The Hermit of Continuity

Skipping through the duller stuff from yesterday's Synod on the Comment is Free live-blog. There's no point getting excited about women bishops, as it turns out that the vote on that is in July. The Church of England now seems to have been "opening the door to women bishops" since the Flood.

But I discover the stunning information that the Church of England has 12 "enclosed hermits". Who knew that these godly people still existed, taking their religion so seriously? The world seems a better place for knowing this, somehow. There's no indication as to how or where they are enclosed, however. The details are sketchy. Are they enclosed in the manner of Mother Julian, or our own nearby and blessed Christina of Markyate? Are there twelve of them  because that's the "right" number, and whenever one wanders off to do other things or receives her/his eternal reward they have to elect another one? Presumably they don't all live together, although if they did that would be an "observance" of hermits, I discover. As opposed to a "mutual contradiction" of hermits, which would make more sense.

By contrast, here in the Beaker Folk, we used to have a small group of Hermits of Suspicion. A fairly unpleasant bunch, they had a habit of looking at you like you'd been doing something wrong and generally making you feel pretty sinful. They all had to take the name "Herman" on their inclusion in their order. But after Drayton set up his Funambulist Baptist Chapel they discovered that his was a stricter and more world-denying form of religion and joined him. All except the one remaining Hermit, Herman, who refused to deny his vows. Since he's keeping the order going all on his own now we call him the Hermit of Continuity.

Hermitically sealed

I have to say, Milton is doing himself rather well out of his hermitry. He's change his name again - this time to Hugo. Hugo the Hermit has quite a nice ring to it, I think. And where his tin hut had a leaky roof, some well-wishing Beaker People went out and patched it up for him, while he looked beatifically at them.

He's not actually made any steps towards the re-erection of Duckhenge yet, however. Still, I suppose he needs to meditate his way into the right frame of mind. And it is Sunday.

Hermit

Overcome by our discussions about Matt 16, Milton Ernest has chosen to give up his worldly goods and sacrifice all things to be an hermit. To that effect he's now living in the old tin shed down by the duck pond, and is dedicating himself to rebuilding Duck Henge, the henge monument that has been repeatedy destroyed in recent years through fire, flood, pestilence and wargs.

I'm quietly confident that he'll be back before the winter snows. And I'm also confident that I'll enjoy the Ardberg he's given up to save his soul. But I'm not so sure that I approve of the "new name" he's taken. I vetoed "Herman" as that was plainly stupid. But to be honest, I'm not so sure I approve of the new one either. What does everybody else think of "Kermit the Hermit"?