Relics were widely believed to have healing powers; the Pardoner suggests that they are remunerative in other ways--that is, relics could cure sick animals or increase the productivity of farmers. Criticism connects the tale's focus on productivity with the Pardoner's own sterility and the mystery of his sexual identity.
The Pardoner is one of the most corrupt--and popular, at least among critics--of Chaucer's characters. The Pardoner represents a significant intersection between magic and religious belief because he deliberately tries to confuse his ignorant audiences of the difference between them.
The Pardoner describes his traditional sales pitch in his powerful Prologue. He shows "longe cristal stones" or glass cases that supposedly contain relics. But they are instead "ycrammed ful of cloutes and of bones" (of rags and bones)," and even so he calls them "relikes" (VI.347-49). He describes these relics (actually from animals, not saints) as having magical powers.
"Goode men," the Pardoner begins (VI.351), "taak of my wordes keep." He offers them a sheep bone that will give healing powers to well water; if the "good-man" or head of household who owns animals drinks from this water every week, his animals will multiply (VI.365).
Speaking next to "sires," he claims that this water will cure them of jealous fits, even though their wives sleep with two or three priests (VI.371). Thus introduced, women appear as if on loan to the Church for the amusement of the priests. But the magic will be useful to the men in testing their wives' fidelity, for women who cheat on their husbands, and indeed anyone guilty of "synne horrible, that he / Dar nat, for shame, of it yshryven be" (VI.379-80), cannot benefit from his relics. (It is possible that this "synne horrible" is homosexuality, a point Chaucerians haven't agreed on.)
The Pardoner's shameless exploitation of belief in the magic power of relics, genuine or false, can lead to an examination of the history of relics along any of several lines:
The Theft of Relics: Patrick Geary's book Sacra Furta discusses the monastic custom of stealing the sacred relics of another, competing monastery.
False Relics: What are the first signs that false relics were being passed off as the genuine article? Relics of the True Cross, for example, were very popular and much too common to be genuine. What is the history of this tradition?
As is often the case in SEAFARER, we recommend that you begin by tracking down a specific study--e.g., Geary's--or that you consult the Dictionary of the Middle Ages or a comparable general source for preliminary bibliography.
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