The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Glossary

Glossary of Terms

albatross

A type of great, white sea bird native to the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere. Since the publication of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", "albatross" has also come to mean "a constant, worrisome burden" or "an obstacle to success."

allegory

The depiction of abstract ideas through the use of characters and events. Allegory can be verbal, written, pictoral, or theatrical.

crucifix

An image of Christ's body on the cross or a bare cross commemorating Christ's crucifixion. Often worn around one's neck on a chain.

hermit

A person who has chosen to live in seclusion from society, often in a wood.

kirk

Church, derived from the Middle English.

limbo

In common usage, an intermediary space, often permanent. The original Catholic term refers to the realm to which the righteous but unbaptized are relegated after death, as they are denied admission to heaven.

liminal

An adjective referring to an elusive but sensually rich threshold between two different places or states.

shrieve

A word now obsolete, meaning to absolve someone else of his sin.

swound

Swoon.

synechdoche

A literary device in which part of an object symbolizes the whole. Example: "the concert costs five dollars a head," in which "head" signifies "person."