Mythological Origins Research Articles

Власть золота в повести О.М. Куваева «Печальные странствия Льва Бебенина»

The article is an analysis and characterization of the ideological and artistic features novel "The Sad Wanderings of Lev Bebenin" by Oleg Kuvaev. Special attention is paid to the unique combination of a pronounced mythological origin, elements of a picaresque novel and documentary authenticity in it. The article also compares the story with its early edition, entitled "Requiem in the Morning".

Женщины-оборотни: от образа в сказке до сюжетного мотива в литературе

<p>The article deals with the phenomenon of female werewolfism in Russian folklore and Russian-language literature. The image of a female werewolf in Russian folklore is divided into three categories: 1. Wonderful wives; 2. Bewitched lovers; 3. Substituted wife or bride. The image of a female werewolf in fairy tales is analyzed, functional diversity is revealed. The mythological origin of the image, connected with the idea of "otherworldliness" and anthropomorphic perception of the world, is studied. In Russian folklore, the female werewolf appears either in the image of a victim, who by nature is a human being, or she is asserted to have the function of salvation and improvement of the surrounding world. The transformation into various animals is not only an expression of totemism of Old Russian ancestors, but also a hidden manifestation of otherworldliness. At the same time, the female werewolf is the companion of the male protagonist, the key to the other world and a test for his marriage. The dual nature of woman in Russian fairy tales is eventually overcome, and the woman finally enters the hero's world. Further written literature transforms the worldview aspect into a metaphor describing the complexity and ambiguity of female behavior. N.V. Gogol again actualizes ideas about werewolves-witches, in Soviet literature the phenomenon of werewolfism will appear in the works of P.P. Bazhov, and in modern literature — in the novels of Victor Pelevin. Female werewolves in modern literature are often portrayed as characters with complex emotions and inner conflicts, as unusual creatures, but with human essence and emotions, or acquire them in the process of communication. The connection between werewolfism and the otherworld has always been maintained.</p>

The Cultural Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on History of Learning the Liver When Comparing with Western Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is regarded as an esoteric and mystical entity, an entity of philosophy, or even an unscientific entity when compared with western medicine. Since TCM has a 5,000 plus year history and is coexisting with modern medicine in China, it is difficult to simply conclude what the cultural characteristics of TCM are. This work analyzed the histories of TCM and western medicine on learning the liver, then revealed the cultural characteristics and the possible development of TCM. The comparison of mythological origin, anatomic history, as well as the framework of medical theory suggest that TCM is far away from a clear-cut subject and awaits more exploration both in theory and in practice: It is a comprehensive system integrating knowledges from multiple fields from ancient China; it emphasizes theory development, with the terms and function of organ are far beyond the organ of itself; and, its basic theoretical framework evolved and has become sort of like universal rule that would not be subsequently falsified. According to the cultural characteristics of TCM, there are four possible future directions for the development of TCM and it will continue to coexist with modern medicine in China for another foreseeable long time.

The main content and modern value of PRE-Qin Taoism life thought

The cultural origin of Taoism life thought includes: the mythological origin contained in matriarchal society, the rebirth conveyed by reproduction worship, and the wisdom of heaven and man nourished by witchcraft history culture. Taoism life thought is composed of life view, life and death view, rebirth theory and health theory. Taoism life thought has the distinct characteristics of life standard, natural concern and transcendent intention. The Taoist concept of “reverence for life” and “maintenance of life” is of enlightening significance to the settlement of life.

“Who’s Sidney Hunt? … He Was a Homosexual”

Abstract Sidney James Hunt, born in 1896, was a queer British poet, painter, and draftsman whose brief career was active and eclectic. Building on recent work, this article seeks to examine not only the scope of Hunt’s idiosyncratic experimentation with word and image, culminating in his editorship of Ray—the only English equivalent of such influential European publications as Der Sturm, De Stijl, and Mécano—but also the striking and suggestive originality of Hunt’s specifically queer literary and artistic production. His subjects include blushes of boys night bathing, sunbathing, and posing with pansies, as well as naked male figures (often of mythological origin). He was one of the few modernist artists to use abstraction to express the essentials of male beauty and, under a pseudonym, created several erotic photomontages. His work as a pioneer of the avant-garde in Britain and as a queer British artist deserves considerable reassessment.

