Mythological Concepts Research Articles

Ancient Mythology in “La Princesse Maleine” by Maurice Maeterlinck: Intertextual Analysis

The article is devoted to the reconstitution of the mythological worldview of the well-known European Symbolist writer Maurice Maeterlinck based on his famous drama ‘Princess Maleine’ that made a great impact on the development of the ‘new drama’ in the end of the 19th century. This analysis is performed in the context of the study of the symbolist semiotic system in French-speaking tradition. The lingua-poetic and mythopoeic intertextual analysis done, we have found that the mythological model in the play is functioning with a large system of mythological structures and semantic patterns. The locus of ‘Princess Maleine’ is marked as Hades World and its inhabitants are connoting the mythical concept BAD LUCK. Only two actors, the protagonists Maleine and Hjalmar are connoted not only by the morbid semantics but also as the correlates of the astral world. Their death in Hades makes possible the eschatological catastrophe leading to the neutralization of the killers whereas the infernal semantics is neutralized and the cosmos tends to the restoring of harmony symbolized by the coming of the new day and of the new year. Besides, the protagonists are considered to be the sacred sacrifice to change the semantics of the mythological concept BAD LUCK to the harmonized GOOD LUCK. Three mythological models are reconstructed: LIFE with positive connotation, LIFE with negative connotation and DEATH with positive connotation. The projection of the play is modeled by the movement from the positively and negatively connoted concept LIFE to the positively connoted concept DEATH that is a distinctive sign of Symbolist conception of ‘tragic optimism’ developed by Maeterlinck.

THE ASTONISHING BEAUTY OF CHHAU MASK: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE TRADITIONAL FOLK ART OF CHARIDA VILLAGE OF PURULIA DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL

Bengal, a land of beauty and prosperity in its cultural ancestry. The tradition is enriched by diverse folk art of various tribes and ethnic groups creating the uniqueness. Music, dance have great importance for recreational, aesthetic and cultural aspect of the state. The cultural background, social value and structure, history, religion and mythological concept are also reflected by the traditional folk art. Different types of folk art are found in West Bengal. Among them, Patachitra and Madhubani are respectively the traditional style of painting, characterized by their mythological stories and intricate designs. The other folk arts with great traditional significance are the embroidery art locally called, Kantha and metal casting technique based Dokra. The Chhau Mask making art is one of them important traditional folk art, essential for the age old Chhau dance. The present paper is empirical and qualitative in nature, mainly focused on the traditional folk art of Chhau Mask, an integral part of Chhau dance, of Charida village, its making procedure and people associated with the mask making economy.

On the Possible Astronomical Function of Portasar’s (G¨obekli Tepe) Pillar 27

The examination of Portasar’s Pillar 27 in Enclosure C from an archaeoastronomical point of view reveals four distinct directions. Considering the directions obtained as observational shows that they could have served to observe the simultaneous culminations of Pleiades, α Persei, and 36 Draconis pointing towards the North Ecliptic Pole during the activity period of the September ε-Perseid meteor shower. On the same day (perhaps a few days apart) before sunrise, it was most likely possible to observe the star disappearance of the constellations Hercules and Centaurus at their culmination points. At the same time, the T-shaped structure of Pillar 27 could serve as a shadow meter (gnomon) to show the specified day of the mentioned observations. Additionally, 36 days after the summer solstice (Perseids activity period), the simultaneous appearance of the stars β Andromedae and γ Draconis at their culmination points was observable. On the other hand, there are principal parallels with the possible observations with the help of Portasar’s Pillar 27 and the function of Platform 3 (as well as some angular stones (No. 7, 12, 158, etc.)) of the Zorats Qarer megalithic monument, which refer to the same millennium (9000 BC). There are also commonalities with ancient calendar patterns that relate to ancient mythological concepts. Their detailed analysis is still in progress.

