« 2020. № 2 (152)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2020. № 2 (152), 410—419

UDK 572.9

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2020.02.410

COUNT SEMANTICS OF PRIMUM PAR IN MYTHOLOGICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE SLAVS

TEMCHENKO Andriy

ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3999-9459

Ph.D in History, Associate Professor

Associate Professor of History of Ukraine Department,

Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy

Shevchenko boulevard, 81, Cherkasy, 18000, Ukraine

Contacts: e-mail: temchen@ukr.net

Abstract. Introduction. The relevance of this topic is due to factors related to the philosophical understanding of the process of counting, including the numerical pair «primum par».

The aim of the paper is to consider the Semantics of the «first couple» in the mythological texts and rites of the Slavs.

Methods. The study uses methods of structural anthropology, where the cultural text is seen as a system of semantic balances and counterbalances.

Results. The relevant principles explain the mythological significance of «even-odd», «one-two», «Sunday-Monday» pairs. In particular, primumpar «even-odd» is a local manifestation of the binary concepts associated with the idea of extending life, mating and being born with the opposite «not clear» values that correspond to the state of failure and decline.

The numerical manifestation of the first pair that almases a wide range of meanings is the phraseology «one-two», which is used to encode the informative streams related to the descriptions of the completed action, permanently the effect or statement of the fact. The feasibility of this encoding is attributed to the wording of the number. In particular, in the process of transforming the descriptive values into a specific number of broadcast mythological meanings occurs compactly and quickly. Perception of the information is ensured by the fact that addressee has a decoding tool, resulting in primumpar unfolds in the descriptive text.

The semantic tone of the couple «one-two» is provided by the first component of phraseology, statement of primacy and strength, the next part of which creates precedent plot, implementing in time and space the potential of the «first». In this case, the pair «one-two» is a brief description of a certain cycle, outlined by the two boundary points — by birth and dying. Instead of the unambiguous nominatives of the lexical couple «one-two» allows to «reload» the system, which describes the inappropriate state of mythological picture of the world, which involves washing the old (unbalanced, sick, unsuitable to Life) and the birth of another (synchronized, healthy, rejuvenated) structure. The semantic equivalent of the «one-two» sequence is the timeline pair «Sunday-Monday», where Sunday is associated with the concept of «first», and Monday is identified with the «second». In this context, the «first» semantics is much deeper because it transcends numerical symbolism. In a mythological etiology, Sunday is the creation of the day, that’s why he almases all possible semantic levels (astronomical, bodily, time, spatial, artistic), related to birth and life.

Keywords: mythological picture of the world, number, time, Sunday/Monday, one/two, even/odd, birth/dying, ritual text, divination, semantics, taboo.

