Ancient Motif Research Articles

The Scene of the “Holiday” in the Draft and Printed Text of Dostoevsky’s “Demons”

The article analyzes the material of the draft manuscript of F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Demons”, specifically, the pages containing the scene of Karmazinov reading his work “Merci”. The draft manuscript of the novel “Demons” is a syntactically coherent text containing a large number of author’s edits between the lines and in the margins. The analysis of the manuscript made it possible to identify inaccuracies in its reading by publishers that negatively affect the interpretation of the text. In addition, this analysis helped to correct these errors and accompany them with the necessary textual commentary, affecting, in particular, such problems as the establishment of the text, the identification and analysis of new discrepancies (variants) between the sources of the text, as well as text omissions in print. The textual part of the work is continued by the historical-literary and real commentary proposed in the article based on the newly discovered information about the features of the creation of the artistic concept of “Demons,” explaining the significance of literary and historical motifs that are associated with ancient culture and history for the novel plot. In the process of analyzing handwritten and printed sources, literary and historical allusions were established, which the specified episode of the novel “Demons” contains. In addition, the article examined the historical subtext and symbolism of ancient motifs that were reflected in the scene of literary reading in “Demons,” as well as the content of some historical sources (works by ancient authors on the history of Ancient Rome; lectures by T. N. Granovsky, who became the prototype of the hero of the novel, Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky). New information revealed during the study of the draft manuscript of “Demons” indicates, on the one hand, that the ancient “trace” played an important role in the development of the idea of this novel, on the other hand, the complexity of the novel’s narrative structure.

Perforated auxetic honeycomb booster with reentrant chirality: A new design for high-efficiency piezoelectric energy harvesting

The present study develops an auxetic meta-structure booster to advance piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH). The model comprised a three-dimensional (3D) cantilever beam equipped with an auxetic substrate bonded to a piezoelectric (PZT) point defect using an epoxy layer. The substrate used in this proposed energy harvester possesses an auxetic region responsible for generating auxetic behavior and concentrating stress in the PZT layer. The auxetic model called auxetic structure (AS)-II is inspired by ancient motifs and is designed based on the combination of several promising mechanisms, including reentrant, chiral, perforation, and honeycomb supercell. The finite element method is employed to create numerical models whose accuracy is confirmed by mesh convergence and available experimental data. A parametric study is conducted on the AS-II harvester to examine the influence of geometry and PZT material type on the harvested electrical power. Our research efforts stem from both mechanical and electrical circuit fields to fulfill the broadband design target within the desired ultra-low-frequency range of regardless of the resonance condition. As a result, the impact of other factors, such as load resistance, frequency, load amplitude, and bonding stiffness, on the PEH performance is further investigated. The reason behind such outstanding performance of AS-II is explained in terms of geometrical physics and stress distribution. The effect of geometrical dimensions on the auxetic behavior is also analyzed using Poisson’s ratio (PR) study. Subsequently, we demonstrate that this innovative adapter can advance the system’s performance in terms of harvested power and lightweight by a magnification factor of and times that of a plain substrate and and 3.16 times that of a conventional auxetic harvester, respectively. The present harvester is strain controllable, where it can set PR between and resulting in robust PEH even if switching input vibration from high to low levels. This new idea enables us to serve cantilever-type resonators at frequencies far lower than their resonant frequencies with small portions of incident excitement.

Imagination and the Cosmic Consciousness in Chaucer’s The House of Fame

The aim of this article is to situate Chaucer’s The House of Fame in the tradition of exercising the self as practiced by ancient philosophers and theorized by Pierre Hadot. It shows that Chaucer’s poem contains echoes of an ancient exercise referred to as ‘the view from above’, which engages the faculties of the imagination in order to enable an individual to review their life and to situate it in the context of universal nature. The poet’s creative use of the ancient motif of the celestial flight, I will argue, distances him from those writers who use the theme to develop the contemptus mundi topos and affiliates him with those ancient thinkers who, like Marcus Aurelius, employ it to turn their attention to their own self, which may be achieved via meditations on the identity and homogeneity of all things (homoeides). It is Chaucer’s use of the view from above topos that vindicates the role of imagination by showing how it contributes to self-knowledge, that is, to an awareness of where one stands.

