from Greek mutos - legend, legend and logos - word, story) - 1) Fantastic. the idea of the world characteristic of a person of a primitive communal formation. 2) In the narrow sense of the word - a type of oral vernacular. creativity. 3) Science that studies myths and stories corresponding to them. To a person who lived in a primitive communal system based on spontaneous collectivism immediate family, only his communal-tribal relations were clear and closest. He transferred these relationships to everything around him. Earth, sky, plant and animal world were presented to such a person in the form of a universal tribal community, in which all existing objects were thought of not only as animate, and often even intelligent, but necessarily related beings. In M. these ideas take the form of generalizations. For example, a craft, taken as a whole, with all its characteristic features, in all its development and with all its history. destinies, is thought of as a kind of living and intelligent being who controlled all possible types and areas of craft. This is where mythological stories arise. images of gods-artisans, gods-farmers, gods-herders, gods-warriors, etc.: glory. Veles (Volos) or Celtic Damona, which represented one or another generalization of cattle breeding, Greek. Pallas Athena or Abkhazian Erysh (goddesses of spinning and weaving), as well as gods of fertility, vegetation, guardian gods and patron demons among the Aztecs, in New. Zealand, Nigeria and many others. other peoples of the world. V.I. Lenin defined what he called primitive idealism and which, obviously, is M., in the following way: “... the general (concept, idea) is a separate being” (Works, vol. 38, p. 370). Generalizing concepts in mathematics do not arise immediately. Being a spiritual reflection of the definition. stages ist. development, M. has undergone profound changes. Great importance in the history of M. there was a transition from the economy of the appropriating type (gathering-hunting) to the producing one. When only the finished product of nature was used, the animation of the department was in the foreground. things, or rather, the complete indistinguishment of a thing from the “idea” of the thing itself. This includes not only fetishism, but also all corresponding primitive ideas about plants, animals and humans. Totemism is also a fetishization of a given community or a given tribe, expressed in the form of one or another founder of this community or this tribe. When did a person have to create the products necessary for life using his own. efforts, the idea of a thing in his mind began to be separated from the thing itself and presented in the form of a more or less independent spirit or demon. This period of animation and deification of the idea of a thing instead of the thing itself is already an overcoming of fetishism and is usually called animism. Fetishism, totemism and animism are mainly characteristic. for M. era of matriarchy. Mythological The images of this era reflected the spontaneous side of communal tribal life, were characterized by clumsy and often even ugly forms and were very far from the later plasticity and beauty of heroic characters. personality. Three-headed, four-headed and fifty-headed, hundred-armed, as well as all kinds of evil and vengeful monsters or half-monsters are found very often in the world M. of the matriarchal era (for example, in Ancient Babylon - the bestial ruler of the world Tiamat, in Australia - a one-legged killer spirit, on Tahiti - the god Oro, demanding bloody sacrifices, in North America - 7 giant cannibal brothers, on Tierra del Fuego among the Una Indians - the evil witch Taita), vampirism or sucking blood from a person. an evil spirit is a fairly popular image. The filthy idol or the Nightingale the Robber of Russian epics also clearly testify to the former dominance of spontaneous and therefore ugly, cruel and merciless forms. In connection with the further growth of generalizing and abstracting thinking, one or another level of mythological was created. abstractions. At first, the demon of the thing was barely visible, was weak and died along with the thing itself. Then it was strengthened and remained after the death of the department. things and already headed a whole class of things of this type. So mythological. abstraction reached the idea of any one “father of men and gods,” although at this stage the images of such mythological the rulers contained a lot of remnants of fetishism and animism. antiquity and were deprived of extreme absolutization. This is how the Olympian Zeus appeared, settling on Mount Olympus, overthrowing his predecessors into the underworld, and others. subjugating the gods as his children. Homer cites a number of ancient and pre-Olympic features of this Zeus, making his figure historically complex and diverse. These are the supreme deities, the creators of the world, who arose during the era of patriarchy in Polynesia, Tahiti, and North America. Indians, Yakuts, Africans. tribes under different names, with different functions and with varying degrees of mythological. abstractions. In the era of patriarchy, ideas about the heroic originate and take shape. individuals who conquer the forces of nature, which until then seemed invincible, consciously organize societies. life, as well as the protection of a given community or union of communities from the hostile forces of nature and neighboring tribes. For example, the Babylonian Marduk kills the monstrous Tiamat, creating heaven and earth from her body. In Babylon, the famous epic about the hero Gilgamesh arose (see Babylonian-Assyrian religion and mythology). Iran. god Mithras fights evil spirits and defeats the terrible bull (see Ancient Iranian mythology). Egypt the god Ra fights the underground serpent Apep (see Ancient Egyptian mythology and religion). Ancient Greek Zeus defeats the titans, giants and Typhon. The world-famous Hercules performs his 12 labors (see Ancient Greek mythology and religion). The German Sigurd kills the dragon Fafnir (see Ancient German mythology and religion), Ilya Muromets - the Serpent Gorynych, etc. Thus, the development of M. went from simple to complex: from chaotic, disharmonious to orderly, proportionate, harmonious. However, the myths that have reached us are a complex complex of layers (rudiments) different eras. For example, the myth of the Cretan Minotaur. The bull head of the Minotaur indicates that the origin of this image dates back to the period of early matriarchy, when man almost did not yet distinguish himself from animals. The Minotaur is depicted with stars and bears the name Zvezdny - this is already a cosmic generalization. The Minotaur is killed by the hero Theseus - this part of the myth could only arise during the period of patriarchy. Mythological thinking, spontaneously arising everywhere, very early came to various kinds historical and space generalizations. With the transition of people to a sedentary lifestyle, when they found themselves economically connected with a particular locality, their idea of the unity of the tribe or clan grew stronger, and a desire arose to restore the memory of their past. This is how the cult of ancestors appeared, which could never do without corresponding myths about ancestors. Since various figures from the world of former gods and demons remained in memory, M. was created by itself about the changes of the former divine and demonic. generations, i.e. M. cosmogonic and theogonic. Trying to figure out the future afterlife, led to the emergence of eschatological M. World fires, floods, world storms, hunger, thirst, invasions of wild animals - these images are often found in M.; they reflect certain catastrophic events. moments in human history. To the same area, mythological. ideas, it is also necessary to include the idea of fate, which follows on the heels of man until he learns to understand nature and remake it. This division of mythology (cosmogonic, eschatological, etc.) is also caused by the fact that every myth that arose in the consciousness of primitive man contained in itself cognitive function, an attempt to understand complex issues: how the world came to be, man, what is the secret of life and death, etc. Moreover, new inventions, changes in societies. relations, in knowledge itself were consistently recorded in M. However, the explanatory function of myth still remains in the background for primitive man. In the primitive consciousness, rational thinking based on experience, fantasy, poetry, religion, i.e., elements of reality and unreality, are fused together. Historical development leads to the differentiation of these elements, due to which the primitive unity disintegrates, and the disintegrated elements enter into antagonism. When the Babylonian Adapa breaks the wings of the south. the wind of the gods, Etana rises into the sky for the herb of birth, Gilgamesh seeks the secret of life and death, Greek. Bellerophon tries to fly to the sky on the horse Pegasus, Hercules cleans Augean stables, changing