194 Chapter 4 ‘joined himself together with perseverance’, his body is not shaken. The image of the saint resisting the force of the water, not being moved, but remaining in the same posture, maps the immobility of the saint’s body, as source domain, unto the target domain of resisting temptations. The phrase thus involves the conceptual metaphors temptations are a stormy body of water and withstanding temptations is an immobile body. How Gregory achieved the virtue of perseverance is specified more closely by referring to the Old Testament figures of Job and Joseph. Gregory followed their example by enduring hardship and resisting temptations. The ‘troublesome assaulters’ referred to later in chapter 70 might thus refer to these potential difficulties (temptation and hardship). In addition, ‘troublesome assaulters’ may be interpreted as demons; they may again recall Gregory’s previous interactions and defeats of demons. Demons appear in the narrative whenever Gregory retreats to enclosed spaces. In these episodes, they are represented as using various tactics in an attempt to lure Gregory out of his isolation, to disturb his hesychia and to make him give up on his ascetic lifestyle.666 Like these narrative passages, in which Gregory is always represented as defeating the demons and persevere in his way of life, the metaphorical expression in chapter 70 indicates that Gregory could withstand such adversaries: ‘he planted himself as an extremely unswerving pillar in between the troublesome assaulters’. The latter phrase consists of multiple conceptual metaphors: ‘he planted himself’ expresses the conceptual metaphor people are plants667 and ‘as an extremely unswerving pillar’ expresses a persevering person is a pillar and withstanding temptations is being a pillar. The latter two conceptual metaphors do not necessarily imply that it is the ‘stable’ and ‘immobile’ aspects of a pillar that are mapped unto the target domain. Other qualities of a pillar could also have been intended to be mapped, such as the fact that they are the product of craftsmanship or that they are made of stone. However, by using the adjective ‘ἀκλινέστατον’ (very unswerving/steadfast) the quality of straightness, specifically the quality of not being able to bend or change direction (i.e. remaining in the same position and shape) of a pillar is mapped unto the target domain (the saint, specifically his perseverance). In the phrase ‘he planted himself as a pillar’ the logic of the two conceptual metaphors people are plants and a persevering person is a pillar interact. An image of a pillar that is rooted in the ground, at a particular spot, emerges. The pillar of the source domain is thus not only defined as remaining in the same shape, but is also tied to a certain place. Therefore, both these aspects of the pillar-metaphor, remaining in the same shape ánd place, are mapped onto the target domain: the perseverance of the saint. 666 Of course the narrative always presents Gregory as defeating the demons, continuing his ascetic lifestyle, and thus embodying the virtue of perseverance. Demons appear in the narrative for example during the episodes in the cave (Life of Greogry 6-16); or in the tower in Syracuse (Life of Gregory 27-31). 667 This conceptual metaphor has been identified in CMT literature and is still part of metaphorical thinking today, see e.g., Kovecses (2002), p. 335.
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