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Honored
Souls
Women honored as having lived exemplary lives by
Divinely
Female
Any member may propose proclamation of a divine legend or honored
soul. An honored soul is a real woman we offer as an example of a life
well-lived, a woman of noble spirit and character. Any woman proposed as
sainte must be dead for at least ten years. We make no pretenses that women
thus honored were perfect; indeed, real people are never perfect. We do,
however, wish to honor women with at least some traits we admire and wish
to emulate.
HISTORICAL FIGURES
-
Josepha Abiertas (Philippines, 1894-1929)
Lawyer and feminist, first woman to graduate Philippine Law School
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Abigail Adams (11 Nov 1744-28
Oct 1818) Wife of John Adams (Second President of the United States) and
mother of John Quincy Adams (Sixth President). She is best remembered for
her letters to her husband, in which she expounded feminist ideals many years
ahead of their time.
-
Joy Adamson (1910-1980) Austrian
conservationist
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Jane Addams (6 Sep 1860-21 May 1935).
Crusader for the poor, President of the Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom, co-founder American Civil Liberties Union.
-
Agnodice (Greece, 4th Century BCE) Disguised
herself as a man in order to attend medical school at a time when it was
illegal for women to practice medicine. Eventually, she was discovered and
indicted, but acquitted. She became a gynecologist.
-
Ahalyabai (1735-95) Queen of Indore in
Central India. Regarded as one of the finest rulers in history, known for
many religious and philanthropic works.
-
Rabi'ah al-'Adiwiyyah (712-801) Arabic
religious leader. Helped develop Sufi theme of mystical love. The Sufi movement
opened up moslem sainthood to women and gave women dignity equal to that
of men.
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Susan B. Anthony (15 Feb 1820-13
Mar 1906). American suffragist leader, who went to jail for trying to vote.
Her efforts in favor of equal rights for women are the cornerstone of such
liberties that American women enjoy today.
-
Nora Astorga (1949-88) Nicaraguan
revolutionary, flamboyant ambassador to the UN, 1986-88.
-
Laksmi Bai, Rani [Queen] of the Indian
Kingdom of Jhansi (1835-57). At age 22, led a valiant but unsuccessful war
against conquest of Jhansi by the British.
-
Mira Bai (India, 1498-1547). Princess
persecuted as a "traitor to her caste" for caring for the poor.
-
Brigid (453-523) Irish abbess who worked
for the poor at a time when Ireland was a dangerous, chaotic place under
attack by the Danes. Known for charity and patience.
-
Clara Barton (25 Dec 1821-12
Apr 1912). Nurse during the US Civil War and founder of the American Red
Cross.
-
Daisy Bates (1861-1951) Australian welfare
worker who fought against cruelty to aboriginal peoples
-
Mary Beard (5 Aug 1876-14 Aug 1958) Historian
whose writings stress the importance of women in world history.
-
Sorghaghtani Beki (13th Century Mongol
Empire) Daughter-in-law of Chinggis (Jenggis) Khan and mother of Khubilai
(Kubla) Khan and several other rulers of the pieces of the Mongol Empire
after its fragmentation. She is credited with having taught religious freedom
to her sons, resulting in considerable peace and tolerance within each of
the Mongol realms. She was herself a Nestorian Christian.
-
Mary McLeod Bethune (10 Jul 1875-18 May
1955). Daughter of slaves who fought for civil rights for Americans of African
ancestry.
-
Gertrudis Bocanegru (1765-1817) Mexican
freedom-fighter, executed by the Spanish.
-
Boudicca [Boadicea] (d. 62 AD) Queen of
the Iceni, in what is now eastern England. Led resistance against Roman
conquest.
-
Sophonisba Breckenridge (1 Apr 1966-30
Jul 1948) Active in a wide variety of social reform movements.
-
Rachel Carson (27 May 1907-14 Apr
1964) Biologist at Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Her book on pesticides "Slient Spring" is widely credited with sparking the
modern Environmental Movement.
-
Carrie Chapman Catt (9 Jan 1859-9 Mar
1947) Successor to Susan B. Anthony as leader of the Women's Suffragist Movement
in America.
-
Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt (69-30 B.C.E.).
Last pharoah of Egypt; lover of Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius.
She was 19 when she became queen, and was by all accounts beautiful and
seductive. Was instrumental in preventing the destruction of Isis temples
by Roman soldiers, resulting in Isis being worshipped throughout the Roman
Empire.
-
Cunegundes (d. 3 March 1040) Empress of
the Holy Roman Empire, wife of Emperor Henry (emperor 1014-1024). After her
husband's death, she became a nun and took a vow of poverty, devoting the
rest of her life to comforting the poor and the sick.
