A category of the supernatural in ancient Greek culture

Flaminia Beneventano della Corte Abstract

Φάσµα

A category of the supernatural in ancient Greek culture

This thesis aims at exploring the notion of phasma in ancient Greek culture, by taking into account all the occurrences of the word from the first instance (P. O. VIII) to the II century A.D., except for those sources belonging to the Christian-Judaic cultural milieu, in which phasma appears to be resemantized.

In modern scholarship, the specificity of phasma is barely addressed. In those studies which deal with the supernatural, phasma is mostly regarded as a kind of double (as in Vernant 1965) or as a ghost or phantom, mainly acting as a revenant (Stramaglia 1999; Ogden 2002; Felton 1999 and 2015). Although these features undoubtedly belong to certain instances of phasma, a large portion of its meaning seems to be left out.

From a semantic point of view, as a preliminary survey of textual evidence shows, phasma is an unmarked word, and therefore can be associated to with a set of referents: apparition; spectral appearance; phantom; vision; omen; monster; prodigy etc. (see LSJ and TLG). Therefore, a semantic approach may not be the most fruitful way to tackle the subject. Rather than the designation of the word, this research looks into the signification

of phasma, with the instruments of lexicography, linguistics, pragmatics and anthropology.

In order to trace the signification of phasma, the characteristics which associate all its occurrences, independently from their semantic referent, ought to be pointed out.

Phasmata are, first of all, very visible phenomena (as the root φαν- may suggest). Despite sharing the same brightness as the gods, their image can be sustained by the imperfect human eye without suffering any harm. Moreover, phasmata are also unusual and unexpected. Their exceptional nature, together with their brightness, ought to catch the recipient’s attention in order to establish communication between the humans and the supernatural sphere. The space phasmata act in is in fact liminal: it is a sort of border, where mortals are allowed get in touch with supernatural beings (gods, divine signs and omens, dead people etc.).

1

Benveniste 1969 p. 10.

The communicative function of phasmata is therefore crucial: they are capable of conveying information which is of great benefit to their mortal recipients. Such communicative function is particularly evident when phasmata act as signs (sēmeia) triggering, in their recipients, a cognitive process based on inference and abduction. Finally, phasmata appear as benign phenomena. The information, messages and advice they deliver and the acts they accomplish are aimed at improving human skills and the relationship between mortals and gods.