I was again browsing through one of my favorite referance books and came across a story about a female who, disguised as a man, became Pope and while she held that position, gave birth!! Of course I said to my self "NO WAY". I had never heard of such a thing and it was way before "women's lib". In fact it was back in the "middle ages" and being at that time period makes it even more amazing.
How did she/he get away with it? I have no idea how she got elected to the position of Pope, but once she did, she managed to get away with it until giving birth to a baby fathered by her lover. She also took the name, Pope John VIII. Back in that time period, people did not bathe, they only washed their hands, face, and feet. So, the people around her/him had no way of knowing that she was actually a women and they all wore those shapeless robes that would not give a clue to what was under them.
Well, I guess sometimes reallity can be much stranger than fiction. Here are a couple of links to information on this subject:
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1453197&page=1#.Uanh_5yTW60
Now, I hope all of you will have a very great day, you hear?
A legend Dizzy, but a good one.
ReplyDeleteThere was a Civil War woman soldier who removed a bullet herself so the doctors wouldn't discover she was not a man.
Are you making this up? You'd think someone would know, but maybe they just kept quiet and laughed to themselves.
ReplyDeleteSixbears, Could be a legend but it may have some truth to it. Check the links. Wonder where that lady got shot that she could take out the bullet and if others did, would discover who she was?
ReplyDeleteGuypsy, No, there was a couple of pages about it in my book and some info on the internet. I made up the Carney and Willy Bub show.
Hmmmmmm. I find it more feasible that she could disguise herself as a man, than complete a full pregnancy without someone noticing.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... wonder why Sister Kathleen never told us that story in our 8th grade history lesson? I'm gonna have to check out that link... Say... what reference book are you reading anyway? Ripley's Believe it or Not?
ReplyDeleteJill, Where there is a will there is way.
ReplyDeleteThe Odd Essay, yep, I wonder. . . It is a Reader's Digest book called "Imponderables" by David Feldman. I got it at the flea market. It is not new, the copyright is 2006.
Geez, that was the first he/she person,,,didn't you see the one on Oprah? HE/she married a woman and gave birth.
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't watch Opra. I did watch part of Opra's camping trip across the US. That was a few years ago??
DeleteAre you serious? A woman disguised as a man who manages to be named Pope...who not only has a lover back in those days and then gives birth out of wedlock?
ReplyDeleteWill have to check out the links...if true it was a very well kept secret.
That is what my book said and I, too, wanted some more info, so checked the internet and came up with those links. It was hard to believe, especially the part about only washing hands, feet, and face. Maybe that is why people didn't live very long back in that time period.
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