the course of the river when in North America. In myths, Indians, dissatisfied with their creator, raise the sky higher or when from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil brave man eats the fruit, despite the prohibitions of the gods - everywhere in these cases the division between knowledge and fantasy that began in myth is clearly felt, and this division already borders on their complete mutual antagonism. This can be seen in hundreds of examples, but it seems that the most striking of them is the ancient Greek myth of Prometheus, who, being the cousin of Zeus, forever remained a symbol of the struggle for man against the gods and a symbol of technical and generally cultural progress. In the primitive communal formation, M. was a kind of naive faith, the only form of ideology. In the slaveholding society, M. becomes one of the forms of expression of various kinds of religious, socio-political, moral and philosophical. ideas of this society, is of a service nature, turns into philosophy. allegory, widely used in literature and art (see illustration on separate sheet on page 512). Accordingly, political According to the views and style of one or another ancient author, it receives one or another design and use. For example, Athena Pallas in Aeschylus turned out to be the goddess of ascendant democracies. Athens, and the image of Prometheus was endowed by him with advanced and even revolutionary people. ideas. In this sense, M. never died and her art never died. The images were and are still being designed in a completely non-mythological way. ideology and not at all mythological. lawsuit Marx, for example, finds it necessary to talk about the “miracles” of modern times. economics, about commodity fetishism (see K. Marx and F. Engels, Works, 2nd ed., vol. 23, pp. 80-93). Often to this day state. and politicians of all directions use mythological images to characterize their views. Having been a form of awareness of existence and nature for thousands of years, M. is considered modern. science as a chronicle eternal struggle old and new, like a story about a man. life, its sufferings and joys. The nationality of M., its realism, heroism and premonition of future victories of man, as well as questions about the birth, flourishing and fall of M., about its progressiveness or reactionaryness for a given time - all these problems are solved by Marxist historians with a specific approach for different nations and different sources. eras. Scientific approach to the study of metal arose during the Renaissance. However, up to the 18th-19th centuries. in Europe, ch. arr. antique M.; acquaintance with the history, culture, culture of Egypt, the peoples of America, and the East made it possible to move on to a comparative study of the culture of different peoples. In the 18th century an outstanding attempt to give history. understanding M. undertakes Italian. philosopher J. Vico, who pointed out 4 stages of the development of M.: humanization and deification of nature (for example, the sea - Poseidon), the beginning of its conquest and remaking (symbols of the conquest of nature were, for example, Hephaestus and Demeter), socio-political. interpretation of the gods (for example, Juno is the patroness of marriages), humanization of the gods and their loss of allegory. meaning (Homer). In comparison with the theory of J. Vico, French. The Enlightenment with its rejection of history. approach, which considered M. as a product of ignorance and deception, as superstition, represents a step back (B. Fontenelle, Voltaire, D. Diderot, C. Montesquieu, etc.). On the contrary, English poet J. McPherson, German. the writer and philosopher Herder and others gave a new understanding of M. as an expression of the general people. wisdom. Romanticism consolidated and developed Herder’s teaching about M., understanding it as an expression of people. wisdom as a product of the general public. creativity. The collection and presentation of narratives began. tales, legends, fairy tales and myths (German scientists C. Brentano, J. and W. Grimm, L. J. Arnim, etc.). Philosophy the basis of the romantic mythological teachings were given by F. Schelling and partly by G. Hegel. From ser. 19th century a number of positivist mythologies arose. theories: solar-meteorological. theory (German scientists A. Kuhn, M. Muller, Russian - F.I. Buslaev, L.F. Voevodsky, O. Miller, etc.), which interpreted myths as an allegory of certain astronomical. and atmospheric phenomena. The theory of "inferior M." (German scientists W. Schwartz, W. Manhardt, etc.) interpreted myths, on the contrary, as a reflection of the most ordinary phenomena of life. Supporters of animism. theories conveyed ideas about people. soul to all nature (English scientists - Z. Taylor, G. Spencer, E. Lang, German - L. Frobenius, Russian - W. Klinger, etc.). In the 60s 19th century A sociological theory arose (J. Bachofen in Switzerland, E. Durkheim in France), which saw in M. a reflection of matriarchy and patriarchy. Gained widespread popularity in the 19th century. historical-philological theory (German scientists G. Usener, U. Vilamowitz-Mellendorff, etc.; in Russia - V. Vlastov, F. F. Zelinsky, E. G. Katarov, S. A. Zhebelev, N. I. Novosadsky, I I. Tolstoy and others), who used the methods of lit. and linguistic analysis in the study of myths. Modern bourgeois mythological theories are based exclusively on logical. and psychological human history data consciousness, as a result of which M. is interpreted as a subtle and highly intellectual phenomenon, which it could not have been at the dawn of man. stories. Therefore, these theories are, as a rule, abstract and ahistorical. character. Among psychological theories of the 20th century The concept of the Austrian was very popular. scientist Z. Freud and the Swiss. scientist K. Jung, which are all phenomena social life, cultures were reduced to mental. life of an individual, brought to the fore sexual needs, which are supposedly the only factor in a person’s entire conscious life. In contrast to Freudianism, the “pre-logical theory” of the French. scientist L. Levy-Bruhl claims that the primitive thought of a savage is supposedly based only on phenomenal memory and on associations by contiguity. Cultural history is widespread. theory of myth formation (English scientists J. Fraser, G. R. Levy, B. K. Malinovsky, French - J. Dumezil, P. Centiv, American - R. Carpenter, etc.). This theory considers every myth as a reflection of ritual and a rethinking of ancient magic. rite. In some of the bourgeois mythological. theories, which are often difficult to distinguish from each other, elements of materialism and idealism are often intertwined. For example, animistic. Taylor's theory outwardly seems idealistic, but it was it that gave impetus to the accumulation of data from anthropology and ethnography, which objectively created the basis for materialism. studying and understanding M. But most mythological. bourgeois theories science, especially the 20th century, is based on individualism. philosophy, using to explain M. this or that ability or activity of the department. person (sexual, affective-volitional, mental, religious, scientific, etc.). They all give one explanation or another to Ph.D. one side of myth-making. But none of them can explain social essence M., for the explanation should not be sought in the department. human abilities spirit, but in revealing the social conditions that gave rise to the ideology of a particular society and, consequently, its integral part - M. This materialistic. the concept underlies the works of Sov. scientists A. M. Zolotarev, A. F. Losev, S. A. Tokarev, Yu. P. Frantsev, B. I. Sharevskaya and others; cultural-historical interpretation of M. on a Marxist basis and related comparative history. analysis of the world epic is given by V. Ya. Propp, P. Bogatyrev, V. M. Zhirmunsky, V. I. Abaev, U. B. Dalgat, E. M. Meletinsky, I. N. Golenishchev-Kutuzov and others. Only on the paths of dialectic. and ist. materialism is possible in the future to build truly scientific theory myth, which is currently still under development. (For a detailed analysis of mythological theories, see the article by A. F. Losev “Mythology” in the 3rd volume of the Philosophical Encyclopedia, M., 1964). Lit. see the articles: Babylonian-Assyrian religion and mythology, Ancient Greek mythology and religion, Ancient Germanic mythology and religion, Ancient Egyptian mythology and religion, Ancient Indian mythology, Ancient Iranian mythology, Ancient Roman mythology and religion. In addition, general, as well as special. works: Meletinsky E. M., Origin of heroic. epic, M., 1963 (biblical available); Tokarev S. A., What is mythology?, "VIRA", 1962, c. 10; his, Religion in the history of the peoples of the world, M., 1964; him, Early forms religions and their development, M., 1964; Zolotarev A. M., Tribal system and primitive mythology, M., 1964; Sharevskaya B.I., Old and new religions Tropich. and Yuzh. Africa, M., 1964. A. F. Losev. Moscow.
