🖤 A Heart Unburned: The Macabre Keepsake of Mary Shelley 🖤

Percy Shelley’s Death

On July 8th, 1822, the Romantic Era poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, met his untimely death by drowning off the Gulf of Spezia in Italy. His life was cut short but at the tender age of 29, he left behind a legacy that continues to live on today. 

 His body was discovered by local fishermen after it washed up on shore several days after he was lost at sea. Due to fear of spreading diseases the Italian government ordered that Percy Shelley’s body be burned on the beach at Viareggio in a seaside cremation.  Some of Percy Shelley’s friends were in attendance, most notably Edward Trelawney and Lord Byron.  Percy Shelley’s skull was cracked open and witnesses state that you could hear his brain sizzle, but despite the flames and the intensity of the fire when the cremation was complete, Percy’s heart remained in tact.  This could be for several reasons, but one reason would be that Percy most likely had tuberculosis, and one of the side effects of tuberculosis is that it calcifies the heart. 

The Ultimate Romantic Gesture

 The Romantic Movement often emphasized the themes of love, loss, and the transcendental nature of human emotions.  Romantics frequently looked upon suicide in a positive light. While it is possible that Percy drowned during the storm, some scholars suggest that because Percy was struggling with health issues, including tuberculosis, he may not have fallen off the boat in the storm, but may have chosen to take his own life.

 After the cremation, Edward Trelawney took the heart and kept it, but eventually Lord Byron convinced him to give it as a final parting gift to Percy Shelley’s wife, Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Mary and Percy had a passionate love, and she kept his heart in her desk drawer so that he would always be close to her.  During the Romantic Era, holding a piece of a loved one after they passed as a memento mori was common.  

Percy’s heart was discovered after Mary died, wrapped in silk and pages of his poem “Adonais” along with her children's hair locks.  This physical symbol of their love was a tangible reminder of the profound bond and passion they shared as a couple.  The legacy of Percy and Mary Shelley continues to resonate, reminding us of the enduring power of love and the profound impact of grief on the creative spirit.

Inspiration from this Story

As a Murder Mystery Romance writer, I am excited by this story.  It mixes the darkness of history with extreme romance, and it inspires me to think outside the box about love stories.  When I first heard this story, I heard that it was in a jar in her office, but the more and more I researched,d I learned that she kept it close to her.  Their relationship was passionate, and they had many people against them, especially in the beginning.  They persevered and she loved him so much that she even kept a piece of him for as long as she could.  This still happens today, maybe not in as literal terms, but people are still making their loved one’s ashes into diamonds, jewelry, pressed into records, and various other household items in order to keep them close.