Received 17.03.2020

REFERENCES

Bohdanov, K.A. Counting as text in folklore. Russian folklore. T. XXXII. St.-Petersburg, 2004. Retrieved from: https://www.ruthenia.ru/folklore/bogdanov3.htm (Date of appeal: 26.07.2019) [in Russian].
Toporov, V.N. (2004). Nostratics, glossogenetics, etymology of philosophers and poets. Toporov V.N. Research on etymology and semantics (Vol. I). Theory and some its private applications. Moscow: Slavic Culture Languages [in Russian].
Toporov, V.N. Number and text. Retrieved from https://www.gumer.info/bibliotek_Buks/Linguist/topor/chisl_text.php (Date of appeal: 26.10.2019) [in Russian].
Toporov, V.N. (2005). Numeric code in spells (Based on the materials of the collection of L.N. Maykov «Great Russian spells). Spell text. Genesis and structure (Р. 194—246). Moscow: Indrik [in Russian].
Valentsova, M.M. (2002). The first in the Slavic traditional culture. Indicative space of the culture (Р. 192—208). Moscow: Indrik [in Russian].
Sedakova, I.A. (2002). Semantics and symbolism of the second among the Bulgarians (with some Slavic parallels). Indicative space of the culture (Р. 209—224). Moscow: Indrik [in Russian].
Bessonov, I.A. Numerical modelling systems in mythological and ritual practices, folklore and literary texts. Retrieved from: http://www.ruthenia.ru/folklore/folklorelaboratory/Bessonov04.htm (Date of appeal 26.10.2019) [in Russian].
Fasmer, M. (1986). The etymological dictionary of the Russian language: in 4 v. (Vol. 2 (Е—Муж). Moscow: Progress [in Russian].
Efremova, T.F. (2000). New Dictionary of the Russian Language. Interpretive: 2 t. Moscow: the Russian Language (Vol. 1: (А—О); Vol. 2: (П—Я). Retrieved from: http://slovonline.ru/slovar_efremova/ ( Date of appeal 26.10.2019) [in Russian].
Chubynsky, P.P. (1995). Wisdom of the Centuries. Ukrainian folklore in Pavlo Chubynsky’s creative heritage: in 2 v. (Vol. 1). Kyiv: Art [in Ukrainian].
Usov, V.N. (2012). On the specifics of philosophical reflection. Herald of South Ural State University 10 (269). Series «Social and Humanities» (Issue 18, pp. 195—199) [in Russian].
Potebnya, A.A. (1989). On some symbols in Slavic folk poetry. In Potebnya A.A. The Word and the Myth (Pp. 285—378). Moscow: Pravda Publishing House [in Russian].
Temchenko, A. (2015). Traditional mantic practices: archaic character of the symbolic system. Cherkasy: Intraliga TOR [in Ukrainian].
Agapkina, T.A., Levkiyevskaya, E.E., & Toporkov, A.L. (Eds.). (2003). Polesye conspiracies (in the records of 1970—1990-ies). Moscow: Indrik [in Russian].
Claude Levi-Strauss Myth and Meaning. London and NewYork (P. 11). Retrieved from: http://historiaocharkeologi.com/kanada/myth_and_meaning.pdf (Date of appeal 26.10.2019).
Temchenko, A. (2014). Semantics of counting: The concept of «first» in the mythological representations of Ukrainians (on the material of charms). Visnyk of Cherkassy University. «Historical Sciences» series, 29 (322), 29—33. Cherkasy [in Ukrainian].
Fasmer, M. (1987). The etymological dictionary of the Russian language: in 4 v. (Vol. 3). Moscow: Progress [in Russian].
Krysin, L.P. (1984). The interpretive-combinatory dictionary of the Russian language. Experiences of semantic-syntactical description of Russian vocabulary. Wiener Slawistischer Almanach. Sonderbend 14 (Pp. 700—716). Wien [in Russian].
Yermolenko, S. For one time you would not tell about one! Retrieved from: http://kulturamovy.univ.kiev.ua/KM/pdfs/mix/61-12-65-26.pdf (Date of appeal 09.11.2019) [in Ukrainian].
Sreznevsky, I.I. (Ed.). (1993). Materials for the Dictionary of the Old Russian language on written monuments. Edition of the Department of the Russian Language and Literature of the Imperial Academy of Sciences: in 3 v. (Vol. 1). St. Petersburg: Printing House of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1893—1903 [in Russian].
Storozhenko, N.V. (1892). «Malorussian superstitions, which few who believed, collected in 1776» (the manuscript of A.I. Chepa). Kiev’s old days (Vol. ХХХVІ, b. 1, pp. 119—130) [in Russian].
Nesterovsky, P. (1905). Materials on the ethnography of the Bessarabian Rusins. Kiev’s old days (Vol. ХСІ, pp. 73—125) [in Russian].
Ukrainian deputy. (1993). Kyiv: Dnipro [in Ukrainian].
Talanchuk, O.M. (Ed.). (1992). Recipes of folk medicine, ordering from illness. Ukrainian charm (Рp. 32—95). Kyiv: Lybid [in Ukrainian].
Korniyenko, G. (1991). Ordering. Pedigree, 2, 8—13 [in Ukrainian].
Secret power of words (charms, spells), 2. (1992). Kyiv: Company «Znannya» of Ukraine. [in Ukrainian].
Maikov, L.N. (Ed.). (1994). Great Russian Spells. St. Petersburg: European House Publishing [in Russian].
Sumtsov, N., & Andreevsky, I.B. (Ed.). (1898). Monday. Encyclopedic dictionary (Vol. 48, pp. 526—527). St. Petersburg: Publishing Company F.A. Brockhaus — A Efron [in Russian].
Sreznevsky, I.I. (Ed.). (1895). Materials for the Dictionary of the Old Russian language on written monuments. Edition of the Department of the Russian Language and Literature of the Imperial Academy of Sciences: in 3 v. (Vol. 2). St. Petersburg: Printing House of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1893—1903 [in Russian].
Lebedev, A. (1890, january). On the struggle of the spiritual authorities in the former Belgorod diocese with superstitions. Kiev’s old days (Vol. XXVIII, pp. 1—21) [in Russian].
Galkovskiy, N.M. (2000). The struggle of Christianity with the remnants of paganism in ancient Rus: in 2 v. (Vol. 1). Moscow: Indrik [in Russian].
Sumarukov, G.V. (1983). Who’s Who in «The Word of Igor’s Regiment». Moscow: Moscow University Publishing House [in Russian].
Shevchenko, L. (1928). Customs associated with the mortgage of the building. The primary farm and its remnants in Ukraine (PGPU), 1—2, 87—95 [in Ukrainian].
Kovalkov, О.L. (2004). System of labor prohibitions in traditional time ideas of Ukrainians. Ukrainian peasant, 8, 86—90 [in Ukrainian].
Tolstaya, S.M. (1999). Days. Slavic Antiquities: Ethnolinguistic Dictionary: in 5 v. (Vol. 2, pp. 95—99). Moscow: International Relations [in Russian].
Chernyshov, M. (1887, april). Experience of interpreting the custom of «monday». Kiev’s old days (Vol. ХVІІ, pp. 763—771) [in Russian].