On the one hand, this concept hides the first historically established form of culture. On the other hand, the myth traces the changes that took place in mental life person. Moreover, we still see them today, when these ancient legends have long lost their dominance.
In scientific terms, the essence of myth is nothing more than the semantic unconscious kinship of people with the forces of existence of nature or society. But if we consider the everyday understanding of this concept, then it means biblical, ancient, and other ancient “tales” telling about the creation of man and the world, as well as stories about the adventures of ancient heroes and gods - Odysseus and Zeus, Dionysus and Apollo, etc. .d.
And it is not surprising that the word “myth” has its roots in Ancient Greece. Translated from the language of this people, it means “legend”, “tradition”. What does the word “mythology” mean?
Definition of the concept
The meaning of the words “myth” and “mythology” are close in meaning. And if we are already familiar with the first of them, then what does the second concept indicate? The meaning of the word “mythology” is “statement of legends.” This is its literal translation from Greek. At the same time, the origin of the word “mythology” becomes clear. It is closely related to ancient tales and legends and means their retelling from one person to another. This is the opinion of the majority of ordinary people. Based on the fact that legends are represented by ancient fairy tales and entertaining stories about heroes and gods who lived in ancient times, mythology is considered a collection of such stories that have nothing to do with reality.
However, scientists have a slightly different opinion on this matter. Their definition of the word “mythology” is an expression of a special type public consciousness, a unique way of understanding the surrounding reality, which was inherent in people in early stages development. Ancient man considered himself one with nature. Such unity led to the understanding of the world as something living. For a person who lived in ancient times, space and stone, light and river, tree and stone were as alive as all people. At the same time, the main rule in that period was that the world relates to a person in the same way as he relates to every thing in it. That is why people began to animate nature, personify things and phenomena, and compare everything that surrounds them with society. They transferred either their properties to objects in the surrounding world, which is called anthropomorphism, or animals (that is, zoomorphism). Thanks to this, bizarre mythological fiction was born. An example of this is the ancient Greek centaur, as well as the East Slavic winged dog Simargl. People also transferred tribal relations to nature. We can also see this in myths, where between heroes, spirits and gods there are family and clan ties, similar to human ones.
Syncretism as a characteristic feature of ancient legends
What is mythology? This is a concept whose main features are syncretism and symbolism, geneticism and etiology. Let's take a closer look at them.
The word "syncretism" in translation means "connection". This is a concept that characterizes mythology as knowledge, which is undifferentiated due to its underdevelopment. If we consider modern ideas about the world, then it can be divided into whole line industries, each of which interprets certain facts of reality in its own way. In ancient times, people tried to explain everything with myths alone. For example, why does it rain, how the world came into being, where people came from, and why they get sick from time to time and die at the end of their lives.
In myths we can see the beginnings various forms arts, religion, and rational knowledge transmitted to future generations. Already in the early stages of the development of human society, legends created by people were closely connected with religious rituals and beliefs. Myths affirmed and transmitted the system of norms of behavior and values accepted in human society. Our ancestors considered the content of such legends to be real, since they contained the collective experience of a number of generations, which was an object of faith and was not subject to critical rethinking.
Ancient man had undifferentiated thinking. And this clearly manifested itself in mythological consciousness, which did not distinguish between phenomenon and essence, word and thing, name and the named. In the narration of the ancient legend, all objects are brought together in their external sensory characteristics. An example of this is lightning with an arrow.
Symbolism
What is mythology? This is an attempt to explain natural phenomena when a person did not even try to delve into the search for the essence. That is why in ancient legends the externally similar was presented as nothing other than identical. This is the second important property of mythology, that is, symbolism. What happens when this happens? Certain objects, as well as phenomena, turn into signs of other objects and phenomena. In other words, they begin to symbolically replace them.
Genetism
Very often in ancient legends, people passed off the origin of an object as its essence. This property is called “geneticism”. Translated from Greek given word means “origin”, “birth”.
In mythology, an explanation of a thing or phenomenon means a story about its occurrence.
Etiology
This property, inherent in mythology, has a direct connection with geneticism. Translated from Greek this concept means reason. From myths, people learned why all natural phenomena, surrounding objects, as well as living beings are exactly the way they are. In all ancient legends, the story about the structure of the world looked like a story about the origin of certain of its elements. At the same time, we can familiarize ourselves with a number of actual etiological legends. These are myths that are short stories that explain the characteristics of a phenomenon or object.
Considering the geneticism and etiology of ancient legends, one significant detail becomes obvious. It refers to the moment of the origin of a thing or mythological time. It has sharp differences from the period of the story. Moreover, such mythological time has a sacred (sacred) character and serves as a model for the repetition of events at the present moment.
From all of the above, we can conclude that myths are far from legends, fairy tales or funny stories. This is a heritage that reflects ancient knowledge. Moreover, what is mythology? She is nothing more than in the most ancient way, with the help of which people comprehended the world around them, explaining not only natural phenomena and other existing order of things. With the help of mythology, man learned how he should act in this world.
Grouping of ancient tales
Myths various peoples, inhabiting our planet, are very diverse. However, if you study them, you will notice some similar motives, themes and features in these tales. Similar properties made it possible to classify myths by combining them into certain groups.
Most of the ancient legends were written about animals. Such myths often told about those representatives of the fauna world whom people considered their ancestors. These are the so-called totem animals. However, this group includes myths of a slightly different nature. They talk about how sometimes a person turned into an animal. An example of this is one of ancient greek myths about the weaver Arachne. This skilled craftswoman was turned into a spider by Athena. This group also includes the East Slavic myth, which talks about Volkh Vseslavovich, the werewolf prince.
Another type of ancient legends is astral. These are myths that tell us about the heavenly bodies. Sometimes they are divided into additional subgroups. Thus, legends about planets and stars are distinguished separately. There are also solar myths about the Sun and lunar myths about the Moon. The central group includes tales telling about the origin of the cosmos. They are called cosmogonic. Stories about the appearance of gods (theogony) are often woven into such legends, which leads to the emergence of complex mythological complexes - theocosmogonies.
IN separate group There are myths that explain the origin of man. They are called anthropogony. Very often they are included in cosmogony, although independent narratives can also be found.
Eschatological myths telling about the end of the world have a close connection with cohogonies. These tales sometimes pointed to a time when the world would cease to exist.
Ancient peoples assigned an important place to myths that spoke about the origin of existing cultural goods. These are the skills and objects that the heroes of legends and tales passed on to people. In some cases, this happened personally. An example of this is the Karelian-Finnish Väinämeänen. Sometimes the heroes of mythology stole cultural goods from the gods. For example, like the ancient Greek Prometheus.
The gods of Slavic mythology did not stand aside either. For example, there is a legend about how people learned blacksmithing. According to him, the god Svarog dropped pincers directly from the sky to the Slavs.