-
Jeanne d'Arc (1412-1431). Born
not in France but in Lombardy, which was a separate country at the time.
While still a teenager, she went to France and became a military leader in
the war against English invaders, winning the Battle of Orleans in 1429.
The Roman Catholic Church burned her for heresy after she claimed that she
was instructed to do this by God Himself; the Church has since reversed its
opinion and proclaimed her a sainte. We do likewise, honoring her valor and
deep-seated spirituality.
-
Sri Sarada Devi (27 Dec 1853-21 Jul 1920)
Wife of Sri Ramakrishna and a religious leader in her own right. She emphasized
traditional Hindu values. Revered as "Holy Mother" by many today.
-
Dorothea Dix (4 Apr 1802-18 Jul 1887)--
Massachusetts woman who fought for humane treatment of the mentally ill at
a time when most people thought such people were possessed by
demons.
-
Amelia Earhart (24 Jul 1897-2 Jul 1937)
Pioneer aviatrix.
-
Mary Baker Eddy (16 Jul 1821-3 Dec 1910)
American religious leader, founder of the Church of Christ
(Scientist)
-
Queen Elizabeth I of England
(1533-1603) Inherited the throne at a time of great turmoil between Cahtolics
and Protestants. She resisted calls to enter a political marriage to ensure
her nation's security; instead proclaimed herself the "Virgin Queen" in open
imitation of the Virgin Mary. She was thus setting herself up to be worshipped
by Anglicans with the same awe and reverence as Catholics hold for the Mother
of Christ. This strategy succeeded not only in maintaining England's independence
but in making it one of the mightiest nations on Earth.
Click here for
a lengthier discussion.
-
Queen Elizabeth of Portugal
(1271-1336) Sort of the Eleanor Roosevelt of her day, using her position
as queen to persuade her husband to show kindness to his subjects instead
of ruthlessness. Built many charitable institutions.
-
Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231)
Princess fond of giving charity to the poor. Many of the men around her objected
to her "wasting" royal money in this way. She and her children were eventually
driven from the palace as a result, forcing them to become beggars on the
street corner. She nevertheless persisted in her efforts to help the
poor.
-
Enheduanna (Sumer, circa 2200 BCE) High
Priestess of Inanna, author of the poem Exaltation.
-
Margaret Askew Fell (1614-1702) English
religious leader, wife of Quaker founder George Fox. Author of "Women's speaking
justified."
-
Anne Frank. Teenage girl of
Jewish heritage, born in the Netherlands, died at the Nazi Concentration
Camp in Oswiecim (Auschwitz), Poland. Her diary was published and made into
a movie. A symbol of victims of terror everywhere.
Click here for a fuller
discussion.
-
Margaret Fuller
(23 May 1810-19 Jul 1850) American Feminist, friend
ofphilosophers Elizabeth Peabody and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Fought long and
hard for women's rights at a time when women were not allowed to vote or
own property. Died in a shipwreck off Fire Island in New York State on 14
July 1850. Custom (which we propose adopting) is to pour red wine into the
ocean every year on 14 July in her memory.
-
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (3 Jul 1860-17
Aug 1935) Advocate of economic independence for woman, one of the most prominent
intellectuals in the American women's movement
-
Lady Godiva (England, 1040-1080) Noblewoman
of Coventry who bravely risked her own own physical safety and endured the
disdain of many of those around her in order to shame her husband into lowering
an unjust tax on his subjects.
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Angelina (26 Nov 1792-23 Dec 1973) and
Sarah Grimke (20 Feb 1805-26 Oct 1879) Leaders
in the Abolitionist (Anti-slavery) Movement despite having been born into
a slave-holding family in South Carolina.
-
Julia Ward Howe (27 May 1819-17 Oct 1910)
Best known for her song "Battle Hymn of the Republic," she was an active
leader of the Women's Suffrage Movement for many years. Is credited with
having suggested a holiday called "Mother's Day" in honor of the mothers
of soldiers killed in the US Civil War.
-
Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643) Religious
leader and champion of freedom of faith. Expelled from Massachusetts for
refusing to accept the supremacy of the church hiearchy there, she became
one of the founders of Rhode Island.
Click
here for a fuller discussion.
-
Fusaye Ichikawa (1893-1981) Japanese feminist
politician
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Milena Janeska (1890-1944) Czech journalist
sent to concentration camp for helping Jews.
-
Helen Kalvak (1901-1984) Canadian Inuit
artist, noted for the spirituality of her paintings.
-
Hellen Keller (27 Jun 1880-1 Jun 1968)
Blind and deaf woman who overcame her physical disabilities to become a famous
writer and advocate of social justice.
