The childlike piety of medieval man reveals itself dramatically in the aids he adopted to fortify his soul on its hazardous journey. Imaginative but literal-minded, he personified the Christian virtues or conceived of them as the rungs of a ladder (right) that linked earth to heaven. He found reassurance in numbers. For example, 3 represented the spirit, 4 the body; their sum, 7, a mystical completeness.
In the popular imagination, man's greatest help came from Christ's mother Mary (opposite). Ineffably human and merciful, the Virgin was considered to be always eager to intercede with her Son in man's behalf, to forgive sinners and to protect those in dire danger. Medieval man told many homespun tales about her. In one story, Mary saves a worshipful robber by supporting him for three days as he hangs on the gallows. In another, she takes a knight's place and fights in a tournament while he attends church. Medieval man felt he could converse freely with divine figures, and several stories report their replies—in the accents of everyday speech. In one such tale, a clergyman who has been praying only to Mary receives a visit from Christ, who tells him: "My Mother thanks you much for all the Salutations that you make her; but still you should not forget to salute me also."
THE MERCIFUL MOTHER. Mary Carries her son Jesus on the flight into Egypt. Many childless women, including a queen of France, made long journeys on foot to pray for heirs at Mary's shrines.
World History
