MYTHOLOGICAL INTERTEXTUALITY IN THE CYCLE "LEGENDS OF OLD KYIV" BY NATALENA KOROLEVA

Abstract

The article reveals that in the literary reception of Natalena Koroleva, there is a predominance of researches dedicated to religious-philosophical issues, the interpretation of evangelical themes. The analysis of her particular protagonist is of homo religious character. The writer's interest in historiosophical themes is driven by the aesthetics of neo-romanticism and neoclassicism, lyrical-impressionistic storytelling and a desire for the heroic and the sublime things. When delineating the intertextuality of the writer's works, literary scholars primarily focus on the Gospel intertext, while somewhat less attention is given to the analysis of mythological intertextuality that is realized in "The Legends of Old Kyiv." It has been revealed that in her cycle, the writer has recreated various ideological systems. They move by different means towards one goal such as faith in the spiritual power of humanity. It has been established that the narratives of Herodotus' history are skillfully interwoven in the author's legends incorporating ancient Greek mythologems. As mythological prototypes, the writer utilizes plots involving Zeus and Apollo/Phoebus. In the literary realm of "The Scythian Treasure" legends, Zeus is portrayed as the primordial ancestor because the human lineage along the banks of the Dnieper River traces its origins to Targiotas, the son of Zeus and Lartis, the daughter of Borysthenes. In the legend of "Melusine," he appears as the one who determines the fate of humanity. The chronotope of Natalia Koroleva's legends is imbued with "traces" of Apollo. It is depicted that in the "Scythian Treasure" and "On Delos," the effect of the god's presence is achieved through literary details being his attribute characteristics: bow and arrows, swan, discus throwing, the art of prophecy. The Apollo context in the legend "On Delos" is complemented by "The Borysthenian code" (Lada, Dadzy-Bog, Yar-Bog, Khors) in the writer's work. It is noted that while describing the presence of other peoples in the history of Ukraine, the writer focused on the history of Kyivan Rus allowing her to incorporate Scandinavian codes into the cycle of texts ("Swan Gild Princess," "Stuhna"). Owing to her mythological thinking, Natalena Koroleva managed to achieve a symbiosis of different cultures and demonstrate the resilience of Ukrainian identity.