Calendar myths tell us about the culture of ancient peoples engaged in agriculture. They reflect the cyclical nature that is inherent in natural processes. The unchanging series of times and their repetition were reflected in the tales of dying and rising gods. In Egyptian mythology it was Osiris. In Phenicia - Adonis. In Thrace - Dionysus. Among the Slavs - Yarilo.
The groups of myths listed above are the largest. However, there are many other legends. They talk about fate and death, the afterlife.
As in many other areas, classification in mythology is rather arbitrary. But even this distinction above allows us to orient ourselves as best as possible in the endless and confusing labyrinths of this direction.
Tales and religion
What is mythology? These are narratives that have a close connection with human religious beliefs. After all, in both of them there are ritual actions and appeals to the gods, to spirits and to miraculous phenomena. But unlike religious beliefs, in myths supernatural forces are assigned a secondary role. Appeal to them is necessary only to explain natural phenomena.
As for religious ideas, the supernatural played a major role in them. In this case, all ongoing processes are made completely dependent on the wishes of the gods.
At a certain stage of development of human society, religious consciousness took a dominant position. At the same time, myths became part of a belief system. At the same time, they retreated into the background.
Thus, we can say that mythological consciousness is a certain stage in the development of human consciousness. And the path through it was passed by every nation.
Ancient mythology
It includes those legends that told people about the gods and goddesses, heroes and demons of Rome and Hellas. The word “antique” itself translated from Latin means “ancient”. Moreover, here you can include not only any Greek myth, but also Roman. Together they create a single community. That is why in some sources there is such a thing as “Greco-Roman mythology”.
Already the most ancient monuments of Greek creativity indicate the predominance of concrete ideas over abstract ones among this people. Moreover, the quantitative ratio of humanoid gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines clearly outweighs the number of deities with abstract meaning.
About whom, as a rule, were ancient myths composed? These are heroes born from the marriages of gods with mortals. In legends, such people were described as having enormous strength, as well as superhuman capabilities, without being endowed with immortality. The heroes of mythology carried out the will of the deities on earth and brought justice and order into ordinary life. They performed various feats, for which they were revered by people. The most famous heroes of ancient Roman-Greek mythology are:
- Hercules. Being the son of Zeus and Alimene, he possessed remarkable strength. During his life, he performed twelve feats, about which myths were composed.
- Achilles. This son of the sea goddess Thetis and King Pepeus was raised by the centaur Chiron. From myths we know about Achilles as a mighty young man who was fluent in weapons and also familiar with singing and musical instruments. Legends passed down from generation to generation tell of his exploits during the Trojan War.
- Perseus. This is the son of Zeus and Danae, the daughter of the king of Argos. Many myths tell of his miraculous deeds. Some of them are the destruction of the gorgon Medusa, the salvation of the daughter of King Kepheus - the beautiful Andromeda, whom he later married, and many others.
- Odysseus. Myths tell us about this king of the island of Ithaca as a clever and cunning man. While participating in Trojan War they were asked to build a wooden horse in which they hid best warriors, and leave him at the walls of the besieged city. The trick was a success. The Greeks took possession of Troy. And this is only one of the many exploits of Odysseus, about which ancient legends were formed.
Myths of China
The legends and tales of the people of this country had a special feature. The heroes of Chinese mythology were presented as real figures of ancient times. The main characters of the tales often turned into emperors and rulers, and the minor characters into officials, dignitaries, etc.
Totemistic ideas were of great importance in Chinese mythology. For example, the Yin Qi tribes had a swallow as a totem, and the Xia tribes had a snake. Somewhat later, the bird gradually transformed into fenghuang and became a symbol of the empress. The snake became the dragon (moon), which commanded water and rain, thunderstorms, and was associated with underground forces. This totem became a symbol of the sovereign.
The most famous heroes of Chinese myths:
Yeaxian is a group of eight immortal characters who bring good luck;
Rong-Cheng, who was a teacher and magician capable of achieving immortality, and who was credited with the invention of the calendar;
Hou Yi is the son of the supreme god, a remarkable shooter who received the elixir of immortality, and also subjugated the winds that devastated the country to his will;
Huangdi - this huge hero with the face of a dragon, a solar horn, four eyes and four faces in Chinese mythology is the personification of the magical powers of the earth itself.
Tales of the Slavs
Many mythological texts created by these people in pagan times have not reached us. The reason for this was the lack of writing, as well as the decisive struggle waged Christian church against this belief. However, those mythological ideas that were characteristic of the Eastern Slavs were reflected in the works of some writers. Motifs of folk tales can be seen in the works of N.V. Gogol, A.S. Pushkin and others. Slavic mythology is also reflected in the poetry of S. Yesenin. His poems describe the customs and traditions of folk beliefs, which are far from the Orthodox canons.
In the unique work of ancient Rus', “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” which has survived to this day, pagan symbols were combined with Christian ones. This legend mentions many gods: Veles and Stribog, Khars and Div, Karona and Zhelya, Troyan and Dazhbog. Considering the mythology in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” one can point out the presence of many other images. Among them are Christian (icon) and poeticized (falcon, cuckoo, raven, swan), as well as unsolved ones (Virgin of Offense, Boyan, etc.).
Mythology (Greek mythología, from mýthos - tradition, legend and lógos - word, story, teaching)
a fantastic idea of the world, characteristic of a person of a primitive communal formation, as a rule, transmitted in the form of oral narratives - myths, and the science that studies myths. To a person who lived in the conditions of a primitive communal system, based on the spontaneous collectivism of his closest relatives, only his communal-clan relations were understandable and closest. He transferred these relationships to everything around him. The earth, sky, flora and fauna were presented in the form of a universal tribal community, in which all objects were thought of not only as animate, and often even intelligent, but necessarily related beings. In M. these ideas received the form of generalizations. For example, a craft, taken as a whole, with all its characteristic features, in all its development and with all its historical destinies, was thought of as a kind of living and intelligent being that controlled all possible types and areas of craft. This is where the mythological images of gods-artisans, gods-farmers, gods-herders, gods-warriors, etc. arose: the Slavic Veles (Volos) or the Celtic Damona, which represented one or another generalization of cattle breeding, the Greek Athena Pallas or the Abkhazian Erysh ( goddesses of spinning and weaving), as well as gods of fertility, vegetation, guardian gods and patron demons among the Aztecs, New Zealand, Nigeria and many other peoples of the world. Generalizing concepts in M. arose gradually. The initial forms of M. were Fetishism (when individual things were animated, or, more accurately, the complete non-separation of a thing from the “idea” of the thing itself) was thought of, and Totemism (the fetishization of a given community or tribe, expressed in the image of one or another founder of this community or tribe). More high level development of M. animism appeared ,
when a person began to separate the “idea” of a thing from the thing itself. In connection with the further growth of generalizing and abstracting thinking, a different level of mythological abstraction was created. She reached the idea of a single “father of men and gods,” although at this stage the images of such mythological rulers contained a lot of remnants of fetishistic and animistic antiquity and were deprived of extreme absolutization. This is how Olympian Zeus appeared ,
