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by Suzie Johnson |
“There
is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They
speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of
overwhelming grief, of deep contrition and of unspeakable love.”
~~ Washington
Irving; American author, 1783-1859
Several weeks ago while having breakfast
with my coworkers, my boss mentioned a Victorian tradition of mourning where
their tears were collected in a bottle. When the tears had evaporated, the
mourning period was over. Some of you have undoubtedly heard of this, but I had
not. Something about the idea of storing tears in a bottle struck me as both
tragic and romantic.
Tear Catchers
Larchrymatory Bottles
Lachrymosa
Tear Bottles
There are differing opinions on when
this tradition began. Some believe it was approximately 1000 AD. Others believe
it was in First Century Rome.
~~
Psalm 56:8; King James Version
This passage in Psalm 56 is often
mentioned as the beginning of the tradition. However, like many other verses, this
particular one is translated differently in several different Bible versions.
“Record
my misery; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record?”
~~
Psalm 56:8; New International Version
There is no mention of putting tears in
a bottle in this translation. But there is a footnote next to the phrase “list my tears on your scroll”. The
footnote reads: “put my tears in your
wineskin,” which is closer to putting them in a bottler than listing them
on a scroll.
Either way, the sentiment is the same:
“Take
note of my tears, O God. Wipe them away for me; help me grieve, for I cannot do
it alone.”
Was there a tradition of gathering tears
into a bottle at the time of David? It’s not known for certain, but David wrote
those words and there is evidence of small bottles found in ancient tombs of
the extremely wealthy. Though no one in First Century Rome really knew the
purpose for the bottles, the theory of tear catchers was developed. Mourners
would, they said, cry into the bottles as a sign of respect.
Did the First Century Romans then begin
to use tear bottles? Again it isn’t proven, though many glass bottles were
manufactured during this time. Like the bottles found in the tombs, they could
have been used for perfume, oils, or medicines.
Whether factual or not, tradition seems
to have been borne out of legend.
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Victorian Era Cut Glass Tear Catcher |
The various mourning traditions of
Victorian England are well documented, and among those traditions – collecting tears
in the lacrymatory bottle.
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Civil War Era Tear Catcher |
A variation of this practice spilled over to the
United States, and soldiers during the Civil War would leave a bottle with
their wives in the hopes that she would fill it with her tears while he was
gone. If he returned from war to find the bottle filled with her tears, he
would then be assured of her devotion. Since many of the soldiers did not
return from war, the wives would save their bottle of tears in remembrance of
their husbands.
This practice is truly fascinating and
sentimental. Whether it really did occur in King David’s time or in the first
century, the legend itself demonstrates the need for a physical act to help
with the mourning process. By legend linking it to Psalm 56:8, it also
demonstrates the human need and longing for God’s healing touch when grieving.

Sources
used:
www.lacrymatory.com (this site has many links
to more information on tear catchers as well as other mourning traditions)
I have never heard of these bottles myself. What a fascinating subject, Suzie. And those bottles are incredible and make for a great item to collect.
ReplyDeleteThe Victorians were certainly fond of their traditions of high sentimentality. Collecting hair for lockets or framing, for example.
Queen Victoria herself took sentimentality associated with mourning into a whole new level.
I found it quite fascinating, too, Deb. Another thing I came across was a hair ring. I haven't had time to research that one yet, but the ones I saw were beautiful. Yes, I do think they would be pretty to collect.
ReplyDeleteI was familiar with the scripture, but didn't know all this fascinating history. Thanks for sharing it, Suzie. Very poetic and bittersweet.
ReplyDeleteI like your description, Dina. Poetic and bittersweet. I like it and totally agree.
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! I'd never heard of this either, but it's a nice tidbit to put in a story some day. And the bottles are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSharon
Wow! I'm with the others on this as I've never heard of these before, either.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy watching those Antique, pawn store, and picker shows on tv, but I haven't seen one yet that mentions these bottles. Fascinating.
Thank you so much for bringing this topic to us, Suzie. Very informational and unique.
Hi Sharon, I'm glad you stopped by. You're so right. It would be perfect in historical novels. Or even contemporary. I can see this as an object in a mystery.
ReplyDeleteHi Anita,
ReplyDeleteDid I just give you something new to collect? ;-)
Actually, now that I know about these, if I ever see any, I will buy them. They would make an interesting treasure.
I had heard of these from the Bible verse, but I didn't realize that translation might not be exactly what was practiced at the time.
ReplyDeleteFascinating post!
There WILL be tears in this life... objects designed to collect them, validate them. Our God is so loving to care about each individual tear...
ReplyDeleteThanks Suzie!
Thanks DeAnna! It's interesting how the different translations can change maybe not the meaning of a scripture, but the connotation. Still - God pressing my tears on a scroll has a pretty powerful connotation, too.
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl. Gid caring about each tear - that's the part that gives me goose bumps. :-) God is pretty awesome that way.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. But somehow, the idea leaves me...well, let's just say there's a reason I recoiled in horror when my mom suggested medical school all those years ago. I think I'll stick with sopping my tears up with a tissue and throwing it away.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm a wimp that way.
CJ, I can't help but laugh. Those of us who work in a hospital can talk about the ickiest things
ReplyDeleteNow the tissue thing - I've heard of people selling used ones on ebay. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around that one. Shudder....
Fascinating. Makes me want to find my book on mourning and actuallyr ead it. LOL
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie Alice. I think your book on mourning will be an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this either, Suzie! Wow. Some of those bottles are quite pretty. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteSusie, I'm actually quite surprised at all of you Regency ladies who hadn't heard of these. I thought surely you'd all say you've known about these for years and wonder what took me so long. :-)
ReplyDelete