Гидронимы севера Камчатки и их осмысление в устной традиции коряков

The etymology of the names of the largest rivers in the north of Kamchatka: Apuka, Essowejem, and Pakhacha cannot be identified in the context of the Koryak language. These names are apparently a linguistic relic of older tribes who had inhabited the north of Kamchatka before the arrival of the Koryaks. The Koryak language hydronyms have a stable and typical word-formation structure. The model includes the stem base gytgyn ‘lake’ or wejem ‘river’, supplemented by a dependent base according to the rules of left-handed incorporation: Gal’mogytgyn ‘a crooked lake.’ The article considers the hydronyms that directly characterize the natural features of the objects (Yynagytgyn ‘a foggy lake,’ Kujviwejem ‘an icy river’) or refer to a certain kind of trees growing along the river (Tyklawajam ‘a poplar river’). Also considered are metaphorically grounded hydronyms (Upupkin ‘under the nose river’). The analysis covers the hydonyms with warning semantics (Akakujul ‘a terrible swamp stream’, Wajampylka ‘a river where people drown’. The structure of a Koryak hydronym can refer to a particular animal species (Yajolwajam ‘a fox river’) or the hydronym may be rationally motivated (Echgynnywajam ‘white fish river’). It is also possible for hydronyms to have mythological origins. The article presents the fragments of the legends the mythological motifs of which may have provided the basis for the appearance of hydronyms Yil’ewejem ‘the river of the Evrazhka’ or Ev’jojnwajam ‘the river near the place where wolves were driven into a trap.’ In conclusion, hybrid hydronyms used in cartography to nominate tributaries are discussed.

"Before Him Went Pestilence" (Hab 3:5): Biblical Lexis and Semantic Field of Epidemics

This article examines the various biblical terms for epidemics and their etymologies in order to define their meanings in their literary and theological contexts. It considers the possible divine or demonic background of the lexemes for epidemics, from the triad of Hebrew terms deber, qeteb and resep, which are used in some of the mythological passages of Bible. Major works on the subject proceed from the assumption that these terms were demons in the ancient Near East or that they were deities who became demonised by the authors of the Hebrew Bible. Close attention is paid to the linguistic and semantic aspects of the texts in their immediate contexts in order to determine the function of each term. The study shows a clear difference in meaning between the terms, although in some cases their semantic contents overlap. However, their function as God's negative agents prevail regardless of their original meaning and this is a consistent phenomenon with other Hebrew concepts of mythological origins in the Bible.

MYTHOPOETIC MODEL AS A RESEARCH TOOL FOR STUDYING THE MYTHOPOETICS OF SCULPTURE OF THE 20TH‑21ST CENTURIES

In the 20th 21st centuries, a tendency to synthesise the «mythological» and the «artistic», which requires theoretical understanding, has been observed due to active mythologization of culture in general and of artistic practice in particular. The introduction of the concept of «mythopoetic model of sculpture» to denote an artistic structure which includes figurative and symbolic components of mythological origin and means of expression necessary for their implementation such as established and updated iconographic schemes, traditional and innovative ways of working with materials, etc., has become one of the solutions to this theoretical problem. The divergence of processes of transformation of ideological structures, which occur during this period, including mythological ones, has determined the specifics of the system of sculpture mythopoetics of the 20th 21st centuries and the formation of various types of mythological models in it.

Euhemerus and Euhemerism in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.

This paper looks at the way in which scholars of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries conceptualized the relationship between sacred history and pagan mythology through the lens of their approach to the ancient Greek writer Euhemerus. It argues that the popular contemporary tendency to equate Euhemerism with the historical interpretation of pagan mythology is the product of early eighteenth century French mythography, during which time scholars divested the study of pagan myth from the study of biblical history and thereby sought for new, non-Christian, hermeneutical traditions through which to analyze the origins of pagan mythology more generally.