overthrowing his predecessors into the underworld, and subjugating other gods as his children. Homer cites a number of ancient and pre-Olympic features of this Zeus, making his figure historically complex and diverse. These are the supreme deities, the creators of the world, who arose during the era of patriarchy in Polynesia, Tahiti, the Yakuts, and African tribes under different names, with different functions and with varying degrees of mythological abstraction. M.'s development went from chaotic, disharmonious to orderly, proportionate, and harmonious, as can be seen when comparing mythological images of different historical periods. Mythological images of the era of matriarchy were characterized by clumsy and often even ugly forms and were very far from the later plastic harmony. Three-headed, four-headed and fifty-headed, hundred-armed, as well as all kinds of evil and vengeful monsters or half-monsters were encountered very often in world magic during the era of matriarchy (for example, in Ancient Babylon - the beast-like ruler of the world Tiamat, in Australia - a one-legged killer spirit, in Tahiti - the god Oro, demanding bloody sacrifices, in North America- 7 giant cannibal brothers, etc.). In the era of patriarchy, ideas arose and took shape about a heroic personality who defeats the forces of nature, which until then seemed invincible, consciously organizes social life, as well as the protection of a given community from the hostile forces of nature and neighboring tribes. For example, the Babylonian Marduk kills the monstrous Tiamat, creating heaven and earth from her body. The famous epic about the hero Gilgamesh e. Iran arose in Babylon. the god Mithras fights evil spirits and defeats the terrible bull. The Egyptian god Ra fights the underground serpent Apep. Ancient Greek Zeus defeats the titans, giants and Typhon; Hercules performs his 12 labors. The German Sigurd kills the dragon Fafnir, Ilya Muromets kills the Serpent Gorynych, etc. However, the myths that have come down to us are a complex complex of strata (rudiments) of different eras, for example, the myth of the Cretan Minotaur. The bull head of the Minotaur indicates that the origin of this image refers to the period of early matriarchy, when man did not yet distinguish himself from animals. The Minotaur is depicted with stars and bears the name Zvezdny - this is already a cosmic generalization. The Minotaur is killed by the hero Theseus - this part of the myth could only arise during the period of patriarchy. Mythological thinking very early came to various kinds of historical and cosmogonic generalizations. With the transition of people to a sedentary lifestyle, when they found themselves economically connected with a particular locality, their idea of the unity of a tribe or clan intensified, and the cult of ancestors and corresponding myths about ancestors (historical M.) appeared. M. was created about the changes of previous divine and demonic generations (M. cosmogonic and theogonic). Attempts to understand the future and the afterlife led to the emergence of eschatological mathematics. Being a worldview of a primitive communal system, every myth also contained a cognitive function, an attempt to understand complex issues: how man came into existence, the world, what is the secret of life and death, etc. In the primitive communal formation, M. was a kind of naive faith, the only form of ideology. In early class society, M. became an allegorical form of expression of various kinds of religious, socio-political, moral and philosophical ideas of this society; it was widely used in art and literature. Respectively political views and the style of this or that author, it received this or that design and use. For example, Aeschylus' Pallas Athena turned out to be the goddess of the rising democratic Athens, and the image of Prometheus was endowed by Aeschylus with advanced and even revolutionary ideas. In this sense, M. has never died; mythological images are still used today by modern politicians, writers, philosophers and artists. Having been a form of awareness of nature and human existence for thousands of years, M. is considered modern science like a chronicle of the eternal struggle between old and new, like a story about human life, her sufferings and joys. The scientific approach to the study of medicine arose during the Renaissance. However, until the 18th century. in Europe, mainly ancient M. was studied; acquaintance with the history, culture and medicine of Egypt, the peoples of America, and the East made it possible to move on to the comparative study of medicine of different peoples. In the 18th century A historical understanding of M. was given by the Italian philosopher G. Vico. In comparison with Vico's theory, the French Enlightenment with its rejection of historical approach, which viewed M. as a product of ignorance and deception, as superstition, was a step back (B. Fontenelle, Voltaire, D. Diderot, C. Montesquieu, etc.). Against, English poet J. Macpherson, the German writer and philosopher I. G. Herder and others interpreted M. as an expression of popular wisdom. Romanticism increased interest in M. The collection and presentation of folk tales, legends, fairy tales and myths began, and the so-called. The mythological school, which interpreted myths as a source of national culture and attracted M. to explain the origin and meaning of folklore phenomena (its first representatives were the German scientists C. Brentano, J. and W. Grimm, L. Arnim, and others). Within the framework of the mythological school in the mid-19th century. a number of positivist mythological theories arose: the solar-meteorological theory (German scientists A. Kuhn, M. Muller, Russians - F. I. Buslaev, L. F. Voevodsky, O. F. Miller, etc.), which interpreted myths as an allegory of those or other astronomical and atmospheric phenomena; theory of "lower M." or “demonological” (German scientists W. Schwarz, W. Manhardt, etc.), which presented myths as a reflection of the most ordinary phenomena of life; animistic theory, whose supporters transferred ideas about the human soul to all of nature (English scientists E. Tylor, G. Spencer, E. Lang, German - L. Frobenius, Russian - W. Klinger, etc.). Gained widespread popularity in the 19th century. historical and philological theory (German scientists G. Usener, U. Vilamowitz-Möllendorff and others, Russians - V. Vlastov, F. F. Zelinsky, E. G. Kagarov, S. A. Zhebelev, N. I. Novosadsky, I. I. Tolstoy and others), who used methods of literary and linguistic analysis in the study of myths. Modern bourgeois theories are based exclusively on logical and psychological data from the history of human consciousness, as a result of which M. is interpreted as a subtle and highly intellectual phenomenon, which it could not have been at the dawn of human history. These theories are, as a rule, abstract and ahistorical in nature. Among the psychological theories of the 20th century. The concept of the Austrian scientist S. Freud, which reduced all processes of social life and culture to the mental life of the individual, brought to the fore the subconscious, mainly sexual needs, which are supposedly the only factor in everything, was very popular. conscious behavior person. One of the greatest Freudians, the Swiss scientist K. Jung, saw in M. an expression of the unconscious fantasy of the primitive human collective. In contrast to Freudianism, the “prelogical theory” (late 20-30s of the 20th century) of the French scientist L. Levy-Bruhl claims that primitive thought is supposedly based only on phenomenal memory and on associations by contiguity. The cultural-historical theory of myth formation is widespread (English scientists J. Fraser, G. R. Levy, B. K. Malinovsky, French scientists J. Dumézil, P. Centiv, American scientists R. Carpenter, etc.). This theory views every myth as a reflection of ritual and a reinterpretation of an ancient magical rite. The structural typology of myth (the French scientist C. Levi-Strauss in the works of the 50s - early 70s of the 20th century) sees in myth a field of unconscious logical operations designed to resolve the contradictions of human consciousness. Mythological theories of bourgeois science, using one or another ability or activity of an individual person (sexual, affective-volitional, mental, religious, scientific, etc.) to explain mythology, provide an explanation of one or another side of myth-making. None of these concepts can explain the social essence of materialism, for explanations should be sought not in the individual abilities of the human spirit, but in the social conditions that gave rise to the ideology of a particular society and, consequently, its integral part - materialism. This materialistic concept lies in based on the works of Soviet scientists A. M. Zolotarev, A. F. Losev, S. A. Tokarev, Yu. P. Frantsev, B. I. Sharevskaya and others; The cultural and historical interpretation of M. on a Marxist basis and the associated comparative historical analysis of the world epic are given by V. Ya. Propp, P. G. Bogatyrev, V. M. Zhirmunsky, V. I. Abaev, E. M. Meletinsky , I. N. Golenishcheva-Kutuzova and others. Lit.: Marx K., Forms preceding capitalist production, Marx K. and Engels F., Soch., 2nd ed., vol. 46, part 1; Engels F., Origin of the family, private property and the state, ibid., vol. 21; Losev A.F., Dialectics of myth, M., 1930; his, Ancient mythology in its historical development, M., 1957; Frantsev Yu. P., At the origins of religion and free thought, M. - L., 1959; Tokarev S. A., What is mythology?, in the book: Questions of the history of religion and atheism, 1962, in, 10; his, Religion in the history of the peoples of the world, M., 1964; by him, Early forms of religion and their development, M., 1964; Meletinsky E. M., The origin of the heroic epic, M., 1963; his, Myths ancient world in comparative light, in the book: Typology and interrelationships of the literature of the ancient world, M., 1971, p. 68-133; Zolotarev A. M., Tribal system and primitive mythology, M., 1964; Shakhnovich M.I., Primitive mythology and philosophy, Leningrad, 1971; Trencheni-Waldapfel I., Mythology, trans. from Hungary, M., 1959; Donini A., People, idols and gods, trans. from Italian, M., 1962; Levi-Strauss K., The structure of myth, “Questions of Philosophy”, 1970, No. 7; The mythology of all races, ed. J. A. MacCulloch, v. 1-12, Boston, 1916-1928; Levi-Strauss S., Mythologiques, t. 1-4, P., 1964-71; Kirk G. S., Myth, its meaning and functions in ancient and other cultures, Berk - Los Ang., 1970. For a list of works on mythology as a science, see Art. Mythology, Philosophical Encyclopedia, vol. 3. A. F. Losev.