극동 토착종족의 뱀과 용 숭배 고찰

Kulin(~kula~kola, snake/ tungusic language) and kylang(snake/ nivh language), which are words for snakes among the indigenous tribes of the far east, and the gureongi of the korean peninsula, the orochi's snake god uguma(ezeni), and the upgureongi of the korean peninsula is phonetically and semantically similar. Therefore, the snake worship of the indigenous tribes of the far east is connected to the snake worship of the Korean Peninsula. In the mythological concept of the indigenous tribes of the far east, the snake is the creator of the earth and rivers, and in religious concepts, it is the shaman's assistant spirit, the connector of the three worlds of the universe, the god of lightning and thunder, and the progenitor god of races and clans. The dragon is an imaginary animal that was given the highest authority among animals by transforming the shape of a real animal, a snake, and then sanctifying it. Mudur, which refers to a dragon among indigenous tribes in the far east, is phonetically similar to ‘mir’, which is written in the native korean language for dragon, so there were cultural groups in the southern far east and the korean peninsula who shared the worship of dragons (mudur~mir). However, as they accepted different social systems, their dragon worship went through different transformations and development processes. In the korean peninsula and china, dragon worship developed in the following order: snake totem → dragon totem → dragon god → dragon king. The far eastern indigenous tribes did not experience a national society, nor did they have kings or emperors, so they did not develop dragons to the level of dragon kings. In other words, for them, dragons were not gods or objects of worship with the same status as those in the korean peninsula or china, and the development of dragon worship was limited compared to the korean peninsula or china.

Afanas’ev’s Poetic Views of the Slavs’ on Nature and Its Role in Understanding Paganism and Mythology

The article analyzes the mythological concept of Slavic paganism developed by Alexander Afanas’ev in his three-volume study Poetic Views of the Slavs on Nature: An Attempt at a Comparative Study of Slavic Traditions and Beliefs in Connection with the Mythical Tales of Other Related Peoples (1865–1869). In this book, Afanas’ev established numerous parallels between the pagan myths of the Slavs and other Indo-European peoples and reconstructed mythological images of the world tree, the tree of life, and the world egg. He also reconstructed myths about the sacred marriage between heaven and earth; the creation of the world from the body of the first man and the creation of man from the natural elements; the dying and resurrected god of vegetation and fertility; and the duel between the god of thunderstorms and his earthly adversary; as well as dualistic myths about the struggle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness and about the creation of the earth. Afanas’ev also explored enduring metaphorical pairs such as death–dream, battle–wedding feast, thunderstorm–battle, and so on. Depending on the readers’ points of view, they can appreciate the book as a grandiose compendium of folklore and historical-ethnographic materials; as a scholarly work devoted to Slavic mythology; as a symbolarium of folk culture; and as a beautiful fairy tale about the pagan past. Although Afanas’ev’s book has all the attributes of a scholarly publication, it can also be read as a work of fiction in which the author does not so much analyze mythology as he tries to present the point of view of a primitive poet–artist.

Mythology in Abdulla Oripovʼs Poetry

Objectives: This section outlines the primary goals and intentions of the article, focusing on the examination of Abdulla Oripov's contribution to 20th-century poetry, specifically his skill in incorporating mythology. The objectives include understanding the poet's unique approach to mythological concepts, analyzing the influence of myth in his work, and exploring the evolution of his style during the period of independence.
 
 Methods: This part details the methodology employed in the study, explaining how the analysis of Abdulla Oripov's poetry and its mythological elements was conducted. It may involve a review of the poet's works, an examination of critical commentaries, and an exploration of the historical context to provide a comprehensive understanding of how mythological images are utilized in his verses.
 
 Results: In this section, the article presents the findings derived from the analysis of Abdulla Oripov's poetry. This includes insights into the poet's unique style of incorporating mythological elements, the evolution of his approach during the period of independence, and specific examples highlighting the use of traditional images such as the apocalypse, Satan, Javrail, and the angel. The results aim to shed light on the poet's innovation and the significance of these mythological references in the broader context of world literature.
 
 Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the key findings and insights gathered from the study of Abdulla Oripov's poetry and its connection to mythology. It may discuss the broader implications of the poet's work, the impact of myth on his moral concepts, and the establishment of his own literary phenomenon. Additionally, the section may highlight the poet's contribution to the understanding of traditional images in the context of world literature, emphasizing the depth and breadth of his worldview.

