Palladium

What it is

A palladium is an ancient image or object on which the survival of a city or people is believed to depend. The term comes from the original Trojan Palladium, a wooden xoanon of Pallas Athena stolen by Odysseus and Diomedes. In English usage since the sixteenth century, it refers to anything thought to provide safety. This includes Christian relics carried into battle or processed around walls during attacks.

Where it comes from

The concept began with the foundation myths of Troy and Rome. A wooden image of Athena was said to have fallen from heaven for the founder Ilus. Greeks believed they could not take Troy while this image stood. Later Roman tradition placed a similar token in the Temple of Vesta as a pledge of imperial rule. The idea evolved in the Eastern Churches after the reign of Justinian I before spreading westward.

How it is done

During times of crisis, such as a siege, these images were paraded along city walls or carried into battle. They served as offensive standards known as vexilla. In Athens, the cult image of Athena Poliás was ceremonially washed once a year during the Plynteria festival. Its woolen veil was replaced during the Panathenaea feast.

Tools and materials

Materials included rough wooden stakes, olive wood carvings, and metal icons. The Athenian statue was kept under a bronze palm tree with a gold lamp burning before it. Other examples include the Cathach psalter carried in a cumdach, the Luck of Edenhall glass cup in a leather case, and various religious icons like the Image of Edessa.

What it is for

These objects were sought to ensure military victory and national survival. They were believed to deter enemies and protect the populace from conquest. In some contexts, control of the object represented political legitimacy, such as the Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka or specific lingams in the Khmer Empire.

Who does it

Priests and priestesses managed the most sacred images, such as those in the Erechtheum. Military leaders and clans, like the O'Donnell Clan with the Cathach, carried them into combat. Religious figures, including popes, have invoked these images during modern crises.

Peoples and places

The tradition spans Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Thai cultures. In Thailand, every town maintains a kwan mueang to protect the area. The concept also appears in folk myths, such as the Ravens of the Tower of London or the Luck of Edenhall in England, though these are often later additions rather than ancient practices.

What people believe

The underlying belief is that divine presence resides within the object. For the Greeks, the Athena statue was of divine provenance, not human-made. Christians believed icons mediated protection through saints or Christ. Removing or destroying such an image was thought to invite disaster, as seen in stories about the Barbary macaques in Gibraltar.

When it is done

Events occurred during sieges, battles, and annual religious festivals. The Plynteria involved washing the statue annually. The Panathenaea featured the changing of its veil. Modern invocations happen during pandemics or national emergencies, linking ancient ritual to contemporary crisis management.

Questions people ask about Palladium

Good reading and sources

• Palladium (protective image) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data