On 25/03/2012 4:51 PM, Robin Netherton wrote:
Cloth headcoverings, some of which cover the ears or neck or both, have been worn in many cultures and for many reasons, including practical ones (cleanliness, weather protection) as well as modesty or fashion. It seems pretty far-fetched to claim the wimple was a result of some obscure commandment to cover the ear because it was the Virgin Mary's sex organ.
To follow up on what Robin states, I have to say this is the first time I've ever heard this claim (either about wimples or about the BVM's ear.) And this is fairly significant, since the focus of my doctoral work was 13th century popular religion (and wimples were definitely fashionable at the time).
The reason the wimple was adopted by nuns had more to do with the fact that wimples were eventually associated with married women, and when a woman became a nun, she "married the church" (often complete with ring).
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