FAQ About Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva is an English legend that dates back over a thousand years. The story goes that the townspeople were very nagging and harassing her husband, so he asked his noble wife to ride through the bustling town naked on horseback in order to get them out of their hair. It's unclear if this actually occurred; what is clear is that there are many drawings and paintings from artists who wanted to memorialize this event across the centuries. And there are other legends of similar proportions about women who took trips naked in order to preserve something important--it may have been family honor, cattle grazing rights or burial funds for loved ones.

Lady Godiva, a noblewoman of Anglo-Saxon England in eleventh century England, famously rode naked on horseback through Coventry proclaiming people should make peace with their spouses. Shortly after her death it became clear that Lady Godiva was actually a composite character made up of two women from different areas with different circumstances. According to the story as told in 'a life called Peterborough', it's not very likely that she would have ridden naked during her protest.

This is a question that's been asked many times. The fact of the matter is that there really was no Lady Godiva and this battle cry for purity has merely become a legend, but not without a reason. The tradition of riding naked back and forth through Coventry on horseback—in order to recall an ancient deed by Lady Godiva—dates from the mid-19th century England when protesting taxes became popular among citizens as well as among members of parliament who were unhappy with government spending. In 1842, anger about rising wheat prices in particular caused John Prestige (1813–68), member for Aylesbury, to imitate Lady Godiva and ride his horse through London's streets clothed only in a long sheet

The statue of Lady Godiva stands in the Broadgate, Coventry.

Lady Godiva legend dating back to at least the 13th century.

Lady Godiva Syndrome is the act of exhibiting one's genitalia in public. This is a type of exhibitionism that usually goes unreported or unrecognized, as it usually occurs when standing next to someone on an escalator or in a crowded subway car.

The "Lady Godiva" term comes from a now-alternate spelling (Godive) of "God Ava", which was allegedly the pseudonym under which the syndrome was first documented by Dr. George Wieland Fithian, M.D., Provost Emeritus at Northwestern Ohio Medical University and former president of both the American Psychiatric Association and American College of Sexology--moreover, one who had been treated for this condition himself! Accordingly, it appears