«Человек неукорененный» в романах Саны Валиулиной и Петра Алешковского

The article deals with the problem of the ‘unrooted man’, which is conceptual for modern transcultural literature in Russian. The authors put an analytical emphasis on the modern identification crisis of phenomena that are associated with the self-identity of writers who model a multi-ethnic world in their texts with biographical coordinates. The protagonist of this world (the author’s reflective alter ego) loses his ancestral roots due to historical migration of peoples in the 20th century. The article analyzes the mythological concepts of the sacred space of the alien hero, the motive of initiation through internal and/or external migration, the existentialоgemes and ontologemes of ‘embedding’ into another ethnic group, the semiotics of the collective world image based on the novels by Sana Valiulina “I’m not afraid of the Bluebeard” and Pyotr Aleshkovsky “The fish. History of one migration”. Researchers use the analytical principles of the transcultural approach as a studying strategy of the artistic world not only by polydomic and multilingual writers, but also by Russian authors who seek to present the Russian person’s vision of the Other, his alien (different) culture, ontology, but in the prism of a common history, including the historicity of existence (M. Heidegger).

MAKNA PSIKOLOGIS MUSIK GONG WANING DALAM RITUAL ADAT KEMATIAN MASYARKAT HEWOKLOANG KABUPATEN SIKKA

Gong Waning is a traditional musical instrument (gong and drum) originating from Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. This instrument functions as a dance accompaniment in various rituals, both customary (sacred) and entertainment (profane). The aim of this study was to gain knowledge about the meaning of Gong Waning's psychological music in the funeral rituals of the Hewokloang people. The theory used in this research is the theory of music psychology. In addition to the psychological theory of music, researchers also combine it with a supporting theory, namely the concept of music mythology. In his study using descriptive qualitative research using ethnographic methods where the author lives and directly experiences the ritual events of the death feast. Data collection techniques were carried out by (1) literature study, (2) observation, (3) interviews, and (4) documentation. Meanwhile, in analyzing the data, it is used in several stages, namely (1) data reduction, (2) data presentation, (3) data analysis, and (4) drawing conclusions. Furthermore, data calibration was carried out using triangulation techniques. The results showed that the presence of Gong Waning's psychological music in the death rituals of the Hewokloang community in Sikka district had a meaning of joy. Expressions of joy were expressed by the people, both the mourners and the drummers, through the strains of Gong and Waning (drum) music which presented various types of rhythmic patterns and were played by fast rhythms.

Tracing Bong Lie Phin’s ceramic artistry in Singkawang: unveiling cultural heritage and technological advancements (1989-2020)

Ceramics by artist Bong Lie Phin has a historical record in the world of art by bringing social change to form a new culture through ceramic works. Another thing about ceramic development technology. This research is important in order to provide renewal through ceramic works. As for the research question, namely, how are inductive empiricism, reconstruction, and humanism related to ideas, society, and technology? This research process used qualitative methods with historical, social, and technological approaches and data collection techniques through interviews, literature studies, notes, and documentation documents. In the process of collecting data, researchers will gather information from artists and other supporting data. The data needed is in accordance with the research questions and then tested by involving experts and artists. There are several findings that the artist Bong Lie Phin created works from 1989 to 2020 with the concept of Chinese mythology and interpreted Chinese cultural symbols. This is also supported by the exploration of materials and technologies that develop in making ceramics, but without reducing the value and meaning, it was found that there were financial support factors carried out by the management of these ceramic artists in influencing understanding. Work so that the presence of work continues. Occurs, the work is considered capable of providing transformation of spiritual values; another discussion is the community's contribution in providing understanding in the creation of ceramic art so that the process of reconstruction in the work occurs continuously.

