Wilgefortis

Common card · No. 270446

Wilgefortis (Portuguese: Vilgeforte) is a female folk saint whose legend arose in the 14th century, and whose distinguishing feature is a large beard. According to the legend of her life, set in Portugal and Galicia, she was a teenage noblewoman who had been promised in marriage by her father to a Moorish king. To thwart the unwanted wedding, she had taken a vow of virginity, and prayed that she would be made repulsive. In answer to her prayers she sprouted a beard, which ended the engagement. In anger, Wilgefortis' father had her crucified. Her name is thought to have derived from the Latin "virgo fortis" ("courageous virgin"). In England her name was Uncumber, and in Dutch Ontkommer (meaning one who removes difficulties, specifically here from people who are suffering). In German lands she was known as Kümmernis ("grief" or "anxiety"). In Poland she was called Frasobliwa ("sorrowful"), while in the Czech Lands she received the name Starosta ("sorrow" or "concern"). She was sometimes...

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