词条 | Virago |
释义 |
A virago is a woman who demonstrates exemplary and heroic qualities. The word comes from the Latin word virāgō ((genitive virāginis) meaning variously 'a man-like, vigorous, heroic maiden, a female warrior, heroine..'[1] from vir meaning 'man' (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix -āgō is added, a suffix that creates a new noun of the third declension with feminine grammatical gender. The word virago has almost always had an association with cultural gender transgression. A virago, of whatever excellence, was still identified by her gender. There are recorded instances of viragos (such as Joan of Arc) fighting battles, wearing men's clothing, or receiving the tonsure.[2] The word virago could also be used disparagingly, to imply that a virago was not excellent or heroic, but was instead violating cultural norms. Thus virago joined pejoratives such as termagant,[3] mannish, amazonian and shrew to demean women who acted aggressively or like men. HistoryHistorically, the concept of a virago reaches back into antiquity where Hellenistic philosophy asserted that elite and exceptionally heroic men had virtus ({{lang-el|ἀνδρεία|andreia}}). Virtus (once again linked to vir, the brave man abiding by society's highest values and ethics as opposed to homo, human being) defined the traits of excellence for a man in ancient Rome (and Greece), including valor and heroism, but also morality and physical strength. Women and non-elite or unheroic men (slaves, servants, craftsmen, merchants) were considered a lesser category, and believed to be less excellent in Roman morality. A woman, however, if exceptional enough could earn the title virago. In doing so, she surpassed the expectations for what was believed possible for her gender, and embodied masculine-like aggression[4] and/or excellence. Virago, then, was a title of respect and admiration. In Christianity, a nun or holy woman who had become equal in divinity to male monks through practiced celibacy, exemplary religious practice and devotion, and intact virginity, was considered to have surpassed the limitations of her femaleness and was called virago.[5][6] Firmicus Maternus describes virago as women who take on a man's character and desire intercourse with women like men.[7] Standard modern dictionaries define virago as either, in order of definition, (1) a "loud overbearing woman"; a "shrew".[8] or (2) a woman of "great stature, strength, and courage"[3][9] Thus virago continues to be associated with both the naming of a woman who has either (1) a domineering, abrasive and spiteful manner, or (2) has risen above cultural and gender stereotypes to embody a virile heroism; for example, the British Royal Navy christened at least four warships Virago. Vulgate BibleThe Vulgate Bible, translated by Jerome and others in the 4th century C.E., was an early Latin translation of the Hebrew Bible Old Testament. In Genesis 2:23, Jerome uses the words Vir for man and Virago for "woman" attempting to reproduce a pun on "male" and "female" (ish and ishah) that existed in the Hebrew text.[10][11] The Vulgate reads: Dixitque Adam hoc nunc os ex ossibus meis et caro de carne mea haec vocabitur virago quoniam de viro sumpta est. The Middle English poem Cursor Mundi retains the Latin name for the woman in its otherwise Middle English account of the creation:
See also{{wiktionary|virago}}
References1. ^{{L&S|virago|virāgō|ref}} 2. ^Jane Tibbetts Schulenburg. Forgetful of their sex: female sanctity and society, ca. 500-1100. University Of Chicago Press, 2001. Page 50. {{ISBN|978-0-226-74054-6}}. 3. ^1 {{Cite web| url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virago| title=Virago| accessdate=2011-11-25| publisher=Merriam-Webster Online}} 4. ^Virginia Blanton. Signs of devotion: the cult of St. Æthelthryth in medieval England, 695-1615 Pennsylvania State Univ Pr (Trd) (April 30, 2007). Page 168. {{ISBN|978-0-271-02984-9}}. 5. ^Newman, Barbara. From Virile Woman to Woman Christ: Studies in Medieval Religion and Literature. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995. Page 5. {{ISBN|978-0-8122-1545-8}}. 6. ^Laurence Lux-Sterritt. Redefining Female Religious Life: French Ursulines And English Ladies in Seventeenth-Century Catholicism. Ashgate Pub Co (January 30, 2006). Page 61. {{ISBN|978-0-7546-3716-5}}. 7. ^{{Cite book|title=Love Between Women: early Christian responses to female homoeroticism|last=Brooten|first=Bernadette|publisher=The University of Chicago Press|year=1996|isbn=978-0-226-07591-4|location=Chicago|pages=135}} 8. ^{Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, Copyright (c) 1993 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, first definition of "virago"} 9. ^http://www.answers.com/topic/virago 10. ^Saint Jerome, Robert Hayward. Saint Jerome's Hebrew questions on Genesis. Oxford University Press, USA (August 10, 1995) Page 113. {{ISBN|978-0-19-826350-0}} 11. ^Helen Kraus. Gender Issues in Ancient and Reformation Translations of Genesis 1-4. Oxford University Press, USA (December 17, 2011). Page 182. {{ISBN|978-0-19-960078-6}} Bibliography
6 : Gender|Women in war|Christianity and women|Feminism and the arts|Pejorative terms for people|Misogynistic slurs |
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