Big Soviet encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .
Synonyms:See what “Mythology” is in other dictionaries:
Mythology... Spelling dictionary-reference book
- (from the Greek mythos legend, legend and logos word, concept, teaching) a way of understanding the world in the early stages of human history, fantastic stories about its creation, about the deeds of gods and heroes. In M. Space appears as a single whole,... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Myth (ancient Greek m?ipt) in literature is a legend that conveys people’s ideas about the world, man’s place in it, the origin of all things, about gods and heroes.
More to the point in simple language: The word “myth” is Greek and literally means tradition, legend. Usually this refers to tales about gods, spirits, heroes deified or related to gods by their origin, about ancestors who acted at the beginning of time and participated directly or indirectly in the creation of the world itself, its elements, both natural and cultural.
Myth according to A.F. Losev: Myth is for mythological consciousness the highest in its concreteness, the most intense and the most intense reality. This is an absolutely necessary category of thought and life. Myth is a logical, that is, first of all, dialectical, necessary category of consciousness and being in general. Myth is not an ideal concept, and also not an idea or a concept. This is life itself. Thus, myth, according to Losev, special shape expressions of consciousness and feelings, ancient man. On the other hand, a myth, like a cell, contains the sprouts of forms acquired in the future. In any myth, one can identify a semantic (notional) core, which will subsequently be in demand. (Alexey Fedorovich Losev - Russian philosopher and philologist, professor, doctor philological sciences, prominent figure in Soviet culture, secret monk of the Russian Orthodox Church.)
Myth according to F.Kh. Cassidy: “myth is a sensual image and representation, a unique worldview, and not a worldview,” consciousness not subject to reason, or rather even pre-rational consciousness. Dreams, waves of fantasy - that’s what myth is. (Feochary Kharlampievich Cassidy - specialist in ancient philosophy. Doctor philosophical sciences, Corresponding Member of the Athens Academy of Sciences, honorary academician Academy of Humane Studies).
Mythology (Greek mhiplpgYab from m?ipt - legend, legend and lgpt - word, story, teaching) - can mean both ancient folklore and folk tales (myths, epics, fairy tales, etc.), and the study of this material in within scientific disciplines, such as comparative mythology. Mythology is a collection of similar tales about gods and heroes and, at the same time, a system of fantastic ideas about the world. The science of myths is also called mythology. Myth-making is considered as the most important phenomenon in the cultural history of mankind. IN primitive society mythology represented the main way of understanding the world, and myth expressed the worldview and worldview of the era of its creation.
Mythological ideas existed at certain stages of development among almost all peoples of the world. This is confirmed both by the study of history and modern primitive peoples, each of which has one or another type of mythology.
If Europeans before the Age of Discovery were familiar only with ancient myths, then they gradually learned about the presence of mythology among the inhabitants of Africa, America, Oceania, and Australia. The Bible contains echoes of Western Semitic mythology. Before the adoption of Islam, the Arabs had their own mythology.
Thus, mythology is inherent in nature human consciousness. The time of origin of mythological images cannot be determined; their formation is inextricably linked with the origin of language and consciousness.
The main task of myth is to set patterns, models for every important action performed by a person; myth serves to ritualize everyday life, enabling a person to find meaning in life.
Cosmogonic and anthropogonic myths.
Cosmogonic myths - myths about creation, myths about the origin of the cosmos from chaos, the main initial plot of most mythologies. They begin with a description of chaos (emptiness), lack of order in the universe, and the interaction of the primordial elements. Serve to explain the origin of the world and life on Earth.
A separate type of anthropogonic myths are totemic myths, which tell about the origin of people, most often a specific tribe, from one or another animal. In some peoples' totemic myths, the ancestors of people may be birds. Among the peoples of Africa, myths are common about people who emerged from a rock, earth, hole, termite mound, split tree or reed.
Eschatological and calendar myths.
Eschatological myths are myths about the end of the world; they exist along with cosmogonic myths and are associated with the confrontation between the forces of chaos and space. One type of such myths are myths about the supposed end of the world in the future, another type are myths that similar events have already happened in the past, and between the mythical world and the modern one there are periods of catastrophes. In various myths, the cause of the destruction of the world may be global flood, world fire, destruction of previous generations, death of the gods, and other subjects.
Calendar myths are a mythologization of the change of time cycles - day and night, winter and summer, up to cosmic cycles. They are related to astronomical observations, astrology, New Year celebrations, harvest festivals and other calendar events.
Heroic myths.
Heroic myths are myths about heroes who may be either children of gods from mortal woman, as in Ancient Greek mythology, or simply legendary figures of the epic. A typical plot of a heroic myth is the hero’s extraordinary childhood (some special abilities, orphanhood, special fate), often exile, performing feats, defeating monsters, saving a beautiful girl, returning and getting married.
Many heroic myths tell in an allegorical form about the formation of personality and the acquisition of status in society, thereby performing an instructive function.
A special category of heroes are cultural heroes. These are mythical heroes who made a serious civilizational contribution to the culture of the people. Often a cultural hero is a demiurge, participating in creation on an equal basis with the gods, or is the first legislator, extracts or invents for people various items culture (fire, cultivated plants, tools), teaches them hunting techniques, crafts, arts, introduces social organization, marriage rules, magical prescriptions, rituals and holidays.
Myths about animals.
Animals are not only heroes of cosmogonic myths; images of animals are often used to describe cosmography. Myths about animals also occupy a place of honor among astral myths. There are beautiful legends associated with the constellation Canis, Leo, Swan, Eagle, Scorpio, and Pisces. Chinese zodiac also associated with animal myths.
There are also legends about the origin of the zodiac itself. Animals also acted as the founders of a new cultural and social tradition (organization of society, teaching crafts, etc.).
Cult myths.