Apollo Online: Apollonian Consciousness in Far-Right Internet Subcultures

The internet has afforded modern culture unprecedented forms of communication, but it has also led to pockets of isolation that reinforce one’s most unconscious impulses. One example of this shadow side of the internet is the proliferation of far-right internet subcultures, which value hyper-rationality while devaluing anything that is seemingly irrational, or, for them, uncomfortably fluid. Rather than fight fire with fire by distantly judging these subcultures, this article explores their potential mythical, archetypal roots. Jungian and archetypal psychology assert that the Greek gods are alive and well as powers and principles in the Western psyche, implying that even internet subcultures unwittingly enact these ancient motifs. This article shows how certain facets of Apollonian consciousness might be pulling the strings of this high-strung demographic. These facets include Apollo’s jealousy, his determination to win at all costs, and his tumultuous love life. Emphasis is paid to how these aspects of Apollo appear broadly in online political discourse and specifically in the subculture of the incel, or “involuntary celibate.” My intention is to show how this dark face of Apollo, the god of music, can also act as a pied piper for a demographic of increasingly disenchanted young men. I conclude with a brief discussion about what mythic figure might be most effective in puncturing this psychological inflation. Although Dionysus, as an archetypal pattern, is Apollo’s complementary opposite, I propose it is Hermes, the god of communication, who must now enter the chat.

THE EXPRESSION OF ANCIENT MOTIFS IN THE EPIC POEM «DOTAN BATYR»

The ancient epic is composed of mythical, fairy-tale, and legendary events, which to a certain extent artistically imagine the thinking, consciousness, beliefs, and worldview of the people of the first community. In the network of heritages of this category, there are fantasy scenes, mythical concepts about creation, plots during the transition from the era of matriarchy to the era of patriarchy, hunting profession, belief in witchcraft, dreams and visions, praying for children from saints, rapid growth of heroes, suitable choosing a horse and going on a long journey, encountering difficulties on the way, marrying heroically, etc. events are reflected. Folk works such as "Kulamergen", "Surmergen", "Kubygul", "Dotan batyr", "Edil-Zhaiyk" have been preserved among the epics that have reached the form of eposes. If we focus on the epos "Dotan batyr" among them, this epos is an example of an ancient epic enriched by the later epic tradition, although mythical and fairy-tale motifs predominate in this epos. Therefore, in the content of the work, a significant place is given to the events that describe the warring times between the Kazakhs and the Kalmyks. However, these plots arise and develop due to the motif of the hero's journey in search of a bride, which is very common in ancient epics, and passing the test during that journey. The ancient way of life in the work, the long stay of the hero in the land of the bride, and the remnants of the matriarchal society, testify to the primitive nature of the epic. Therefore, our task is to determine the specific manifestations of the ancient motifs in the epos during the analysis of the epic work.

KRAJIŠKI EGZODUS U ROMANU „DOZIVI KROZ OLUJU“ KOVILjKE TIŠME JANKOVIĆ

In this paper, we present the main values of Koviljka Tišma Janković’s novel Summons Through the Storm, a literary work that lies within the thematic framework of the Krajina war novel which deals with a significant point in the newer European history – the mass-exodus of Serbs from Croatia in 1995. The examined novel contains values that can be used as a basis for confirming the artistic positions on which the entire novel lies. Firstly, we notice that the novel uses the narrative consciousness to refuse the acceptance of truthfulness of any ideology and accepts only the truths of victims, casualties, and refugees. In situations after the exodus, victims are faced with boundaries of living in their homeland, as well as the bounda- ries of their vernacular, which can only be reconstructed through memory. However, memories are also inhabited by traumas, which causes the associative organization and fragmentation of the narrative. The narrator keeps trying to reconstruct the past, but they are facing various obstacles: either no authority could confirm the accuracy of these reconstructions, or one can never fully rely on the mechanisms of memory that are the mechanisms haunting the narrator’s thoughts. The paper also recognizes the vital, yet concealed presence of the elements of folklore and oral literature. This also includes the ancient motifs through which the matriarchal principle is made present in the novel. By revealing the listed values, the paper reveals the need for further readings, both of this novel and other Krajina war novels.

