Research Questions Regarding Liminal Places in Folklore

Okay, I know that in folklore and/or pagan religions places that are liminal (ie, between one thing and the next) are often linked with the boundry between the mundane and the mystical. My questions are, would I be correct in thinking that they are often 'weak points' between our world and the 'otherworld', and what sort of places would qualify?

Anything that qualifies as a transition would work. Tunnels were a favorite one because they lead out of the surface world and into the subterranean. Crossing over a body of water to an island, a clearing in a dense forest, mountain peaks, crossing a desert to an oasis all qualify. Other popular places were four way intersections (because one of the roads represents our world, the other one the other world), and circular structures, either organic (mushroom rings) or artificial (Stonehenge).

Liminal places aren't so much weak points as UNSTABLE points. Sometimes you can walk on the crossroads at dusk without a problem, but one day you're rushing somewhere and you forget the time and boom, OTHERWORLD. Few people want to take that chance.

Liminal times are also a really important tangent. Twilight/sunset, sunrise, and high noon are often when protagonists get unintentionally transported to the Otherworld, especially if using an actual liminal place.

The moon is its own subset of liminality because it's naturally inconstant and it has inexplicable power over a lot of things. The new moon and the full moon are the two extremes of the moon's power: The new moon is often seen as a negative sign as we can't see the moon like we usually can, the tides are low, and everything's dark. On the other hand, it's also a sign of new beginnings in folklore: Farmers plant on the new moon to help the plants grow in accordance with the moon's growing light, women cut their hair on the new moon to get it thicker/curlier/shinier, etc.

The full moon is both positive and negative: Practically, it's the time when we have the most light, so we naturally gravitate to doing things on the full moon. Culturally, it's often a romantic symbol—people meet on the full moon and compare their lovers' beauty to the full moon. But it's also associated with insanity, it's obviously associated with werewolves, and people in modern times have noted spikes in criminal activity the closer you get to the full moon.

edited 7th Nov '14 1:09:44 PM by Sharysa

More liminal places and times:

• The seashore, especially the "intertidal zone"—that strip of sand that's exposed at low tide but covered at high tide.
• Freestanding doorways, such as might be found in ruined buildings. Normal doorways less so, but it can work if the building is very old/abandoned/associated with a local legend.
• Caves.
• Bridges. In particular, crossing a bridge can be a means of escaping the Otherworld, since some folkloric creatures can't cross running water.
• Banks of mist or fog.
• Midnight.
• Solstices and equinoxes.

More possibilities: Hills, particularly isolated hills (those that stand alone in an otherwise flat area); Springs and pools of water with no visible inflow or outflow streams. Wells.

Okay, thankyou for all your replies. I think I've got enough to work with now.