-
Lal-Ded (14th-Century India) Mystic poet,
preaching Shiva-Yoga philosophy in the countryside
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Emma Lazarus - (1849-1887) Fought for
the fights of immigrants fleeing poverty and political oppression in other
countries to find freedom in the US. Wrote the poem inscribed on the Statue
of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning
to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the
homeless, tempest-tost to me! I lift my lamp beside the golden
door."
-
Mary Lyon (28 Feb 1797-5 Mar 1849)
Founder of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, the first college
in the US to educate women. This was at a time when the majority of women
in the US did not know how to read at all.
-
Mary Magdalene -- Friend of Jesus
and one of the most misunderstood people in history. Were it not for her
gender, she would certainly have been counted among Jesus's most important
and influential apostles. Instead, she was slanderously labeled a prostitute,
there being no historical evidence supporting this. We honor her for her
courageous efforts in helping Jesus spread his message of peace and love.
click
here for a fuller discussion
-
Rosa Manus (1880-1942) Dutch Feminist
and Suffragist, killed at Auschwitz.
-
Margaret Mead (16 Dec 1901-15 Nov 1978)
Anthropologist who studied gender roles in other cultures, helping people
in Americaand elsewhere realize the cultural rather than biological nature
of gender roles in our socieities.
-
Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949) Indian poet
and feminist, leader of Independence Movement
-
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)
English nurse during the Crimean War, regarded as the founder of modern
nursing.
-
Alice Paul (11 Jan 1885-9 Jul 1977) Leader
of the radical wing of the Women's Suffrage Movement. Advocated pushing
women's right to vote at an even pace than most other Suffragists of the
time were comfortable with.
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Eva Peron (1922-1952) Actress of humble
birth who became wife of the President of Argentina. Created massive charity
effort to help the poor.
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Trotula Plataerius (11th Century AD) Italian
physician, author of one of the best early books on obstetrics and
gynecology.
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Pocahontas (1595-1617) Native American
girl who at the age of 11 or 12 intervened to prevent the beheading of an
English settler. This prevented hostility from escalating between the two
groups, fostering peace and cooperation.
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Pandita Ramabai (1858-c1920). Indian feminist,
pioneer of Women's Rights Movement.
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Jeannette Rankin (11 Jun 1880-18 May 1973)
First female member of US House of Representatives. Unwavering pacifist,
even voting against US entry into World War II the day after Pearl
Harbor.
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Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
Wife of US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, herself later US delegate
to the United Nations. Theirs was by all accounts more of a political alliance
than a true marriage; they had separate bedrooms in the White House because
of Eleanor's refusal to forgive Franklin for an extramarital affair years
earlier. She did, however, use her position as First Lady to fight for compassion
and justice. She thus set a shining example for women everywhere.
-
Dori'a Safiq (1910-1975) Egyptian feminist
instrumental in gaining the right to vote for Egyptian women.
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Margaret Sanger (14 Sep 1879-6 Sep 1966)
Advocate of birth control.
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Sappho (circa 610-580 B.C.E.)
Lyric poet of the Greek island of Lesbos. Many of her poems express love
for women. She is believed by many to have been a lesbian, although historians
say that there is little historical evidence suggesting that she engaged
in this physically.
-
Elizabeth Bayley Seton (28 Aug 1774-4
Jan 1821) Founder of the American Sisters of Charity, first
American declared a sainte by the Roman Catholic Church
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Elizabeth Cady Stanton (12
Nov 1815-12 Nov 1902) Leader of suffragist movement in US.
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Marie Stopes (1880-1958) Fouded
UK's first contraception clininc. Outspoken advocate of birth control,
influencing the attitudes of the Church of England. PhD in botany
1904.
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Lucy Stone (13 Aug 1818-18 Oct 1893) Feminist
leader.
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Harriet Beecher Stowe (14 Jun 1811-1 Jul
1896) Wrote many popular books showing the world the horrors of slavery.
These books were extremely influential and eventually led to the abolition
of slavery in the US. The most popular: "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
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Empress Theodora (497-548) Byzantine empress
unusual in her time for her devotion to social causes and to improving the
legal status of women.
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Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) Young French
woman noted for devoting her life to charity. Nicknamed the "Little Flower"
because of her belief that each person represents a flower in the Garden
of Heaven. Proclaimed a sainte by the Roman Catholic Church in
1925.
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Susette Tibbles (1854-1903) American
campaigner for the rights of Native Americans
-
Flora Tristan (1803-1844) French Feminist
and Socialist, who fought to end social injustice whever she found
it.
-
Trung Trac and Trung
Nhi -- (d 43) Vietnamese sisters who led a rebellion against
Chinese occupation. They were initially successful and established Vietnam
as an independent country ruled by Trung Trac. She ruled wisely and kindly
for several years before the Chinese invaded and reconquered the country.
