Possibly the most intriguing thing I saw on holiday this summer is pictured below. This small page of writing is to be found in the bell tower of Agrigento Cathedral, Sicily. It is part of a small exhibition dedicated to the illustrious Tomasi di Lampedusa family, whose most famous son, Guiseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa wrote the truly excellent novel The Leopard, published in 1958.

The page begins with an Italian word (ohime = oh dear) but continues in an incomprehensible script. It was found in1676, in the hands of Benedictine nun and member of the Tomassi family, Maria Crocifissa. She was found collapsed in her cell, her face smeared with black ink. She claimed the writing was dictated to her by the devil in a language that only she could understand. The message told her to turn away from God who should show no more mercy and compassion to human beings. One hundred years later Sister Maria, who lived a long and virtuous life, was canonised.  

This story fascinated me (I am contemplating writing a ghost story based upon it) but I do not fully know what to make of it. Sister Maria’s behaviour is consistent with modern diagnoses of schizophrenia although the text of her letter has resisted comprehension for centuries. Recent computer analysis suggests a shorthand drawn from ancient alphabets (Greek, Latin, Runic and Arabic) and claims it includes rambling phrases such as "The system works for no one ... Perhaps now, Styx is certain." Translatable or not, I do not think the team have exhumed all the mystery from the letter. However, language is something that, sometimes, allows us to communicate the unknowable. 

A far more straight-forward language-based sight in Sicily is this marble inlaid tombstone, made in Palermo in 1149. The eulogy for Anna (mother of Norman King Roger II’s personal priest) is written in Judeo-Arabic, Latin, Greek and Arabic. The languages are not direct translations but speak of Anna’s attributes in a way that each of the religious cultures represented might be familiar, with including reference to the Jewish, Orthodox, Western and Muslim calendars. This artefact is evidence of the multi-cultural, multi-faith Kingdom of Sicily established by the Normans in the Middle Ages whose multi-lingualism, alongside its astonishing artistic achievements, bear witness to a peaceful, progressive and happily-remembered period of the island’s history. 

At Royal High next week we cannot promise quite such high art but our MFL Karaoke competition (taking place on Tuesday lunchtime) will certainly speak to some of the ideals we find in Roger’s Kingdom. Languages are of great importance at RHB and bring transferrable skills, confidence and enjoyment to our curriculum. All the languages taught at RHB will be represented in song and I know these will be presented with the style, panache and good humour that we have come to expect from our language learners and their teachers. And yes, I will be entering (ably propped up by the French department) – look out for a slightly ropey rendition of Serge Gainsbourg’s Bonnie and Clyde on the RHB Instagram account next week! Please encourage your daughters to come and support this event and to all entrants, buena suerte, bonne chance, viel glück, 好运 and in bocca al lupo.