A Critical Appraisal of Manikya: A Ratna

Rasashastra has used almost all the available metals and minerals in the creation for medicinal purpose. Gems or Ratnas are also one among them. As the priority of Rasashastra was to attain a body (Deha vada), Siddhahcaryas of Rasashastra had used the gems for the purpose of inducing the longevity of life in a human body. Manikya or ruby, the rarest of gemstones and grouped under Ratna Varga. Its use leads to generate the mental and spiritual powers and special divine thoughts rise in mind. Manikya or ruby balances Surya (sun). Surya represents the king of the solar system in Jyotish. It also represents authority, power, self, father, body and health. It is composed of aluminium oxide, chromium and titanium. Manikya is having innovate action on various hormonal, enzymatic, immunological pathways, as it comprises mainstream trace elemental moieties. It is a versatile drug having Medhya, Vrushya property and specially recommended in Dwajabhanga, Kshaya and it has best Rasayana and Vajeekarana property. In the present review an attempt has been made to compile historic review, mythological origin of Manikya, Synonyms according to different Acharyas, Manikya Guna Karma and Dharana punya, types and their Lakshana, Grahyagrahyatva etc. present review expected to furnish the knowledge on Manikya ratna so that it can be widely used in therapeutic practices.

The Developmental Origins of Mythology: A Pandemic-Inspired Innovative Developmental Biology Laboratory Exercise

The Developmental Origins of Mythology: A Pandemic-Inspired Innovative Developmental Biology Laboratory Exercise

V. B. Zuseva-Ozkan. The warrior maiden in Russian modernist literature: Image, motifs, and plots

The review deals with V. Zuseva-Ozkan’s monograph that describes the folkloric and mythological origins of warrior maidens and their depictions in European literatures. This study focuses on the Amazons, Valkyries, Artemis, Athena, Brunhild, Jeanne D’Arc, and other female warriors. In her ground-breaking work that greatly enriches Russian gender studies, the scholar finds and examines the representations of female warriors by Russian modernist authors (V. Bryusov, A. Blok, A. Bely, N. Gumilyov, M. Tsvetaeva, and others). The scholar conducts a detailed analysis of the selected texts, drawing parallels with the authors’ other works and uncovering the sources of their inspiration. Establishing the motifs and topoi of the warrior maiden subject (the heroine wearing male clothing or armour, the virginity motif, her androgyny, etc.), the monograph examines them in the context of an individual author’s world. It is suggested, for example, that, while Blok and Bely incorporated female warriors in their mystical schemes, Tsvetaeva used the image as the embodiment of gender transgression.

Mitologizmy grecko-rzymskie w retrokryminałach Marka Krajewskiego – konwencja i inwencja w aspekcie funkcjonalnym

The subject to be presented and described in the present paper are word combinations with mythological (Graeco-Roman) origins occurring in eight crime novels penned by Marek Krajewski, taking the shape of: (i) better or less known phrasemes, or conventional petrified multiword units reproduced in a communicative act to express particular intentions and intensions; (ii) phrasematic innovations, or phrasemes modified formally and/or semantically and used against the grain of the phraseological norm; or (iii) literary nonce phrasemes, that is multiword units created ad hoc for the purposes of style and world depiction, containing eponyms and eponymisms of mythological origin which exist in Polish. The proposed examination of conventional (the titular convention), innovative, and nonce (the titular invention) units used in the excerpted crime novels is of a qualitative and functional nature, since its focus is on an attempt to point out and discuss the functions which the selected examples serve in the literary messaging. Polyword mythology-based expressions fulfil numerous and various (often at the same time) functions in M. Krajewski’s crime novels, incl. cultural-identitarian, content-focused, expressive, evaluative, aesthetic and others.

Artwork Analysis of Anastasis Fresco at Khora South Chapel and Its Interaction with the Architectural Program

