a horrible spectacle to those who stood by.

Filled with admiration at this admirable deed, the whole assembly followed her maternal example,

...