3 Lessons From The Myth Of The Fool’s Nave
The myth of the madman’s nave began to be mentioned in 1486, at the dawn of the Renaissance. A man called Sebastian Brandt wrote a long poem called Arrenschiff or Stultifera navis . The latter deals with the sea voyage made by 111 madmen, to get to a place called “Narragania” or “Locagonia”.
Jerónimo de Bosh, El Bosco, was more direct. He created a painting called “The Fool’s Nave”. There he captures the pilgrimage of a group of men and women who are not fully minded and travel by sea to an unknown destination. This is the essence of the myth of the madman’s nave. Those who do not coincide with the scheme of collective reason must be thrown into the vastness of the ocean. They are destined for a wandering life, without country, without dry land. Endless drift.
Michel Foucault, in his work entitled History of madness in the classical period , alludes to the myth of the nave of fools. He indicates that the latter could have real foundations. There are documents from antiquity and the Middle Ages in which are mentioned ships whose cargo was many “mad”. According to these accounts, they were not allowed to dock in any port. They had to stay away from everyone.
The myth of the madman’s nave lies in the very essence of the construction of the concept of madness. Also in the company’s response to it and in the treatment that should automatically be applied to it. We can learn several lessons, here are three of them.
1. Madness is intolerable for society
The first approaches to the study of what went on in the minds of individuals were made in Ancient Greece . There was an ambiguity about this. Insanity was seen as a demonic condition and then, with Hippocrates, as an imbalance of the moods of the body which had to be treated with a proper diet. Something similar took place in Ancient Rome.
Madness definitely entered the domain of the supernatural in the Middle Ages. We were not talking of madness as such, but of possession. Ostracism and segregation were, then as in previous years, a normal treatment for people with mental disorders.
2. The myth of the madman’s ship and brutality
Unlike other patients, the madman does not complain. He is fundamentally feared. Although mental disorders are not in principle “contagious”, as would be leprosy or tuberculosis, they nevertheless unleash a deep rejection on the part of others. This rejection has often resulted in brutality.
The Fool’s Ship myth represents an intolerant and cruel way to deal with mental illness. However, segregation is only one of the “less drastic” ways to deal with insanity. There have been and do exist other much more brutal practices. For example, people with mental health problems have often been tortured.
In the Middle Ages, “fools” were burned, beaten and often treated like animals. It was believed that there was “the stone of madness” and that it was in the brain. Many people have been mutilated in order to extract this element of evil. With modern times the idea arose and spread that madmen should be confined, rather than sending them on a wandering journey, as was the case in the myth of the madman’s nave.
3. The concept of madness is diffuse and imprecise
Even in the 21st century there is no definitive concept of what insanity is. This is all the more true in earlier times. During the Middle Ages and Modern Ages, anyone who deviated from the norm was called a madman. This included cognitive disabilities, rebellious people, prostitutes and almost anyone who did not meet the prevailing parameters.
Many will surely be amazed to read this. Perhaps they will think that we are happily living in another era. However, the change is not so noticeable today. We live in a society that accepts only collective delusions. For example, the conviction that such a brand makes us superior. There are countries in the world where some people believe that they are superior to others by wearing clothes of a certain brand. This is not considered madness. Conversely, a speech made by a single individual is perceived as unhealthy and is treated accordingly.
Cruelty continues to haunt mental illness. This insensitivity sometimes arises in the very family of those who hold delusional speeches or are victims of hallucinations. Exclusion remains a way to remedy this situation. As in the myth of the mad ship, many people with mental disorders are left to fend for themselves. We sometimes meet them on the streets of many cities around the world. Or in a constant back and forth within mental institutions, which rarely seek to support and promote them. Segregation, secrecy and concealment, continue to prevail, as if madness constituted a reality which could disappear by concealing it under a blanket.
Our thoughts No matter what your reasons are for seeking therapy, THERE IS NOTHING NEGATIVE TO DOING. Let’s think about this together.
