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Indo-European structural mythological kern.
The Basic structural nucleus in mythologies of peoples of Barbarous Europe and related traditions.
The opportunity of exarticulation of the basic structural nucleus in mythologies of ancient peoples requires a scientific substantiation. Really, here there are problems both theoretical, and methodological character.
The Theoretical problem consists in the following. Pagan mythological systems, in comparison with religious, are characterised not only polytheism, but also absence of the unified and rigidly fixed doctrine. The written sources, which have reached us from rather late periods, have kept huge quantity of characters (for example, "one thousand gods Hittite empires"). In this connection, the opportunity of existence of such complete mythological system covering the various cultural worlds sometimes is denied, and the problem is reduced to presence of separate local cults. Here, however, it is necessary to object that pagan mythological systems were not so amorphous and friable as can seem. Their existence was supported by the important factor, which named "preliminary censorship of collective ". On D. Raevsky's ideas in mythological tradition rooting only those forms and samples is possible, "which are functionally suitable for this collective" (D. Raevsky, 1985, 12). Thus, the impossibility to individual imaginations is provided " to break structure of that invariant nucleus which, as a matter of fact, and can be interpreted as mythological system " (In the same place). Nevertheless, it is necessary to take into account specificity of ancient mythological systems. " The more deeply in archaic we mentally leave, the less we find at carriers of the certain cultural tradition skill " to formulate " norms, principles of the culture, to build its theoretical model which has been torn off concrete representations " (In the same place, with. 70). Therefore, it is possible to speak about syncrethic divine images, than about "gods - experts" (which if arose in separate traditions only in later time) faster.
The first Step in understanding of this invariant nucleus is allocation of the steadiest chains of mythological characters on a material of the largest mythological systems of Indo-Europe:
| ¹ |
function |
Greek mythology |
Indian mythology |
Scandin. mythology |
Slav mythology |
Balt mythology |
Irish mythology |
|
1 |
sky |
Ouranes Zeus |
Varuna Dyaus |
Tyr |
Svarog |
Dievas |
Nuadha (Teutat) |
|
2 |
thunder |
Zeus |
Parjanya Indra |
Thor | Perun |
Perkunas |
(Taranis) |
|
3 |
war |
Ares |
Skanda Indra |
Tyr Odin |
Perun |
Perkunas |
Nuadha Morrighan |
|
4 |
kingship |
Zeus | Indra | Odin |
Herovit Perun |
Dievas Perkunas |
Nuadha Lugh |
|
5 |
earth |
Gaia |
Prthivi |
Erd |
Mokos |
Zemes- mate |
Danu
Brigit |
|
6 |
fate |
Moirae |
Nornir
Valkyrie |
Mokos |
Laima, Dekla, Karta |
triad of Mother-Goddesses |
|
|
7 |
goddess of love |
Aphrodite |
Laksmi |
Freyja |
Lada |
Laima |
Aine |
|
8 |
matrimon |
Hera |
Savitri |
Frigg |
Lada |
Laima |
|
|
9 |
natural power |
Dionysus |
Rudra Shiva |
Freyr |
Herovit |
Vels (Potrimpo) |
(Cernunnos-Hes) Dahghda |
|
10 |
forest, animals |
Pan |
Pusan Rudra |
Veles |
(Puskaits) |
(Cernunnos) | |
|
11 |
underworld |
Hades |
Yama Varuna |
Odin Hel |
Veles |
Vels (Patollo) |
Dahghda
Manannan |
|
12 |
psychopomp |
Hermes |
Yama |
Odin |
Sovius |
||
|
13 |
mystery knowledge |
Hermes |
Visvakarman |
Odin |
Veles |
Vels |
Lugh
Oghma |
|
14 |
sea |
Poseidon |
Varuna |
Eagor Njord |
(Autrimps) |
Manannan |
|
|
15 |
light and harmony |
Apollo |
Mitra Bhaga Vishnu |
Balder |
Dazhbog |
Mac Ok (Mapon) |
|
|
16 |
fire |
Hesta |
Agni |
Loki? |
Svarogich |
Gabie |
|
|
17 |
wind |
Boreas |
Vayu |
Njord |
Stribog |
Vejapats |
|
|
18 |
moon |
Soma |
Mani |
Meness |
|||
|
19 |
sun |
Helios |
Surya |
Sol |
Hors |
Saule |
(Belenus) |
|
20 |
dawn |
Eos |
Ussas |
Usen |
Ausrine |
(Epona)? |
|
|
21 |
twins |
Dioscuri |
Asvinau |
Sons of Dievas |
|||
|
22 |
god of love |
Eros |
Kama |
Lel |
Mac Ok |
||
|
23 |
crafts-manship |
Hephaistos cyclops |
Tvastar |
dwarfs |
Kozma Demyan |
Kalvaitis |
Goibhniu |
|
24 |
medicine |
Asclepius |
Dhanvantari |
(Aushauts) |
Dian-Cecht |
Now it is necessary to reduce these numerous chains to possible to smaller quantity archetypic images. The essential contribution to understanding of this problem has brought A. Holan, analysing most extensive mythological material of peoples of Eurasia. His conclusions are published in the book "the Myth and a symbol". Not sharing some of them, it is necessary to tell that the typology of mythological characters Holan, though is not final, has the important value.
Fantalov Alex
CULTURE of BARBAROUS EUROPE: TYPOLOGY of MYTHOLOGICAL IMAGES
Speciality 24.00.01 - the theory and a history of culture
The dissertation on competition of a doctor degree of cultural science
Contact E-mail: fantalov@lycos.com