The two sisters have become the subject of many legends and tales in
Vietnam.
-
Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) African-American
woman who escaped slavery in the US South, and helped many other slaves to
escape as well.
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Emma Willard (23 Feb 1787-15 Apr 1870)
Very early advocate of education for women in the US, at a time when most
girls received not even elementary schooling.
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Victoria Woodhull (23 Sep 1838-10
Jun 1927) Outspoken advocate of free love, rejecting traditional marriage.
Proposed communal management of children and property, equality of the sexes,
and a single standard of morality for men and women. Was the first female
candidate for the Presidency of the United States, running in 1872 as the
candidate of the Equal Rights Party
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Akiko Yosano (1878-1942) Japanese poet,
influential because she broke the centuries-old ban against women expressing
their emotions in print.
-
AUTHORS AND ENTERTAINERS
Emma Elizabeth Crouch
[=Cora Pearl] -- b Devonshire, England; d Paris
1886. Most famous courtesan of Victorian England. Original and inventive,
she had guests at her parties guessing what crazy stunt she would pull next.
She would, for example, sometimes be carried into the dining room on a platter
along with the food, nude, covered with sauce. On other occasions, she would
bathe in champagne in front of her guests. She had a plaster cast made of
her breasts. Her goal was to become a famous celebrity, not uncommon for
courtesans in Victorian England. She was, however, hampered by her thick
lower-class accent. Whe later moved to Continental Europe but was expelled
from Baden, Monte Carlo, Nice, Vichy, and Rome. Died poor.
Theodosia Goodman (stage name
= Theda Bara; nickname = The
Vamp) -- b 20 July 1890; d 7 April 1955. Star of over 40 silent
movies. She reached the peak of her fame about 1915, portraying Salome,
Cleopatra, Juliet, and many other women. In many if not most of her roles,
she portrayed a temtress luring hapiless men to their demises. Her
best-remembered line is "Kiss me, my fool!" Her stage name is an acronym
for "Arab Death;" she and her agent concocted a fictitious persona claiming
Theda was born in the Sahara Desert and had magical powers giving her control
over men. Her dressing room was adorned with skulls and other symbols of
death. She was actually born in Cincinnati. Her popularity declined after
World War I because of changing attitudes among the American
public.
Although Theda's legacy may seem quaint and somewhat bizarre by today's
standards, it must be taken in historical context. She was Hollywood's very
first sex symbol, the first attempt by the movie industry to give sophisticated
portrayals of female sensuality. Every female star in Hollywood since her
day owes a debt to her groundbreaking efforts.
Freda Josephine McDonald
[=Josephine Baker] -- b St. Louis, 3 June 1906;
d Paris, 12 April 1975. An African-American woman, she went to New
York in 1923 in search of a career as a dancer. She had minimal success in
the burlesque houses in Haarlem. Two years later, she moved to Paris, where
she became a major sensation. She often sang nude or nearly nude; her most
famous outfit was a skirt of fresh bananas. During World War II, she joined
the French Resistance fighting Nazi occupation. Her song "J'ai deux amours,
mon pais et Paris," i.e. "I have two loves, my country and Paris" was played
repeatedly by the Free French forces as a symbol of friendship between France
and the US. After the war, she was decorated for valor by the French government.
In later years, she used her money to adopt many children from around the
world and provide them a home in southern France.
Norma Jeane Mortenson
(=Norma Jeane Baker = Marilyn
Monroe) -- b Los Angeles, 1 June 1926; d 5 Aug 1962. Norma Jeane
to us is a martyr, a woman who used her beauty and charm to bring happiness
to millions of people, yet died a tragic death herself. During World War
II, she was a humble factory worker when a photographer noticed her good
looks. She very quickly became first a model, then one of Hollywood's most
famous and most glamorous movie stars. Throughout the 1950's, she was regarded
as America's #1 sex symbol. She was Playboy's very first centerfold and wife
of baseball star Joe DiMaggio. Rumors abound that she even had a physical
relationship with the President of the United States. However, many of the
men around her mistreated her, and she died of a drug overdose. We cherish
her work and honor her memory, but deplore the mistreatment that led to her
premature demise. We hope that she can become a symbol of abused women
everywhere, that her legacy may help other women escape her fate.
Anais Nin -- b Neuilly, France,
21 Feb 1903; d Los Angeles, 14 Jan 1977. French author. Published many novels,
many of them erotic. Her most erotic writings were her own personal diaries,
detailing affairs with several people including simultaneous trysts with
author Henry Miller and Miller's wife. Praised for her unique expression
of femininty, but criticized by some as a narcissist.