Cult myths - code name myths that provide an explanation (motivation) for a rite (ritual) or other religious action.
Rhea, captured by Cronus, bore him bright children - the Virgin - Hestia, Demeter and the golden-shod Hera, the glorious might of Hades, who lives underground, and the provider - Zeus, the father of both immortals and mortals, whose thunder makes the wide earth tremble. Hesiod "Theogony"
Greek literature arose from mythology. Myth- This is an ancient man’s idea of the world around him. Myths were created at a very early stage in the development of society in various areas of Greece. Later, all these myths merged into a single system.
With the help of myths, the ancient Greeks tried to explain all natural phenomena, presenting them in the form of living beings. At first, experiencing a strong fear of natural elements, people depicted the gods in a terrible animal form (Chimera, Gorgon Medusa, Sphinx, Lernaean Hydra).
However, later the gods become anthropomorphic, that is, they have a human appearance and are characterized by a variety of human qualities (jealousy, generosity, envy, generosity). The main difference between gods and people was their immortality, but for all their greatness, the gods communicated with mere mortals and even often entered into love relationships with them in order to give birth to a whole tribe of heroes on earth.
There are 2 types of ancient Greek mythology:
- cosmogonic (cosmogony - the origin of the world) - ends with the birth of Kron
- theogonic (theogony - the origin of gods and deities)
The mythology of Ancient Greece went through 3 main stages in its development:
- pre-Olympic- This is mainly cosmogonic mythology. This stage begins with the idea of the ancient Greeks that everything came from Chaos, and ends with the murder of Cronus and the division of the world between the gods.
- Olympic(early classic) – Zeus becomes the supreme deity and, with a retinue of 12 gods, settles on Olympus.
- late heroism- heroes are born from gods and mortals who help the gods in establishing order and destroying monsters.
Poems were created on the basis of mythology, tragedies were written, and lyricists dedicated their odes and hymns to the gods.
There were two main groups of gods in Ancient Greece:
- titans - gods of the second generation (six brothers - Ocean, Kay, Crius, Hipperion, Iapetus, Kronos and six sisters - Thetis, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, Theia, Themis, Rhea)
- olympian gods - Olympians - gods of the third generation. The Olympians included the children of Kronos and Rhea - Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus, as well as their descendants - Hephaestus, Hermes, Persephone, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Athena, Apollo and Artemis. The supreme god was Zeus, who deprived his father Kronos (the god of time) of power.
The Greek pantheon of the Olympian gods traditionally included 12 gods, but the composition of the pantheon was not very stable and sometimes numbered 14-15 gods. Usually these were: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hestia, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Hades. The Olympian gods lived on the sacred Mount Olympus ( Olympos) in Olympia, off the coast of the Aegean Sea.
Translated from ancient Greek language word pantheon means "all gods". Greeks
deities were divided into three groups:
- Pantheon (great Olympian gods)
- Lesser deities
- Monsters
Heroes occupied a special place in Greek mythology. The most famous of them:
v Odysseus
Supreme gods of Olympus
|
Greek gods |
Functions |
Roman gods |
|
god of thunder and lightning, sky and weather, law and fate, attributes - lightning (three-pronged pitchfork with jagged edges), scepter, eagle or chariot drawn by eagles |
||
|
goddess of marriage and family, goddess of the sky and starry skies, attributes - diadem (crown), lotus, lion, cuckoo or hawk, peacock (two peacocks pulled her cart) |
||
|
Aphrodite |
“foam-born”, goddess of love and beauty, Athena, Artemis and Hestia were not subject to her, attributes - rose, apple, shell, mirror, lily, violet, belt and golden cup, bestowing eternal youth, retinue - sparrows, doves, dolphin, satellites - Eros, harites, nymphs, oras. |
|
|
god of the underground kingdom of the dead, “generous” and “hospitable”, attribute – a magic invisibility hat and the three-headed dog Cerberus |
||
|
the god of treacherous war, military destruction and murder, he was accompanied by the goddess of discord Eris and the goddess of frantic war Enio, attributes - dogs, a torch and a spear, the chariot had 4 horses - Noise, Horror, Shine and Flame |
||
|
god of fire and blacksmithing, ugly and lame on both legs, attribute – blacksmith’s hammer |
||
|
goddess of wisdom, crafts and art, goddess of just war and military strategy, patroness of heroes, “owl-eyed”, used male attributes (helmet, shield - aegis made of Amalthea goat skin, decorated with the head of the Gorgon Medusa, spear, olive, owl and snake), appeared accompanied by Nika |
||
|
god of invention, theft, trickery, trade and eloquence, patron of heralds, ambassadors, shepherds and travelers, invented measures, numbers, taught people, attributes - a winged staff and winged sandals |
Mercury |
|
|
Poseidon |
god of the seas and all bodies of water, floods, droughts and earthquakes, patron of sailors, attribute - trident, which causes storms, breaks rocks, knocks out springs, sacred animals - bull, dolphin, horse, sacred tree - pine |
|
|
Artemis |
goddess of hunting, fertility and female chastity, later - goddess of the Moon, patroness of forests and wild animals, forever young, she is accompanied by nymphs, attributes - a hunting bow and arrows, sacred animals - a doe and a bear |
|
|
Apollo (Phoebus), Cyfared |
“golden-haired”, “silver-haired”, god of light, harmony and beauty, patron of the arts and sciences, leader of the muses, predictor of the future, attributes - silver bow and golden arrows, golden cithara or lyre, symbols - olive, iron, laurel, palm tree, dolphin , swan, wolf |
|
|
goddess of the hearth and sacrificial fire, virgin goddess. accompanied by 6 priestesses - vestals, who served the goddess for 30 years |
||
|
“Mother Earth”, goddess of fertility and agriculture, plowing and harvest, attributes – a sheaf of wheat and a torch |
||
|
god of fruitful forces, vegetation, viticulture, winemaking, inspiration and fun |
Bacchus, Bacchus |
Minor Greek gods
|
Greek gods |
Functions |
Roman gods |
|
Asclepius |
“opener”, god of healing and medicine, attribute – a staff entwined with snakes |
|
|
Eros, Cupid |
the god of love, the "winged boy", was considered a product of dark night And have a bright day, Heaven and Earth, attributes – flower and lyre, later – arrows of love and a flaming torch |
|
|
“the sparkling eye of the night,” the moon goddess, queen of the starry sky, has wings and a golden crown |
||
|
Persephone |
goddess of the kingdom of the dead and fertility |
Proserpina |
|
goddess of victory, depicted winged or posing fast movement, attributes - bandage, wreath, later - palm tree, then - weapons and trophy |
Victoria |
|
|
goddess of eternal youth, depicted as a chaste girl pouring nectar |
||
|
“rose-fingered”, “beautiful-haired”, “golden-throned” goddess of the morning dawn |
||
|
goddess of happiness, chance and luck |
||
|
sun god, owner of seven herds of cows and seven herds of sheep |
||
|
Kron (Chronos) |
god of time, attribute – sickle |
|
|
goddess of furious war |
||
|
Hypnos (Morpheus) |
||
|
goddess of flowers and gardens |
||
|
god of the west wind, messenger of the gods |
||
|
Dike (Themis) |
goddess of justice, justice, attributes - scales in right hand, blindfold, cornucopia in left hand; The Romans put a sword in the goddess's hand instead of a horn |
|
|
god of marriage, marital ties |
Thalassius |
|
|
Nemesis |
winged goddess of revenge and retribution, punishing violations of social and moral norms, attributes - scales and bridle, sword or whip, chariot drawn by griffins |
Adrastea |
|
"golden-winged", goddess of the rainbow |
||
|
goddess of the earth |
In addition to Olympus in Greece there was sacred mountain Parnassus, where they lived muses – 9 sisters, Greek deities who personified poetic and musical inspiration, patroness of the arts and sciences.
