TFBT: Thresholds

Over at the Kosmos Society we’ve been discussing “thresholds” in the forums.

Taboo on Crossing the Threshold

You know me. I am going to the Iliad for examples. As I started collecting I noticed something; a taboo on crossing the threshold;

Then Hector of the shining helmet left her, [Iliad 6.370] and right away was at his own house. He did not find Andromache of the white arms, for she was on the wall with her child and one of her maids, weeping bitterly. Seeing, then, that she was not within, [375] he stood on the threshold of the women’s rooms

Okay that makes sense. Other women might be naked in there.

Meleager was also supplicated many times by the old charioteer Oineus, 9.582 who was standing at the threshold of the chamber with the high ceiling 583 and beating at the locked double door, hoping to supplicate him by touching his knees. 584

Oineus has an excuse for not crossing, but the bottom line is he cannot.

Iliad 19.91 That goddess Atē, senior daughter of Zeus—she makes everyone veer off-course [aâsthai], 92 that disastrous one [oulomenē], the one who has delicate steps. She never makes contact with the ground of the threshold, 93 never even going near it,

That looks pretty specific about not crossing it

[Iliad 23:200] They were holding high feast in the house of boisterous Zephyros when Iris came running up to the stone threshold of the house and stood there,

Not even Iris in an emergency can cross the threshold?

I have just glanced at the Odyssey, but it looks like every time he enters the palace at Phaeancia, he paused before crossing the threshold.

Hurled From Olympus

“I caught any one of them I gripped him and hurled him from the heavenly threshold till he came fainting down to earth;” (Iliad 15.25)

Getting tossed over the celestial threshold like Ate (Homer Iliad19.126) and Hephaestus, is not a good thing. Generally such daemons can’t re-cross the threshold.

Goddesses Changing Form when Crossing the Threshold

I noticed something about Athena crossing the celestial threshold; it might be universal.  Goddesses change form when they cross the threshold.  Maybe that is why Iris and Ate were reluctant to cross it. For

“As for Athena, daughter of Zeus who has the aegis, she let her woven robe slip off at the threshold of her father, her pattern-woven peplos, the one that she herself made and worked on with her own hands. And, putting on the khiton of Zeus the gatherer of clouds, with armor she armed herself to go to war, which brings tears.” (Iliad 5.733-738) 

She reenacts the scene at [Iliad 8.385].  Strange place to change clothes, but it is more than that.  We talked about this before; gods taking on new forms.  She starts out as Zeus’ favorite daughter and ends up wearing his clothes and armor while bearing the awesome aegis before here.  Homer’s account turns her into a stand-in for Zeus, maybe in appearance too, like Patroclus in Achilles armor.

Mourning Demeter disguised as an elderly woman unthinking reveals herself when she cross the threshold.

“Soon they came to the house of heaven-nurtured Celeus and went through the portico . . . the goddess walked to the threshold: and her head reached the roof and she filled the doorway with a heavenly radiance.”  HH Demeter

Athena as Mentor seems to recognize the risk of crossing the threshold for when “she took the form and voice of Mentor, and called Telemachus to come outside.”  (Od 2.400]  Unless I missed it all their conversations were outside the sacred threshold of Odysseus house until just before the big battle scene (Od 22.210-241) where she enters the house as Mentor, Odysseus recognizes her as Athena and then she turns into swallow.

Oh I expected to find a problem with thresholds and the goddess' maiden form in the HH to Aphrodite.  But she kept her form when she crossed Anchises' threshold. Can I cheat here?  Her true form was revealed to him in the morning twilight at the threshold of sleep.

Threshold for Supplicants

There are several examples of Odysseus as a supplicant sitting on the threshold at Aeolus’ place and, while in disguise, several times at this own places. I think we can see another example in Polynices and Tydeus at Adrastus’ door.

