ABSTRACT
Semantic analyses of the words ἔσχατα (“furthest edge”) and πεῖραρ (“boundary” or “bond”) in Homeric formulae reveal distinctive understandings of marginal space. Whereas ἔσχατα frequently denotes isolated space, where a character might be approaching or protected from surrounding danger, πεῖραρ demonstrates a thematic association between the edges of the earth, the divinely appointed ὀλέθρου/νίκης πείρατα (“boundaries of destruction/victory”) and death. The intratextual networks built by these words suggest a traditionally referential relationship with mental "schemas" shared by the audience. Their potential to communicate multifaceted, unspoken ideas indicates the depth and antiquity of anxiety connected to marginal spaces in Greek thought.
