We were pleased to welcome Patricia Hatcher, CUNY Graduate Center, to join members of the Kosmos Society for an Open House discussion on Rites of Passage and the Making of Achilles in Statius’ Achilleid.
This talk applies anthropological ritual theory to Statius’ Achilleid to reinterpret Achilles’ early life as a series of rites of passage. Drawing on Arnold van Gennep’s tripartite model and Victor Turner’s concept of liminality, the discussion identifies three overlapping transitions that move Achilles from youth to warrior: his education with Chiron on Mount Pelion; his concealment on Skyros; and his departure with the Achaeans.
When read through the frameworks of van Gennep, Turner, and Vidal-Naquet’s Black Hunter, Statius’ epic reveals how ancient narratives imagined the social making of heroes. The paper concludes with a brief application of monster theory to Achilles as a liminal and monstrous figure poised between human and divine.
To prepare for the event, you might like to read:
- Statius: Achilleid.
- DM Georgina: Van Gennep’s Stages of Rites of Passage.
The Open House was held on October 24th at 11:00 am and was recorded. You can watch on the Kosmos Society YouTube channel or in the frame below.
Patricia Y. Hatcher
Patricia Y. Hatcher is a Ph.D. candidate in Classics at the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC. Her main interests are in literary and material culture in the ancient Mediterranean, specifically focusing on myth, monsters, and other liminal beings. She currently serves as the President of the New York Classical Club, a non-profit charity that works to promote the study of classical antiquity in all its forms.