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« 2024. # 5 (179)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2024. № 5 (179), 1096—1108

UDK [39:140.8:27-14](=161.2):81’373.7’373.42-022.215

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

CONCEPTIONS OF GOD AS CREATOR AND SUSTAINER IN THE FOLK WORLDVIEW OF UKRAINIANS: BASED ON PAREMIAS

TARASYUK Iryna

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9994-1876
  • Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology
  • of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
  • Department of Ethnology,
  • 15, Svobody Avenue, 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • e-mail: tarasyuk007@gmail.com

Abstract. This article explores the folk understanding of God as Creator and Sustainer through the analysis of Ukrainian proverbial material, comparing it with Polish and Russian examples. The relevance of this article stems from the need for a deeper and more comprehensive scientific understanding of the spiritual world of past generations of Ukrainians, as well as revealing certain differences in the religious views or sentiments of the three nations.

The object of the study is the folk religious conceptions of God, reflected in a series of proverbs and sayings formed from the centuries-old life experience of Ukrainians and Christian teachings. The subject pertains to the characteristics of folk theology as an expression of the psychology and philosophy of life of the ethnic group, along with its worldview. The aim of our research is to describe and analyze the folk interpretation of the religious concepts of God the Creator and Sustainer through a thematic group of paremias that reflect the concentrated worldview of the ethnic group, its moral and ethical foundations, and the spiritual values of the people. The article attempts to illuminate the profound meaning of these two concepts as components of folk religious spirituality and the peculiarities of the thinking of a believing individual.

In this presentation, we aim to showcase the folk «philosophy of God» as captured in the proverbial creativity of Ukrainians, representing an internal, introverted aspect of folk religiosity. The methodological foundation of the article includes comparative-historical, typological, and semantic research methods. It is argued that the content of a significant portion of the analyzed thematic group of paremias asserts the greatness of God, conveys wonder at divine providence, and expresses admiration for the Creator. The study of this issue will deepen the awareness within Ukrainian scientific thought of the characteristics of the millennia-old Christian tradition in the spiritual culture of Ukrainians, particularly in oral literature as a verbal form of folk piety.

Keywords: folk worldview, religious conceptions, life philosophy, tradition, Christian teachings, God, Creator, Sustainer, paremia, proverb, saying.

Received 16.10.2024

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