Greek muses
|
What does it patronize? |
Attributes |
|
|
Calliope ("beautifully spoken") |
muse of epic or heroic poetry |
wax tablet and stylus (bronze writing rod) |
|
(“glorifying”) |
muse of history |
papyrus scroll or scroll case |
|
(“pleasant”) |
muse of love or erotic poetry, lyrics and marriage songs |
kifara (plucked string musical instrument, a type of lyre) |
|
(“beautifully pleasing”) |
muse of music and lyric poetry |
aulos (a wind musical instrument similar to a pipe with a double reed, the predecessor of the oboe) and syringa (a musical instrument, a type of longitudinal flute) |
|
(“heavenly”) |
muse of astronomy |
spotting scope and sheet with celestial signs |
|
Melpomene (“singing”) |
muse of tragedy |
wreath of grape leaves or ivy, theatrical robe, tragic mask, sword or club. |
|
Terpsichore (“delightfully dancing”) |
muse of dance |
wreath on the head, lyre and plectrum (mediator) |
|
Polyhymnia (“a lot of singing”) |
muse of sacred song, eloquence, lyricism, chant and rhetoric |
|
|
(“blooming”) |
muse of comedy and bucolic poetry |
comic mask in hands and wreath ivy on head |
Lesser deities in Greek mythology they are satyrs, nymphs and oras.
Satires - (Greek satyroi) are forest deities (the same as in Rus' goblin), demons fertility, retinue of Dionysus. They were depicted as goat-legged, hairy, with horse tails and small horns. Satyrs are indifferent to people, mischievous and cheerful, they were interested in hunting, wine, and pursued forest nymphs. Their other hobby was music, but they only played wind instruments that produced sharp, piercing sounds - the flute and the pipe. In mythology, they personified the rude, base nature in nature and man, so they were represented with ugly faces - with blunt, wide noses, swollen nostrils, tousled hair.
Nymphs – (the name means “source”, among the Romans - “bride”) the personification of living elemental forces, noticed in the murmur of a stream, in the growth of trees, in the wild beauty of mountains and forests, spirits earth's surface, manifestations of natural forces acting besides humans in the solitude of grottoes, valleys, forests, far from cultural centers. They were depicted as beautiful young girls with wonderful hair, wearing wreaths and flowers, sometimes in a dancing pose, with bare legs and arms, and loose hair. They engage in yarn and weaving, sing songs, dance in the meadows to the flute of Pan, hunt with Artemis, participate in the noisy orgies of Dionysus, and constantly fight with annoying satyrs. In the minds of the ancient Greeks, the world of nymphs was very vast.
The azure pond was full of flying nymphs,
The garden was animated by dryads,
And the bright water spring sparkled from the urn
Laughing naiads.
F. Schiller
Nymphs of the mountains - oreads,
nymphs of forests and trees - dryads,
nymphs of springs – naiads,
nymphs of the oceans - oceanids,
nymphs of the sea - nerids,
nymphs of the valleys - drink,
nymphs of meadows - limnades.
Ory - goddesses of the seasons, were in charge of order in nature. Guardians of Olympus, now opening and then closing its cloud gates. They are called the gatekeepers of the sky. Harnessing the horses of Helios.
There are numerous monsters in many mythologies. There were a lot of them in ancient Greek mythology too: Chimera, Sphinx, Lernaean Hydra, Echidna and many others.
In the same vestibule, crowds of shadows of monsters crowd:
Two-shaped scylla and herds of centaurs live here,
Here Briareus the hundred-armed lives, and the dragon from Lernaean
The swamp hisses, and the Chimera frightens enemies with fire,
Harpies fly in a flock around three-body giants...
Virgil, "Aeneid"
Harpies are evil child abductors and human souls, suddenly swooping in and disappearing just as suddenly, like the wind, terrify people. Their number ranges from two to five; are depicted as wild half-women, half-birds of a disgusting appearance with the wings and paws of a vulture, with long sharp claws, but with the head and chest of a woman.
Gorgon Medusa - a monster with a woman’s face and snakes instead of hair, whose gaze turned a person to stone. According to legend there was beautiful girl with beautiful hair. Poseidon, seeing Medusa and falling in love, seduced her in the temple of Athena, for which the goddess of wisdom, in anger, turned the hair of the Gorgon Medusa into snakes. The Gorgon Medusa was defeated by Perseus, and her head was placed on the aegis of Athena.
Minotaur - a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull. He was born from the unnatural love of Pasiphae (the wife of King Minos) and a bull. Minos hid the monster in the Knossos labyrinth. Every eight years, 7 boys and 7 girls descended into the labyrinth, destined for the Minotaur as victims. Theseus defeated the Minotaur, and with the help of Ariadne, who gave him a ball of thread, he got out of the labyrinth.
Cerberus (Kerberus) - this is a three-headed dog with a snake tail and snake heads on its back, guarding the exit from the kingdom of Hades, not allowing the dead to return to the kingdom of the living. He was defeated by Hercules during one of his labors.
Scylla and Charybdis - These are sea monsters located within an arrow's flight distance of each other. Charybdis is a sea whirlpool that absorbs water three times a day and spews it out the same number of times. Scylla (“barking”) is a monster in the form of a woman whose Bottom part the body was turned into 6 dog heads. When the ship passed by the rock where Scylla lived, the monster, with all its jaws open, abducted 6 people from the ship at once. The narrow strait between Scylla and Charybdis posed a mortal danger to everyone who sailed through it.
There were also other mythical characters in Ancient Greece.
Pegasus - winged horse, favorite of the muses. He flew at the speed of the wind. Riding Pegasus meant receiving poetic inspiration. He was born at the source of the Ocean, therefore he was named Pegasus (from Greek “stormy current”). According to one version, he jumped out of the body of the gorgon Medusa after Perseus cut off her head. Pegasus delivered thunder and lightning to Zeus on Olympus from Hephaestus, who made them.
From the foam of the sea, from the azure wave,
Faster than an arrow and more beautiful than a string,
An amazing fairy horse is flying
And easily catches the heavenly fire!
He loves to splash in colored clouds
And often walks in magical verses.
So that the ray of inspiration in the soul does not go out,
I saddle you, snow-white Pegasus!
Unicorn - a mythical creature symbolizing chastity. Usually depicted as a horse with one horn coming out of its forehead. The Greeks believed that the unicorn belonged to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Subsequently, in medieval legends there was a version that only a virgin could tame him. Once you catch a unicorn, you can only hold it with a golden bridle.
Centaurs - wild mortal creatures with the head and torso of a man on the body of a horse, inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets, accompany Dionysus and are distinguished by their violent temperament and intemperance. Presumably, centaurs were originally the embodiment of mountain rivers and stormy streams. In heroic myths, centaurs are the educators of heroes. For example, Achilles and Jason were raised by the centaur Chiron.