Bu makalede Kariye Manastırı güney şapelinde yer alan Anastasis freskinin ikonografik olarak çözümlenmesi ve bu yapıtın yapının mimari programıyla kurduğu ilişkinin irdelenmesi hedeflenmiştir. İlk olarak eserin yer aldığı Kariye (Khora) Manastırı mimari nitelikleri bakımından incelenmiştir. Eserin sanatçısı ve hamisi hakkında bilgi verilmesinin ardından, esere konu olan Anastasis temasının mitolojik kökeni irdelenmiştir. Anastasis freskinin yapımında kullanılan tekniğin özgün tarafları ortaya konmuştur. Yapıtın ikonografik çözümlemesi yapılırken Erwin Panofsky’nin geliştirdiği yöntemden faydalanılmıştır. Bu kapsamda Anastasis freski incelenirken ilk olarak biçimsel analizi yapılarak kompozisyonda yer alan figürlerin birbirleriyle ilişkileri irdelenmiş; ikinci aşamada teolojik ve alegorik bilgiler ışığında figürlerin temsil ettiği karakterler ve aktarılan kavramlar ortaya çıkarılmaya çalışılmıştır. Üçüncü aşamada ise yapıtın, dönemin koşulları içerisinde sahip olduğu anlamlar irdelenirken; yakın döneminde üretilen, benzer temaya sahip eserlerle de karşılaştırılmıştır. Son olarak yapının mimari ve ikonografik programları arasındaki etkileşim ele alınmıştır.Kariye Manastırı, mimari programla ikonografinin iç içe geçtiği, hatta ikonografiyle anlatılan hikaye dizisinin mimari elemanları belirlediği bir düzene sahiptir. Bu nedenle Rönesans’a öncülük yapan Bizans Sanatı ikonografisinin incelenebileceği özgün örnekler arasında sayılabilir. Kariye güney şapeli apsis yarım kubbesi üzerinde yer alan Anastasis freski, Hristiyan literatüründe önemli bir yeri olan diriliş temasını işlemektedir. Şapeldeki ikonografik programın bütünü düşüldüğünde diriliş sahnesi ana temayı oluşturmaktadır. Anastasis freskinin parekklesionda yer alması, mezarı burada bulunan Kariye Kilisesi’nin hamisi Metokhites’in ölümsüzlük / diriliş beklentisini de simgelemektedir.

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.

Images of Shamans and a Werewolf Girl in the Khakass’ Heroic Epic

We have considered the images of shamans and a werewolf girl in the Khakass’ heroic epic. The appearance of the images of shamans and female shamans is due to the influence of shamanism, which has been developed among all the peoples in Siberia. There is no complete description of these images in the Khakass’ heroic epic, they are pictured schematically. Shamanic elements, actions, peculiar to shamans, are manifested in the descriptions of some magic objects used by this or that character. The werewolf girl’s image attracts attention: it has a special functional role - she turns out to be the donator of a soul to a child, the defender of a churt (home, homeland), the patroness of a brother and a sister. In her image, the influence of mythological ideas associated with totemism is discernible. The werewolf girl’s image is a personification of the image of a swallow, which has the idea of patronage and helping people. A swallow is a popular character in legends of not only the Khakass people, but also other Siberian peoples. The image of a cuckoo, which is a symbol of a heroine’s soul, became widespread in the Khakass epic as well. In the studied heroic tales, the mythological basis is seen in the presence of motifs of the first creation, childlessness, miraculous conception and miraculous birth, which receive a full-fledged artistic development in the epic. The mythological origins lie in the metamorphism of the characters, which can be explained by the ancient culture-bearers’ totemic notions.

Витальность музыки: от истоков к реалиям нон-классики

The subject of the article is the phenomenon of vitality in music. It is considered as a generic feature of music dating back to its origins and early forms. The historical evolution of musical vitality is briefly described, presented on individual examples, starting from the late Baroque, the works by I. Haydn, L. Beethoven, R. Wagner, A. Scriabin up to D. Shostakovich and the composers of the second half of the 20th — first third of the 21st centuries, to whom the main attention is paid. The purpose of the article is to identify specific, relatively stable forms of vitality’s manifestation which materialize both in individual elements of the musical language (such, for example, is the new monody that arose with the birth of opera at the beginning of the 17th century), and in integral phenomena of a systematic order. Among the stylistic events of the second kind, the article is specifically examined the concept of creation, the gesture of birth. Gradually, it crystallizes in music as thematic constant (based on biblical mythology, as in Haydn’s Creation of the World oratorio), but eventually emancipates from the plot basis, acquiring the universal significance. The result of the research is the identification of the mythological origins of the concept of creation; in some cases they come to the forefront (Introduction to the opera The Rhinegold by Wagner; Stimmung for six vocalists and electronics by K. Stockhausen). Another version of the concept of creation is formed in line with the romantic tradition. Then the birth of the world is associated with the lonely voice of the hero — the initial monologue of the solo instrument dramatically opposed to the orchestral mass (works of the concert genre by A. Schnittke, S. Gubaidulina, W. Lutosławski, B. Tishchenko, E. Denisov). In all such cases, the heightened sense of vitality is enhanced by special performing techniques. In the new music, the concept of creation is further developed and logically completed. The gesture of creation is no longer answered by the final statement of existence but by the gesture of destruction, annihilation of sound material — attenuation, acoustic extinction. The feeling of vitality in such compositions is specific, since musical material lives in them according to its own laws as if it doesn’t need a mirror of the subject (large orchestral compositions by Ch. Ives, Ya. Ksenakis, V. Tarnopolsky). The new music “brings to play” other non-classical aspects of vitality associated with threshold states on the verse of life and death. Starting with I. Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring the vitality of transgression becomes a noticeable phenomenon of contemporary music.

