Westensetla

Westensetla
Lit. 'settler in the wilds'. One of the four kinds of monk, as described in an AS version of the rule of St Benedict. According to that rule, these hermits or anchorites were experienced in religious life and were not full of a beginner's fervour. Through probation in a monastery they learned with the help of others to fight the devil, and were well prepared for 'the single-handed combat of the wilderness . . . against the vices of the flesh and their evil thoughts'. [< OldEngl. westen = waste, wilds + setla = settler] -

Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. .

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  • wéstensetla — m ( n/ n) hermit, anchorite …   Old to modern English dictionary

  • Mynstermon — Lit. minster man . One of the four kinds of monk, as described in an AS version of the rule of St Benedict. The mynstermon was the monk who lived in a monastery under a rule and under an *abbot. Cf. Sylfdema, Westensetla; Widscrithul …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • Sylfdema — Lit. self appointed . One of the four kinds of monk, as described in an AS version of the rule of St Benedict. According to that rule the sylfdema had never adhered to any rule nor been taught by a master: they were soft as lead . They went about …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • Widscrithul — A wandering monk. One of the four kinds of monk, as described in an AS version of the rule of St Benedict. The widscrithul was the monk who spent his life wandering about, staying in different *cells for a few days at a time, always wandering,… …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

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