Publisher's Synopsis
What role did olfaction, the sense of smell and scent, play in medieval (womens) mysticism? Using the example of the transcription of Agnes Blannbekins visions by her confessor, this study seeks an answer. A manuscript and context analysis brings together for the first time all known textual witnesses and editions of the visions, revealing how fragile the knowledge about the person of Agnes Blannbekin, known as the Viennese Beguine, is. The subsequent examination of the visions makes it clear that the olfactory has a prominent position compared to other senses. The use of olfaction enables a narrative softening of boundaries in several areas, it allows the protagonist an expanded potentiality for action and presents a religiously-individualised way of life to a pious virgin living alone on the threshold of the 14th century.