The Cuckoo Image in the Buryats Traditional Concepts and Rituals

Purpose. The study is devoted to identifying the image of the cuckoo in the Buryats mythological ideas and traditional rituals.Results. In the first part of the work, a general description of the cuckoo image is given based on the vocabulary and small genres of the buryat folklore. It was found that the Buryats particularly noted the voice and physical dexterity of this bird from its other biological features. It was also associated with such a negative trait of a person as idle talk.The second part of the study examines the Buryats mythological ideas about the cuckoo. It was found out that the cuckoo appears in the Buryat epic as a sacred bird, a conductor of the celestials will. It has a feminine origin: women are believed to turn into this bird after death as a punishment for easy virtue and committing suicide. The cuckoo image is also associated with the motif of werewolf, ideas about the evergreen needles acquisition by larch trees and the milk wine invention. In the Buryat epic, this bird often acts as a bearer of knowledge about the past and a wealth giver. The dual nature of the magical effect of the cuckoo’s voice was revealed: on the one hand, it can be beneficial for man and nature, on the other hand, it can destroy a person. The negative features of the cuckoo image are associated with the symbolism of death, which is reflected in folk signs, in particular in the superstition about the cuckoo ability to predict a person’s life expectancy.The third part of the article highlights the cuckoo image in the Buryats shamanic ritual. It has been established that it was localized in the shamanic rite of the Aghin Buryats, probably being a relic of totemism.Conclusion. The study shows that the cuckoo image in the mythological ideas of the Buryats is very ambiguous. This bird was revered as a sacred feathered. It personified the feminine principle. The cuckoo was characterized by solar and celestial symbolism, in addition it acted as a fertility symbol, which was manifested in the correlation of the image with nature rhythms and renewal. This bird was associated with sacred trees (the shamanic Mother Tree and the World Tree). At the same time, the image of the cuckoo also had negative characteristics, primarily because it was closely associated with ideas about death.The study shows that some traditional ideas of the Buryats about this bird find parallels with the mythological concepts of other peoples of Eurasia, which is explained by their universality or typological identity and, probably, intercultural contacts that took place in the past.

Reconstruction and Interpretation of the Belt Set from the Barrow № 3 of the Burial Ground Karban-2 (North Altai)

The article deals with the analysis and interpretation of the original belt set, found during the study of the only barrow № 3of the burial ground Karban-2 (North Altai). Different elements are revealed in the belt set composition: local (buckles made of antler), Pazyryk and imported (butterfly-like buckles, spike - tool for weaving). The reconstruction of wolf-like predator image, made on fragmentary antler buckles, is represented. The functional and stylistic reconstruction of the complicated multifigured desing of a belt is made. The authors make a conclusion that the decor of the Pazyryk people’s military belts was used to emphasize vital status of the owner and to be a part of barbar luxury, to show the definite mythological concepts of military aristocracy. Karban belt set included the elements with the image of a mythical and realistic wolf-like predator and also of a schematized griffin. It completely corresponds to the modern understanding of the “Pazyryk style”. The presented in the belt decor pictures are ambivalent images, so the understanding the definite meaning of them in the world outlook system of the Pazyryk people is unfortunatelly unavailbale to modern specialists.

Серікбол Қондыбай негіздеген «теңіз жылқыларының» түркілік генезисі (Маңғыстау сакралды мәтіндері негізінде)

In Mangystau sacred texts (petroglyphs, epitaphs, inscriptions), the image of a horse occupies a special place. There is a mythological concept of the «sea horse» in the folklore of the peoples living near the Caspian Sea. «Water stallion» coming out of the water is used as a symbol of speed in the language of giraffes. The article examines the researches of the Kazakh local historian, geographer, ethnographer, mythologist Serikbol Kondybai regarding the «sea horse» in Turkish mythology. Serikbol Kondybai says that the root of the word «ertteu» in the Kazakh language is connected with the person «ert» and its original meaning is «order». He said that to saddle a horse is to tame a horse, thereby moving from chaos to space. In this article, Serikbol’s opinion was supplemented with ethnographic, archeological, folklore research data and analyzed. Scientific information was given on the Turkish genesis of the horse cult, which complements S. Kondybai’s historical-linguistic, cognitive-folkloric research. As a result of the study, the final opinion was proposed that «the domestication of the horse is the beginning of human civilization.» As documentary material for the article, materials of a field expedition organized in 2020-2022 as part of the scientific project «AP08856996 Conceptual space of sacred texts of Mangystau (zhyrau texts, epitaph inscriptions, petroglyphs)» were used.

