Guy and Marian's ill-fated wedding day was to be the piacular offering to wash away Guy's sins . . .
The word for today here at The Armitage Effect is piacular. Piacular (adjective):*1) expiatory; repa
ratory, atoning (2) Requiring expiation; sinful or wicked.
Methinks we need to clarify that expiation refers to removing guilt for wrongs done through the payment of a penalty.
A piacular offering is one given to atone for sinfulness or wickedness.
Before his planned wedding to Marian, Guy told his servant Thornton that he believed marriage to someone as good and pure as Marian would serve as atonement for Guy’s “heinous crimes.” Thus, Guy’s marriage vows could have been described as piacular in nature–if he had ever gotten the chance to make them, that is.
Frankly, I think Marian should have been making some piacular offerings to atone for her own sins of deceit and manipulation, but, hey–that is just ME.
Hi Angie!
IMO ,Marian had a major vision defect! . 😉
A major vision defect and lacking the Good Taste Gene choosing Forest Boy over the Hot Henchman in black leather. 😉
Amen!
Amen! Look at how contrite and serious he looks, about to take his vows. How could any right-thinking woman turn that down, let alone hit him in the face and run off with Arrow Boy? Of course, he could be thinking, “I must be crazy to take on this madwoman, and it’s forever. You’ve done it now, haven’t you …”
LOL! Now I am imagining Guy suddenly rising to his feet and muttering, “Can’t do it, can’t do it, no sirree.” 😉
Piacular: a new word for me! Thanks for expanding my vocabulary! 🙂
You see, it’s not just a fun site; it’s educational. 😉
Actually, this was a new word for ME, too.
Shallow comment: Oh to be in Marian’s place!
(I know that time wasn’t the best for women, so I’d rather bring Guy here, hehe.)
OML 🙂
Various authors on Dreamer Fiction have tried just that, sometimes with hilarious results. Actually, historically, the 12th century was pretty decent for women. There were intelligent and educated women in power, both secular and clerical. The Church made the female’s consent to marriage a requirement for the first time. Women were not banned from the trade guilds and some did quite well. There was no prohibition against teaching a woman to read, write, and do figures. The lack of good birth control and the lack of good medical care contributed to maternal/child mortality rates, but those rates were even worse later on, when the plague came and wiped out many healthcare practitioners. Twelfth century Norman customs called for frequent bathing, and most Norman knights shaved routinely, so various parasites and infections that arise from lack of hygiene would have been less common among them.