Myths & mysteries
Discover facts about myths & mysteries. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Myths & mysteries
Holy fools threw garbage at church officials
Imagine getting a free pass to pelt authority figures with trash because everyone thinks you are divinely insane. The 'holy fools' of Eastern Orthodoxy acted…
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Mystical ecstasies caused rigid paralysis
Sometimes the divine hits you so hard you completely short-circuit. Many famous mystics would fall into sudden cataleptic states during intense prayer, their…
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Lutgardis claimed to swap hearts with Jesus
In what sounds like a terribly unsanitary transplant surgery, this mystic claimed a divine being physically removed her heart and replaced it with his own.…
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Stigmata supposedly bleeds heavily on Fridays
Clocking in for the weekend took on a very different meaning for these mystics. Those who claimed to bear the bodily wounds of the crucifixion often reported…
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Mortification of the flesh was heavily praised
Instead of being deeply concerned, historical society heavily cheered when people physically destroyed themselves. If someone chose to viciously starve,…
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Douceline of Digne levitated on command
Forget elaborate setups; simply uttering specific holy words was enough to send Douceline completely airborne. Witnesses claimed that casually mentioning the…
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Thomas Aquinas floated while praying intensely
He is massively famous for his incredibly heavy, deeply intellectual theological writings, but apparently, he was remarkably light on his feet. Peers claimed…
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Weeping excessively caused mystics to go blind
Crying over your sins is a standard practice, but some took it so severely far that they physically destroyed their own retinas. By shedding tears almost…
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Catherine of Siena claimed to marry Jesus invisibly
Why settle for a normal wedding when you can claim a totally invisible ceremony? Catherine insisted she underwent a mystical marriage complete with a ring…
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Stigmatic wounds remain open permanently
According to believers, these miraculous bodily wounds somehow bypass all standard biological rules by bleeding constantly without ever getting infected. It…
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Maria of Oignies cut off chunks of her flesh
Before extreme body modification was an underground trend, this medieval mystic took a knife to herself just to visually display her immense grief over…
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Mystic Sri Aurobindo honestly thought he could trigger human evolution simply by writing excessively long epic poetry
We all know writers have massive egos, but trying to literally force humanity into a higher biological state through sheer word count is peak hubris. Indian…
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Rose of Lima damaged her skin with spices and lye to deter suitors
Being conventionally attractive was apparently a massive spiritual handicap in the seventeenth century. To deter eager suitors and keep her focus entirely on…
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Seraphim of Sarov casually fed wild bears by hand
When you spend a thousand straight days kneeling on a rock in the dense Russian forest, the local wildlife eventually stops viewing you as a threat. This…
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Therapeutae danced all night in the desolate desert
While most ancient sects focused on quiet study, this Jewish ascetic community preferred throwing massive nocturnal desert raves. After spending all week in…
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Boskoi monks lived exactly like grazing wild animals
Rejecting human civilization is one thing, but completely abandoning agriculture is a whole new level. These radical desert dwellers entirely refused to cook…
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Evagrius Ponticus categorized primary evil thoughts
Before anyone had codified the absolute worst behavioral traits, this fourth-century monk sat in the sweltering desert creating a highly detailed list of…
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Pelagians believed humans could achieve total perfection
Imagine the sheer arrogance required to tell the established church that people do not actually need divine grace to be flawless. Pelagians argued that humans…
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Extreme ascetics chose to roll around in hot ashes
Because merely fasting was utterly pedestrian, some fiercely committed wandering holy men took to coating themselves entirely in scorching remnants of fires.…
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Joan of Arc was heavily punished for her male wardrobe
While leading entire armies based on fierce holy voices was certainly controversial, what really sealed her tragic fate during her rigged trial was her…
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Columbanus ordered severe physical beatings for smiling
If you are looking for a relaxing retreat, avoid seventh-century Irish monasteries at all costs. This fiercely intense abbot authored a rulebook so incredibly…
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Blaise Pascal sewed a highly secret note into his coat
When a massively famous mathematician has an incredibly profound midnight religious experience, he naturally writes it entirely on a scrap of parchment. To…
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John of the Cross survived on a strict diet of asparagus
When you are reforming an entire religious order to be more hardcore, you have to lead by culinary example. During his intensely productive periods of…
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Sadhu Haridas was voluntarily buried alive for a month
Proving your mastery over bodily functions is tough, but willingly getting locked in a sealed vault underground is next level. In the nineteenth century, this…
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