Janus was believed to see over times of change, such as the New Year and the beginning of the day.
A liminal deity is a god or goddess in mythology who presides over thresholds, gates, or doorways; "a crosser of boundaries".[1] In Hindu traditions, liminal deities are also associated with tirthas, or holy crossing places, which function as spiritual thresholds in physical geography. These sites—often river fords, pilgrimage crossings, or transitional boundary zones—are linked to multiple gods and serve as sacred locations where the earthly and divine realms intersect.[2] These gods are believed to oversee a state of transition of some kind; such as, the old to the new, the unconscious to the conscious state, the familiar to the unknown.[3]
Types of liminal deities include dying-and-rising deities, various agricultural deities, psychopomps and those who descend into the underworld: crossing the threshold between life and death. Vegetation deities mimic the annual dying and returning of plant life, making them seasonally cyclical liminal deities in contrast to the one-time journey typical of the dying-and-rising myth. Anthropologist Victor Turner expanded the modern theoretical understanding of liminality by emphasizing the role of shamans, guides, and ritual specialists who facilitate transitions between states of being. These ritual figures occupy liminal positions themselves and mirror mythological deities who guide individuals across cosmic or social thresholds.[4]
Look up liminal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
The word liminal, first attested to in English in 1884, comes from the Latin word limen, meaning 'threshold'.[5]Liminality is a term given currency in the twentieth century by British cultural anthropologist Victor Turner.[6] It is used to describe a state of transition; such as from the old to the new, from the familiar to the unknown, even from an unconscious to the conscious state.[3]
Janus, dual-faced god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings, for whom January is named
Mercury, messenger god and psychopomp; equivalent to the Greek Hermes and shares several of his functions, such as being a god of commerce, travelers, merchants, and thieves
Gná, Frigg's personal messenger; she rode the horse Hofvarpnir who could travel over both sea and sky
Heimdall, son of Odin; he keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himinbjörg, where the burning rainbow bridge Bifröst meets the sky
Hermóðr, messenger of the Norse gods; he rode to Hel to plead for Baldr's return, ultimately being unsuccessful
Odin, god of war and death, among other things; he is described as at least once visiting the underworld on Sleipnir, raising a völva to interrogate, and visiting jotunn on three occasions in their domain in order to gather more wisdom
Jangseung, a totem pole traditionally placed at the edges of villages to mark for village boundaries and frighten away demons; also worshipped as tutelary deities[14]
Munsin, Korean deity of the door. He was considered one of the most powerful of the house gods (Gashin), especially in Jeju Island
Dosojin, road ancestor gods who considered the shinto gods of boundaries, marriage, fertility and health
Izanagi, creator god who descended into Yomi to bring back his wife, only to be repulsed at how hideous she had become, run away, and seal the entrance to Yomi with a rock
Izanami, creator goddess who died, but could not leave Yomi and thus became queen of the underworld and the dead
Narada, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. Being the universal divine messenger, is the primary source of information among gods and is considered the first journalist on Earth.
Narasimha, presider over the threshold between interior and exterior.
Matrikas, seven or eight goddess group worshipped at crossroads.
Pushan, solar deity and psychopomp responsible for marriages, journeys, roads, the feeding of cattle, and overseeing the journey of the dead to the afterlife.
Attis, Phrygian vegetation deity; his self-mutilation, death, and resurrection represents the fruits of the earth, which die in winter only to rise again in the spring.
Christians believe Jesus crossed the boundary from the afterlife to earth during his resurrection.Jesus Christ is presented as a crosser of borders.[16][17] The Resurrection of Jesus describes his dying and rising.[18]
Osiris, Ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife whose resurrection became associated with the cycles in nature, in particular the sprouting of vegetation and the annual flooding of the Nile River.
Legba, phallic crossroad spirit and trickster in West African Vodun and Haitian Vodou. He is the bringer of magic, master diviner and speaker of every language who facilitates communication between man and the gods. Legba is also the remover of obstacles and the guardian of the home and crossroads.