Artemis Orthia

Zusammenfassung The goddess Orthia, whose name is attested by different variants in inscriptions mainly at her sanctuary at Sparta, and who was at some point identified with Artemis, is the subject of an ongoing debate in various fields of ancient studies. As the textual mythology of the goddess is meagre, the etymology of this theonym is of primary importance in bringing to light possible mythological concepts associated with the deity. Drawing on earlier attempts proposed in the literature, the Greek adjective ὀρθός (ved. ūrdhvá- ‚upright‘) is identified as the natural derivational basis for the name, which can in turn be traced back to the PIE root underlying ved. vrādh- and av. uruuad-. In Vedic, ūrdhvá- is used in describing the epiphany of Uṣas. Orthia can therefore be considered to be a descendant of the PIE dawn goddess. Via its etymology, the name of Orthia is related to the Avestan theonym Arəduuī (and probably to Celtic Ardvinna as well). The abundantly documented mythological profile of the Iranian goddess matches up well with the proposed origin of the name, thereby cross-validating the linguistic and mythological origin of Orthia.

극동 우데게족 우주관 분석

The purpose of this paper is to examine the originality and hybridity of these worldviews through the udege's conception of the shape of the universe and the structure of the universe as a three-tiered world based on the mythological data of the udege. In the concept of the udege, the shape of the universe was transformed into an inseparable unity in the mythological concept, and a flat square in the topographical and ecological concept. In the concept of the udege, the universe is a three-tiered structure of upper, middle, and lower worlds, and each world is further divided into multiple layers. Little is known about the structure of the upper ugu buga (ulije na, ba na) in the udege's conception, the emergence and completion of the relay bar in the concept of the udege is a process to establish the order of the universe, and it goes through the stages of existence of the original ocean→the appearance of the earth→the appearance of three suns and the death of two suns by a cultural hero. In the notion of the udege, the hegi uhe ba is structured as a first floor for kengma oyoni, a second floor for dokini oyoni, and a third floor for buniga. The cosmological view of the udege is located at the midpoint between the northern tungus tribe, the southern tungus tribe, and the paleoasiatic nivh.

Active Learning Techniques to Enhance Conceptual Learning in Greek Mythology

Students in large-enrollment humanities courses need each other and frequent instructor feedback to learn complex concepts. This article details active learning techniques and assessments that we used to increase student communication, engagement, and learning in a large-enrollment, university-level Greek mythology course. We first inventory these techniques, including polling, structured-analysis activities, and two-stage exams, before demonstrating them at work with a concept central to our course, the oral palimpsest. We then assess their effect on student learning and show how expanded opportunities for communication and practice increased student comprehension of a difficult mythological concept.

A Study on the Translation of the Myths in Hongloumeng from the Narrative Perspective

There is a tradition of incorporating myths into literary works in Chinese literature, and Hongloumeng, the central book in the canon of Chinese literature, is no exception. The whole mythological narrative of the novel is composed of three myths, which contain religious and mythological concepts, such as Buddhist terms and mythological names of the place, as well as ancient Chinese titles of nobility. According to Mona Baker’s socio-narrative theory, translation is conceived as a form of re-narration. The present study approaches the translation of the myths in Hongloumeng by David Hawkes and John Minford from the narrative perspective and finds that the translation deviates from the original narrative in two ways. The narrative about Buddhism and Taoism is suppressed, while that about Christianity is accentuated. The narrative about ancient Chinese nobility is weakened while that about European nobility is highlighted. It is found that the framing of the translated narrative is realized through selective appropriation. The reason for the deviation is the translators’ intention to facilitate the understanding of target readers, as well as their consideration of the relevant existing narratives in English-speaking countries.

