Weeping and veiling: Grief, display and concealment in ancient Greek culture

Douglas L. Cairns*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract / Description of output

The gesture of veiling accompanies weeping, grief and mourning in Greek art and literature from the earliest periods onwards. The covering of the head, face or eyes typically expresses a sensitivity to the reactions and judgements of other people. This sensitivity, frequently identified in our sources as αi{hook above}δώς, indicates the contextual specificity of the impulse to weep openly and serves as an illustration of the fact that emotions may have other emotions as their objects. At the same time, like weeping itself, veiling is a demonstrative gesture which not only conceals but also displays one??s emotions. As such, it has the capacity to enhance the power of tears to elicit the sympathy of others. This suggests, in turn, that veiling is not merely a response that supervenes on the experience and expression of grief, but also an expression or symbol of grief in itself, something that is borne out by the use of 'garment' metaphors to describe the emotion's onset. Finally, we must bear in mind that veiling may accompany not only spontaneous outbreaks of grief, but also the ritualized performance of mourning. Its use in mourning ritual thus bears comparison with its occurrence in other rites of passage, including the passage from life to death itself.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationTears in the Graeco-Roman World
PublisherDe Gruyter
Pages37-57
Number of pages21
ISBN (Print)9783110201116
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Aug 2009

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