UKRAINIAN MENTALITY THROUGH THE PRISM OF PHRASEMES OF ANCIENT ORIGIN: LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL ASPECTS

The mythology of Ancient Greece and Rome has become an inexhaustible source of images, concepts, deep meanings that have received their consideration in many linguistic cultures of the world and are manifested in a special way in each of them.
 Scientific research analyses the concept of mentality and outlines its main features. The article attempts to record the mental traits of Ukrainians in borrowed phraseological units. The object of the analysis is phraseological units selected from dictionaries, reference books and texts of several languages.
 The phraseological units soar in the empyrean (have one’s head in the clouds), hurl thunderbolts, lares and penates (return to one’s hearth and home), rise like a phoenix from the ashes, etc., have been analyzed. The article is an attempt to trace such features of the Ukrainian mentality as emotionality, cordocentrysm, anteism, love of freedom, etc., through the example of the studied phraseological units.
 The actualization of certain ancient images, the selection of mythologists and phraseological units, their transformations, variations, and the creation of new, proper Ukrainian phrases on the basis of borrowings – all this eloquently speaks of the assimilation of ancient motifs in the Ukrainian language.
 The results of a free associative experiment are indicative, which has made it possible to trace the actualization of the phraseme lares and penates on the modern linguistic soil. 466 respondents aged from 16 to 33 shared their associations. All responses were combined into semantic groups with a common lexical meaning. The survey confirmed the assumption of the presence of specific mental traits of Ukrainians in the internal form of the phraseme-stimulus.
 The collected and analyzed material makes it possible to assert that phraseological units of ancient origin acquired ethno-national features, adapted to the modern language world model and transmit key features of Ukrainian mentality.

АНТИЧНЫЕ МОТИВЫ В ТВОРЧЕСТВЕ ЛАФКАДИО ХИРНА

The article analyzes the ancient motifs in specific stories, lectures and letters of the Anglo-American writer Lafcadio Hearn (1850–1904), defines their role in the work of the writer. The author studies the relationship between the cultures of Ancient Greece and Japan in the writer’s submission, studies the following topics: metamorphoses, insect poetry. Antique references help to reveal the similarities between East and West, L. Hearn finds a common basis for the two worlds: ancient times.

RWP-RK domain-containing transcription factors in the Viridiplantae: biology and phylogenetic relationships.

The RWP-RK protein family is a group of transcription factors containing the RWP-RK DNA-binding domain. This domain is an ancient motif that emerged before the establishment of the Viridiplantae-the green plants, consisting of green algae and land plants. The domain is mostly absent in other kingdoms but widely distributed in Viridiplantae. In green algae, a liverwort, and several angiosperms, RWP-RK proteins play essential roles in nitrogen responses and sexual reproduction-associated processes, which are seemingly unrelated phenomena but possibly interdependent in autotrophs. Consistent with related but diversified roles of the RWP-RK proteins in these organisms, the RWP-RK protein family appears to have expanded intensively, but independently, in the algal and land plant lineages. Thus, bryophyte RWP-RK proteins occupy a unique position in the evolutionary process of establishing the RWP-RK protein family. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the RWP-RK protein family in the Viridiplantae, and discuss the significance of bryophyte RWP-RK proteins in clarifying the relationship between diversification in the RWP-RK protein family and procurement of sophisticated mechanisms for adaptation to the terrestrial environment.

