“His flesh had rotted, and his bed was full of worms”
Living the high life
Just what does it take to make a hermit? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it’s “a person who lives alone and apart from the rest of society, especially for religious reasons”. But in reality, these characters can be far more complex. For more than 1,500 years holy, eccentric or billionaire recluses have been figures of fascination – but also of paradox.
One example is a monk named Simeon. While he lived in the monastery of Teleda, Syria, in c411 AD, he sparked many complaints. Simeon smelled so bad that no one could bear to stand near him. Further investigation revealed that he had bound a rope around himself beneath his tunic, yanking it so tightly that his flesh had rotted, and his bed was full of worms.
At this stage, however, Simeon Stylites had barely begun on his unusual career. By the time that he died in AD 459, he claimed to have spent) adds that Simeon also had use of a lavatory, with an earthenware pipe running down to the ground.
