When summoned before the inquisitor John of Schwenkenfeld and his fellow Dominicans in 1332, four members of the Hooded Sisters of Świdnica (Schweidnitz) explained that they had another name for their community. The one-time recluse Adelheid had heard that their name was the ‘union of the daughters of Udilindis’ (quod titulus earum est unio filiarum Vdyllindis). When the inquisitors asked ‘Margaret the pictrix’ (she painted or embroidered images) about the doctrines of the daughters of Udilind (filiarum Vdyllindis de unione) as laid out by Adelheid, Margaret answered that this was, indeed, their title (respondet, quod ille est titulus earum). Obviously intrigued, the inquisitors then tried to find out more about this mother figure and inquired of Lutgard of Leipzig if she knew about this name. Her answer was vague: Udilindis was well commended because she was a good sister, drawing others to God, but she had nothing more to say about her. These three sisters had not been with the community at Świdnica for long and belonged to the group of younger sisters who were accusing the older members of wilful behaviour, iniquities, and wrongful teachings. But Blind Anna, who had lived there for twenty-six years – that is, since about 1306 – did not elaborate on the name either, simply confirming that her community was called the ‘congregation of the poor’ as well as the ‘union of Udilind's daughters’.

So who was Udilindis? None of the four women seem to have met her. According to Ludgard, she was remembered as a charismatic missionary figure. Was she involved in the foundation of the Świdnica convent? As we know nothing about its origins, we cannot know. So who was she? The editors of the Świdnica protocol were determined to find out, and Paweł Kras activated his international networks. One member pointed him to my database which features more than 2,100 beguines documented in Cologne between 1223 and about 1400. Searching for Udilind/Odelind or Uda/Oda, a female name not as frequent as, for example, Adelheid or Elisabeth but by no means unique, I soon discovered a Cologne beguine by the name of Odelindis with an interesting background.