Ancient Artistic Motifs on Italian Memorials from the Unity to the Aftermath of World War I

In the decades subsequent to the unification of the Kingdom of Italy, achieved in 1861 with the proclamation of Vittorio Emanuele II as the king of the new State, the Italian peninsula became covered with many commemorative monuments. These were devoted, first of all, to honour the men who played a leading role in the heroic deeds of the Risorgimento but also to remember the places where the major historical events occurred. Afterwards as well, the Italian State went on erecting memorials, in order to celebrate other facts and casualties, as it happened on the occasion of the unsuccessful colonial attempts in the African land and then, above all, after the World War I. Many of these commemorative monuments, in the choice of the subjects each time represented and of the figurative motifs adorning them, show some inspiration from the artistic repertory of the classical antiquity, and especially from the Roman world. Single typological patterns and iconographies, properly refashioned, could well fit these new celebratory contexts too and strengthen their meaning. In that, the Italian artists involved in the monuments continued a tradition dating back, in the artistic practice of the western world, to the Renaissance period at least. But, unlike many other well known aspects of the classical heritage persistence in the modern art, the analysis of forms and models derived from the antiquity and inserted in the memorials is still lacking today all the critical attention it surely deserves. The article examines a sufficient set of examples and shows up the ways and purposes by which the ancient motifs were reproposed in the modern memorials. The monuments were selected not only among those still visible in the Italian cities, including minor towns, but also among those set in the actual sites where the events happened. Apart from the specific local contexts, the revival of ancient artistic motifs always performed well the task it was destined to and contributed to diffuse the ethics the Italian State wanted to convey.

Ancient ruins motif in the creative heritage of N.P.Chimona (early 20th century)

Ancient ruins motif in the creative heritage of N.P.Chimona (early 20th century)

The Visibility of the Pagans: Transformation and Dissemination of an Undervalued Ancient Motif in Northern European Medieval Art

At first glance, religious alterity - in contrast to other concepts of alterity - is not as comprehensively represented in medieval visual arts as it was perceived and discussed by contemporaries. However, in addition to the conspicuous and well-researched development of the Jewish hat, more signs for the visual display of religious difference from Christianity developed during the same period. This essay is devoted to one of these signs, the winged head, which has been little studied and whose semantics are largely underestimated. The geographically wide distribution of the winged head in Northern Europe in the period from about 1200 to 1500 and its meaning as an attribute of pagan belief are outlined. The reshaping of ancient mythological representations with bird’s wings into a medieval symbol can be understood as an appropriation of Antiquity and a creative invention of new signs by medieval artists. The use of the winged head in very different subjects demonstrates that, from the perspective of medieval northern Europeans, paganism remained a flexible concept that did not in every case focus on the contemporary confrontation with Islam, but could designate individuals in geographically, culturally, and chronologically different situations.

Death on the altar: The rhetoric of 'otherness' in sources from the early period of the crusades

The article poses a thesis that the chroniclers of the First Crusade were tapping into a preexisting literary tradition of religious conflict in the process of shaping an image of an enemy. It centres on an analysis of the symbolic significance of the particular description of a priest's death at the hands of the Turks on the altar during the celebration of mass found in several sources describing the massacre of Christians in Civetot during the First Crusade (Gesta Francorum, Tudebode's Historia de Hierosolymitano itinere, Baldric of Dol's Historiae Hierosolymitanae libri IV, Guibert of Nogent's Gesta Dei per Francos, Robert the Monk's Historia Hierosolymitana, and Oderic Vitalis' Historia ecclesiastica). The article argues that the presented description could be considered an example of a rhetorical strategy employed in the crusading accounts, used for the purpose of depicting the enemy as religious and cultural 'other'. Furthermore, the article discusses the intertextuality and the potential influence of ancient and scriptural motifs on the literary workshop of the chroniclers in their versions of the story.