On the Strengthening of the Chthonic Principle in the Revived Aphrodite Cult in the Northern Black Sea Region in the First Centuries a.d.

The research object is the domain of Hellenic religious worldview in the Northern Black Sea region during the Antiquity era. The research focuses on the revival of the Aphrodite cult in the Bosporus and Chersonese in the first centuries A.D. and the strengthening of the chthonic element in these beliefs. The authors consider in detail such aspects of the topic as the mythological origin, the presence of various epicleses of the Greco-barbarian Aphrodite, her connection with other female deities, as well as the features of the chthonic functions originally inherent in this goddess of love and family life. The article pays particular attention to Aphrodite's involvement in funerary rites and the deity's patronage of dead souls. The main research conclusions stem from the identified multifactorial reasons for the popularity of the Aphrodite cult in the Northern Black Sea region in the Roman period. The most important of these are the distribution of the deity's cult among the Romans and the possibility of Aphrodite's divine protection covering a wide enough range of the local population, including sailors, as well as the peculiarities of the reaction of local Hellenes to the Roman cultural expansion. The authors' special contribution to the study of the subject is to link the radical changes in the veneration of Aphrodite in the Northern Black Sea region with the democratization of the apotheosis of the dead in the first centuries A.D. The novelty of the research lies in conducting the first comprehensive study in historiography on this topic, which has revealed one of the main reasons for the return of popularity, as well as the archaization of the Aphrodite cult in the Northern Black Sea region during the Roman period. According to the authors, it was an increased need for the deification of deceased relatives, in order to ensure the peace of their souls and achieve immortality. It was Aphrodite, the oldest and supreme Hellenic deity as Mistress of the afterworld, who could most effectively breathe divine powers into the deceased as well as ensure that he/she would be born in a new capacity.

Between Modernity and Myth: Alexey Varlamov's Novel "The Dome»

The article considers the artistic worldview in A. Varlamov's novel "The Dome" (1999). The author of the article clarifies the place of this novel in the writer's works, the balance of the confessional-autobiographical discourse with the mythopoetic thinking characteristic of the writer himself and the central character-the intellectual. The representation of the province and Moscow of the late Soviet and "perestroika" time is analyzed as well as the heterogeneous university environment ranging from the auditorium to the dormitory and informal youth movements. Special attention is given to the study of the semantics and structure of the urban topos of Chagodai, its specific historical and mythological origins and meanings. Utopian models of the Dome, the Kingdom of God on Earth are considered in detail from the perspective of the author's image, the life experience of the central character, public life collisions of the frontier time. Conclusions are drawn about the prophetic nature of this work, where the artistically recreated realities of the end of the previous century serve as the basis for anxious forebodings about the prospects for the the life in the country in the coming decades.

Диегетическое исчезающее/невидимое в немом кино и его корни

The article studies the early silent cinema motif of disappearance or invisibility of bodies in a frame. In adventure and adventure-fantasy films, this motif performs a whole set of functions. Using the example of several films, I uncover its rich semantic potential. Further on, the mythological origins of the motif are analyzed, as are the role of theater, circus, attraction and fairy tale in the prehistory of the diegetic disappearing. Attention is paid to the aesthetics of the trick in Georges Méliès’ films, where the condition and location of the vanishing body remain uncertain. Narrative films suggest a more definite interpretation of the character’s disappearance. For instance, the final episode of the British film The Life of Charles Peace (1905) implies the hero’s death by execution. However, the invisibility of the body creates the illusion of a likely open finale. Another example is D. W. Griffith’s The Adventures of Dollie (1908) about a girl locked in a barrel and traveling down the river to be returned to her father in the end. The happy-end gives this melodrama a touch of fantasy, presenting America as a wise natural universe. Working with the motif of the diegetic invisible/disappearing is significant for the cinema aesthetics, regardless of the motivations and meaning of what is happening. The diversity of the diegetic invisible reflects the need of cinema to model the picture of the magical universe.