197 Conceptual metaphors of travel and stability positive connotations with both immobility and mobility. Moreover, studying how mappings structured and shaped the understanding of the target domains, we can learn about conceptions of life, politeia and virtue. The analysis thus revealed contradictory thought patterns, conceptions of virtue, conceptual connections between mobility, immobility and sainthood, and suggested parallels between metaphorical language use and the narrative. While recognising the communicative potential of metaphor, the chapter mainly used a cognitive approach to metaphor and identified various conceptual metaphors. The analysis focussed first on metaphors of mobility and secondly on metaphors of immobility. The linguistic metaphorical expressions of mobility found in the Life of Gregory of Decapolis expressed the conceptual metaphors life is a journey and politeia is a journey. CMT research on contemporary and past languages already identified the life is a journey metaphor, which is thus not unique to the middle-Byzantine hagiography. It was suggested in the analysis that many expressions found in the Life of Gregory of Decapolis more specifically reflect politeia is a journey, as a (possibly hagiographical) variant of the enduring life is a journey metaphor. The target domain politeia in the examples specifically referred to virtuous politeia, or way of life. Other more specific conceptual metaphors were identified as well, such as spiritual progress is running up to a height. In addition to metaphors of mobility, various linguistic metaphorical expressions using various specific source domains (rocks, pillars) also expressed a conceptual metaphor of immobility, namely immobility is inner stability. Metaphorical expressions in the Lives of Euthymius the Younger and Elias the Younger reflect these conceptual metaphors as well. These parallel findings indicate that the assumption that metaphorical thought patterns are shared with other language users (in near-contemporary writings in the same genre) is justified, which is in line with other CMT research. In one and the same text, the Life of Gregory, we thus found metaphors reflecting the conception of a virtuous way of life as a journey, but also metaphors reflecting the conception of virtue, particularly perseverance, as an immobile object. Both mobility and immobility are thus used as a source domain to express aspects of virtue. The understanding of virtue in terms of both mobility and immobility has implications for the construction and perception of sainthood, as the manifestation of virtue is one of the essential criteria for being recognised as a saint. The metaphorical language conceptualises virtue in the politeia is a journey metaphor as something that can be developed, as a process, and thus involves change. In the immobility is inner stability conceptual metaphor, on the other hand, virtue – particularly perseverance – is conceptualised as remaining the same, as something that does not involve movement. In both conceptual metaphors the desired outcome (virtue) is understood as difficult to reach, as the monk can expect difficulties along the journey or in staying still, and the saint is thus represented as impressive. Mobility and immobility are thus essential source domains for the construction and conception of sainthood. 4
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