But, I think a threshold in this scenario is just a sacred place for a supplicant. Like Zeus’ knees t (Ilaid 1.500) when Thetis seized his knees and besought him or like Arete’s knees;

“still hidden by the cloak of darkness in which Athena had enveloped him, till he reached Arete and King Alkinoos; then he laid his hands upon the knees of the queen, and at that moment the miraculous darkness fell away from him and he became visible. Everyone was speechless with surprise at seeing a man there,” (Odyssey 7.140-145)

Or the hearth in lieu an altar (or as the family altar)

Then he sat down on the hearth among the ashes and they all held their peace,[7.154-155]

 The Aeacides and Thresholds

Achilles says; “My life is worth more to me than … all the treasure that is stored inside when you enter the stone threshold of the one who shoots, Phoebus Apollo, at rocky Pytho.” (Iliad 9.401-406)  Ironically, his son Neoptolemos goes to Delphi where when “he is refused the satisfaction demanded for Achilles’ death before Troy, (he) plunders the sanctuary and sets fire to the temple.”(i ) There are several different myths about Neoptolemus’ visit to Delphi, but all agree that he was killed and “buried beneath the threshold of the temple, presumably where he fell.”(ii)  Pausanias tells us that Neoptolemus’ shrine was actually to the left as you passed out of the temple and over the threshold [10.24.6] And that when the Gauls attempted to, plunder all the treasure that is stored inside sanctuary Neoptelomus and two other heroes arose from their graves to insure that the Gauls did not cross the threshold. (1.4.4)

________________________________________________
i Neoptolemos at Delphi, Emilio Suárez de la Torro, Kernos, 10 (1997), p.153-176
ii Neoptolemus at Delphi: Pindar,” Nem.” 7.30 ff. L Woodbury – Phoenix, 1979 – JSTOR

Those Thresholds Below

 We’ve discussed celestial and mortal thresholds how about a transmission to those below; “Grandchild of Atlas, Arcadian-born, deity that sharest hell and heaven, thou who alone hast the right to cross either threshold.” (The Rape of Proserpine Claudian 1.89)  I think we talked about this in HeroesX.  Hermes was one of the few gods who passed lightly into the Underworld.  Plus there is a taboo on the Olympians fraternizing with the children of Night.

The bronze thresholds of Tartarus/Hades are unpassable, maybe even to gods. Cerberus standing on the threshold would make one pause as would the Hecatoncheires.

“here by the counsel of Zeus who drives the clouds the Titan gods are hidden under misty gloom, in a dank place where are the ends of the huge earth. And they may not go out; for Poseidon fixed gates of bronze upon it, and a wall runs all round it on every side. There Gyes and Kottos and great-souled Obriareos live, trusty warders of Zeus who holds the Aegis  (Hesiod, Theogony) 

“There [in Tartarus] stands the awful home of murky Nyx (Night) wrapped in dark clouds. In front of it the son [Titan Atlas] of Iapetus stands immovably upholding the wide heaven upon his head and unwearying hands, where Nyx (Night) and Hemera (Day) draw near and greet one another as they pass the great threshold of bronze  (Theogony)

“And there [in Erebus, beyond Oceanus at the ends of the earth,], all in their order, are the sources and ends of the dark earth (ge) and misty Tartarus and the unfruitful sea (pontos) and starry heaven (ouranos), loathsome and dank, which even the gods abhor. And there are shining gates and an immoveable threshold of bronze having unending roots and it is grown of itself. And beyond, away from all the gods, live the Titans, beyond gloomy Chaos." Theogony

Guardians at the threshold

I don’t know what to say about the various guardians at the thresholds  The daemoness Campe preceded the Hectanshieres as guardian of the bronze threshold of Tartarus, but we know nothing of her expect that Cronus killed her.  We touched on Cerberus standing on the threshold of Hades.  His adoption in the Olympian hierarchy along with  other of his siblings in the brood of Echidna and the Hectanshieres incorporation might reflect an effort to include creatures that could be enemies if not made friends.   We discussed Neoptolemus guarding Delphi.  But there is there is no Heimdall in Greek myth.  He was the god in Norse mythology who guarded the Aesir from the prophesied attack by the Giants.  No watchman alerted Olympus when the Giants attacked twice.   But what about Heracles as guardian of the celestial threshold.  Heracles was the last threat to the Olympians political structure. He was adopted by Hera and wed to Hebe.  

Did Heracles “porter duties” (Graves) include watchman over the celestial threshold?