Das Unterweltverhör. Metamediale Überlegungen in modernen Nekrodialogen von Bertolt Brecht und Walter Jens

From the end of the nineteenth century on, the spiritist desire to communicate with the dead has led artists to experiment with different technical media, such as photography, radio, and film. In this article, I aim to interpret the ways in which technical conditions of the media modify modern necrodialogues. I will argue that the intertextual dialogue between Brecht's radioplay Das Verhör des Lukullus and Jens' text B. in der Unterwelt and their use of the ancient motif of the tribunal hearing generate a self-reflexive and critical discussion about concepts of mediality and receptivity.

Selection for ancient periodic motifs that do not impart DNA bending.

A ~10–11 bp periodicity in dinucleotides imparting DNA bending, with shorter periods found in organisms with positively-supercoiled DNA and longer periods found in organisms with negatively-supercoiled DNA, was previously suggested to assist in DNA compaction. However, when measured with more robust methods, variation in the observed periods between organisms with different growth temperatures is not consistent with that hypothesis. We demonstrate that dinucleotide periodicity does not arise solely by mutational biases but is under selection. We found variation between genomes in both the period and the suite of dinucleotides that are periodic. Whereas organisms with similar growth temperatures have highly variable periods, differences in periods increase with phylogenetic distance between organisms. In addition, while the suites of dinucleotides under selection for periodicity become more dissimilar among more distantly-related organisms, there is a core set of dinucleotides that are strongly periodic among genomes in all domains of life. Notably, this core set of periodic motifs are not involved in DNA bending. These data indicate that dinucleotide periodicity is an ancient genomic architecture which may play a role in shaping the evolution of genes and genomes.

Analogies in Yakut Olonkho and Tuvan Epos: Plot-Compositional Structure, Motives (based on the Epics “Nyurgun Bootur the Swift” by G. K. Orosin and “Hunan-Kara” Changchi-Khoo Oorzhak)

The results of a comparative analysis of the texts of the Yakut and Tuvan epics in order to establish common features in the epic heritage of the Yakut and Tuvan peoples are presented in the article. The relevance of the study is due to the problem of searching for the genetic origins of the formation of the heroic epic in modern epiconception. The degree of knowledge of the problem, the style of performance of the epic in a comparative perspective are examined. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the plot-compositional structure, plot-forming motifs. As a result of the study, data were revealed that testify to the undeniable occurrence of epic legends of the Yakut and Tuvan peoples at the interface of their historical and spiritual contacts in the Turkic-Mongolian world, about their common genetic origins. Analogies are found in the manner of performing the storytellers. The proximity of the plot-compositional structure was discovered: in both epic literary texts there are all elements of the plot composition, stable for the Turkic-Mongolian epics. It is established that in the studied works the themes of matchmaking of bogatyr-heroes and their heroic campaigns, battles with monsters in order to protect fellow tribesmen are in contact. Both epics contain ancient motifs: parents provide heroes with heroic armor and a horse; description of a horse-friend, heroism; matchmaking and marriage, etc.

РЕЦЕПЦИЯ АНТИЧНОСТИ В ШПАЛЕРАХ ФЛАНДРИИ XV ‒ XVI вв. (на примере собрания Государственного Эрмитажа)

The problem of reception of the antiquity through tapestries in the Russian historiography was considered. Using as an example the Flemish tapestries of the 15th–16th centuries from the Collection of the State Hermitage Museum, the transformation and popularity of ancient motifs in this art form were demonstrated, as well as their special role in the propaganda of power, high social status, and wealth. The following main elements of tapestries were analyzed: subjects, characters, costumes, and Latin banderoles. The methodology of tapestry analysis is similar to the one used by structuralists: an additional link (customer) is introduced in the author – text – reader research field. The subjects of the tapestries were compared with the plots of the corresponding ancient literary sources. As a result, it was concluded about different perception of the antiquity in the literature and fine arts. Tapestries reflect the attitude of customers to the political reality of that time. The Northern Renaissance and how it was influenced by the ideas of humanists embodied in the tapestries was discussed.