Mythologization of the Balkans in Postmodern Period: Bosnia and Herzegovina between Desire and Reality

In this article, authors attempt to provoke the need of renewed understanding and researching related to the mythologization of the Balkans in Postmodern period. In the midpoint of this article is postmodern critic of international experts for legitimacy in ‘new state democracy’ (for example Bosnia and Herzegovina). Authors will try to make distinction between what is reality on the ground and what is the desirable model of Bosnia and Herzegovina for Europe. Regardless of various processes that are ongoing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is not possible to move away from mythological narratives and concepts

The inner frontier. Images of the USA in recent Western cinema (2000–2020)

At the heart of the American western cinema lies the myth. And the western myth is closely linked to the frontier, that boundary between civilization and wilderness that is constantly being negotiated. The frontier mythology is an integral part of scholarly writing on the western, and especially works well with the classical western of the studio era, where the dichotomy of wilderness and civilization had been considered the key to the genre. The following study will go back to the original term frontier, Frederick Jackson Turner’s concept of frontier mythology and Matthias Waechter’s re-reading of this mythology, and will seek for a new angle to discuss recent westerns in the light of current events. This is necessary as most of the exemples may look like westerns, but most of them are only told in the mode of a western or use the classical form and iconography to aim for something different than in earlier decades. Genre cinema has become more of a discourse today which is not created according to a classical formula any more. This article takes this fact into account and will furthermore show that the outer boundary between civilization and wilderness is turned inward in films of the last decade: This means that the ‘stranger’ is part of the self, the abject lurks in one’s own forests and mountains–or in one’s own micro-society, even if films are only told in Western mode, such as the crime thriller ‘Wind River’ (2017) by Taylor Sheridan.

A Mythological Criticism of Manaqib al-Arefi Based on the Theory of Mircea Eliade

Manaqib al-Arefin, authored by Shams al-Din Ahmad Aflaki, describes the life of Mawlawi family and the elders of Mawlawiyya Order. In this book, Aflaki portrayed mythological and surreal characters of the predecessors and contemporaries. Many mystical issues of Manaqib al-Arefin are consistent with mythological concepts; and mythological beliefs play a role in the formation of the contents of this mystical biography. This research has raised the question of which components of mystical themes of Manaqib al-Arefin are proportional to the mythological themes of Eliade. In this paper, Manaqib al-Arefin has been analyzed using a descriptive-analytical method and a mythological approach based on Eliade’s perspective to explain the extent of conformity between mysticism and myth. The results show that in this work, the hero has already been designated as a savior according to the archetypes. In Mawlawi’s life cycle, one can clearly see the stages of purification, renewal of life and manifestation; he performs the ritual of holy washing before entering his subconscious domain and prepares himself to join the assembly of holiness, and on his inner journey, he transcends the human requirements and attains the witnessing of God Exalted, the angels, prophets, and spirits. Moreover, in Manaqib al-Arefin, the roof of school and the bath pool are exemplary types of the center of the world where the earthly world and spiritual world join.

Demystifying the myth of sensation: Wilfrid Sellars’ adverbialism reconsidered

This paper reconstructs and defends a Sellarsian approach to “sensation” that allows us to avoid mythological conceptions of it. Part I reconstructs and isolates Sellars’s argument for “sensation,” situating his adverbial interpretation of the notion within his broader theory of perception. Part II positions Sellars’s views vis-à-vis current conversations on adverbalism. In particular, it focuses on the Many Property Problem, which is traditionally considered the main obstacle to adverbialism. After reconstructing Sellars’s response to this problem, I demonstrate that his position is compatible with some current strategies to solving it and can be developed along similar lines. Finally, part III addresses how a Sellarsian adverbial approach productively accounts for the phenomenal properties of experience often understood to fall under the notion of “sensation”. The paper therefore shows how isolating Sellars’s argument can yield a non-problematic conception of sensation. Indeed, the argument on which I focus offers a form of direct realism compatible with recent forms of “new adverbialism”. Although my view remains Sellarsian, to defend it I maintain that some Sellarsian claims about sensation should be resisted as not logically entailed by his argument.