Heiligung und Hinrichtung Ein Vergleich der Konstruktionen von Geschlecht in Katharinenlegenden und Erzählzyklen von den ‚Sieben weisen Meistern‘

Abstract

This article compares German versions of the ‘Historia septem sapientum’ with the hagiographical stories of St Catherine of Alexandria. In both textual traditions, the female protagonist challenges a panel of wise and learned men with her intellectual and rhetorical skills. At first glance, these female characters seem to differ greatly – one, a holy woman and the other, a liar. They also experience different fates – canonization and execution, respectively. Nonetheless, a comparison of the two yields important insights into transcultural historical conceptualizations of gender performance, wisdom and female agency.

Keywords Wisdom; Gender; Agency; Hagiography; Transculturality