Antique motifs in Pinturicchio decoration of Roman chapels

The article traces the evolution of ancient motifs in the Roman chapels painted by Pinturicchio and his workshop. For the first time, the symbolic significance of the grotesque is noted in the program of painting in these religious ensembles, most of which are somehow connected with an ancient history. It is shown how the use of antique techniques and characters embodies the idea of the triumph of Christianity over the pagan past. The role of Pinturicchio – an experienced and talented artist who masterfully painted frescoes – in inventive and witty thinking of the program of painting and skillful and rational organization of the work course is shown. The rich possibilities of imitating of various techniques (dating back to the illusionistic painting of Ancient Rome) are analyzed. The synthesis of art achieved through their organic use makes a powerful aesthetic impression and has a strong emotional and religious impact on the chapel visitor.

Lyre shaped motif and its origins

Lyre shaped ornament is a common motif of ornamental and folklore applied art. But, unfortunately, the origins of the lyre shaped motif are still not well investigated. In the paper we review the literature devoted to the study of the emergence and spread of a lyre shaped motif and analyze museum exhibits from catalogs and published sources. The aim of the study is to define the сenters of the lyre motif origin and the paths of its distribution. Material and methods. Article analyzes lyre shaped motifs in museum artifacts, folk arts and crafts using materials presented in published literature and catalogs of museum exhibits. A spiral motif originated in Egypt. The origins of the lyre motif in ancient Egypt are probably connected with the iconography of the Egyptian god of Hathor, who was depicted as a woman with a headdress decorated with lyre shaped horns and a solar disk between them. It should be noted that the tradition of depicting a human face with cow horns has connections with the Neolithic period of the Nile Valley, where cattle breeding arose in the 6-5th millennium BC. The first cases of using a lyre shaped motif occured in scarab-like seals of Egypt and Minoan culture. Artifacts with a lyre shaped motif were observed related, dating from the Minoan and Mycenaean periods, during to the period of classical Hellenistic Greece. A lyre shaped motif was spread along trade routes from Crete to the Danube, the Elbe, the shores of the Baltic Sea and, together with the Celts, penetrated into Britain, from the Greek colonies of the Black Sea to the Scythians. In the Asian part of the Eurasian steppes, this motif symbolized the image of the eagle totem animal depicted like a griffin, especially in the early Scythian and Hunnic period. The origins of the lyre shaped motif in the Asian steppe, apparently, were the ancient motifs “taotie” in China and “masks” in the Russian Far East. The popularity of the lyre shaped motif in the folk arts and crafts of the Turkic peoples was probably due to the spread of this motif within the Scythian community, when there was a cult of the eagle-like griffin and totem.

Dance in Sculpture of the Early 20th Century

This article is concerned with the ratio of plastic arts as exemplified by sculptural works depicting dances of the early 20th century. Special attention is paid to the Greek motives in the Russian art of this period, which became the subject of inexhaustible aesthetic and artistic interest. The representation of ancient dance motifs, their figurative image and the nature of antiquity in sculptural plastics, various approaches to the interpretation of ancient plots and themes, the role and significance of the “antique” component in their artistic structure are considered in the article. The study of multi‐level interactions between sculpture and dance in the context of antiquity calls for a comprehensive approach, including historical‐cultural, theoretical‐analytical and comparative‐typological methods. Relating to ancient Greek images, ballet images of S. Konenkov, M. Ryndzyunskaya, N. Andreev, V. Vatagin, V. Beklimishev and S. Erzya provide a purely individual, unique and peculiar vision of dance corresponding to the ancient era. The categories and expressive means of dance were simultaneously analyzed close to the sculptural style of the masters because they are difficult to be divided methodologically and exist as an established artistic system. The concepts of “plastic expressiveness” in relation to the dancers imprinted in sculptures were interpreted. Analyzing the museum materials and sculptures depicting the dancing process, it was concluded that the ancient influence of plastic images on structural and genre determinants may vary.