Kestrell

From the book on archetypal psychology which I am currently reading, _Pagan Grace: Dionysos, Hermes, and Goddess Memory in Daily Life_ by Ginette Paris (1990, 2003)

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I find it amazing that the Greek language crossed over so many natural boundaries, because the history of languages tells us that a natural barrier such as mountain, river or sea normally defines the frontier of a language. For example, the unity of Egypt or of Mesopotamia was clearly favored by geography. If we follow this reasoning, it's surprising that Greece, a chopped-up territory if there ever was one, could have attained such linguistic and cultural unity; from Cyprus to Ithaca to Sicily people could understand each other, as if language floated over mountains and bodies of water and even the most inaccessible peaks. This paradox illustrates the passion of the Greeks for communication. For them boundaries and frontiers were not obstacles but places to meet and communicate, a little like neighbors leaning over a backyard fence.


The Greeks expressed their talent for communication even when words could not be exchanged. They adopted a form of communication used by the Phoenicians, a kind of "silent trade." If, for example, I am the captain of a ship and I must get some fresh food, I might leave an assortment of gifts on the beach for the local inhabitants and then return to my ship. I come back the next day. My gifts are gone, but in their place I find fresh provisions that will help me continue my voyage and perhaps some crafted objects that I like bringing back home. If one of the objects I left is still there, I understand that the local people are not interested in it. If it was a fair trade, I might return.
The Greeks had an expression for these found objects--"a gift of Hermes," a gift that is left somewhere without knowing to whom it might be useful. Another example of this silent trade is given by the peasant who lives beside a well-traveled road: he might leave a "gift of Hermes" when he puts some bread, water and cheese in a jug at the crossroads. The hungry traveler leaves a "gift to Hermes" when he returns a few coins or other useful items in the jug after consuming the food. Adjusted to the invisible, this form of communication is based on intuiting the needs of someone who will never be seen or known. But since Hermes is "he who carries the message," it doesn't matter if the messenger is visible or not, or the language is verbal or non-verbal, literal, or symbolic, written or spoken, as long as people understand each other. (pp. 62-63)
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