Read»

Our authors
Wax candle as ukrainian Christmas and epiphany ritualistic text
For the first time in native ethnology the article has brought some results of special study in sign functionality of a wax candle under the context of Ukrainian Christmas and Epiphany ritualistic text (ritualism of Christmas Eve, New Year, Epiphany Eve and Feast of Epiphany). The study has stated extremely high semiotic position of a wax candle as projection of Sun, mediator between the spheres of sacral and prophane elements, symbolic analogue of human existence, apotropy, cultural symbol re-establishing borders of acculturated space.
Read »

On bessarabian and moldavian ukrainians in the studies of historical ethnography
The article has thrown some light upon a sum of scientific findings got during XIX to XXI cc. in historio-ethnographic studies of Bessarabia and Moldavian Ukrainians. In the pre­sent paper has been given author’s answer to the problem of lacking progress as for the numerous themes concerning Ukrainians. State and achievements of the research-works in Ukrainians’ material and spiritual culture by the scientists of Moldavia and Ukraine through the years of independence has been exposed.
Read »

Daily bread baking of ukrainians in the south-western ethnographical region at the late XIX to early XXI cc.
The paper has dealt with analytic study in prescriptions, signs, customs, methods, ways of selection, procurement and some peculiarities in usage of subsidiary means — water, firewood and leaves in bread baking. The final aim of the mentioned actions had been (and still is) selection of the means and ingredients fit, by their characteristics, for the backing of bread. The paper has demonstrated dependence of bread backing subsi­diary means criteria from the folk nutritional standards and world outlook stereotypes as well as from regional social and economic, natural and geographical factors and peculiarities of material culture.
Read »

Boikos’ pandemonium: categories of evil deceased
In the article have been presented some research-work on peculiarities of Boikos’ traditional demonological notions as for so-called evil deceased; on the basis of field records and ethnological literary sources quite a number of scum categories have been defined as well as essential habits, modes of behavior and functions of these personages of people’s demonology.
Read »