Just came across mention of somebody interesting: St. Basil or Vasily, also known as Basil Fool for Christ. He was born in 1469 and is a Russian Orthodox saint:

Basil is considered a yurodivy or holy fool. Originally an apprentice shoemaker in Moscow, he adopted an eccentric lifestyle shoplifting and giving to the poor. He went naked and weighed himself down with chains. He rebuked Ivan the Terrible for not paying attention in church.

And here is the entry for a “yurodivy” or holy fool.

The yurodivy is traditionally an eccentric figure who is outside conventional society. The madness of the yurodivy is ambiguous, and can be real or simulated. He (or she) is believed to be divinely inspired, and is therefore able to say truths which others cannot, normally in the form of indirect allusions or parables. He had a particular status in regard to the Tsars, as a figure not subject to earthly control or judgment.

Sounds like it’s a holdover from shamanic practices. Supposedly in the Russian Orthodox Church, there are a total of 36 holy fools, with St. Basil as the most prominent.

There is a Bible verse that relates rather closely to this as well:

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound those who are mighty.”

— 1 Cor 1:27

Here’s a website with an article about Holy Fools and some cool stories about Basil. This actually sounds really similar to a Mexican folk saint (not recognized by the suckers in the Vatican), called El Nino Fidencio.