Ambivalence in Herodotus’ Supplication Narratives

Hiketeia, the ancient Greek ritual of supplication, was performed by individuals seeking asylum or other forms of help. According to John Gould, hiketeia is ambivalent: although the suppliant is considered inferior towards the person he addresses, the gestures of supplication reveal a certain aggressiveness on a symbolical level. By embracing someone’s knees, for example, or sitting down at the hearth of his house, the suppliant touches “what must be kept inviolate.” The means of ritual, therefore, allow the suppliant to transgress boundaries – an act which would be considered an affront in non-ritual circumstances. However, ambivalence concerns not only the person seeking help: often, the supplicated individuals are not sure how to respond, since someone’s request for help creates a conflict of interest. On the one hand, suppliants are considered protégés of Zeus Hikesios and can demand respect from their addressees. On the other hand, accepting their plea can pose a safety issue for the rescuer: protecting someone in flight carries the risk of confrontation with his pursuers. In his Histories, Herodotus discusses this dilemma (1.157 ff.) and shows how persons who have violated the norms of supplication later try to “cor­rect” their deed (1.160; 3.149). Finally, the behavior of the addressees in the ritual context can be interpreted as ambivalent, for example, when they use gestures and conventions whose meaning is culturally agreed upon for other purposes, thereby deceiving those seeking protection. This paper aims to show how ambivalence characterizes supplication scenes in Herodotus and how the historian deals with the openness of hiketeia to shape his narrative.