FUNCTIONS OF MYTHOLOGICAL CHARACTER IN PRESENT-DAY HOUSEHOLD CEREMONY
DOI: 10.23951/2307-6119-2019-1-105-112
Among many household ceremonies of the Western Buryats so called cult of Mongol is of special interest. The mysterious image of mythological character of “Mongol” was researched by many ethnographers, so in this paper ethnographic and folkloristic analysis of the cult of Mongol is mostly based on present-day field materials of the author. It is important to make the cross-disciplinary research of the folklore text in the ethnocultural context connected to realities of time. It generates new paradigmatic questioning. Analysis along the historical / mythological coordinates reveals the prototype of the Mongols, formerly inhabiting this area. From the mythological point of view, the study considers the spirit of character of “Mongol” living in the courtyard or in the house, in the forest nearby. Some ethnic groups of the Buryats have the cult of the Mongol as spirit of the owner of the area. The unknown mythological spirit “Mongol” can resemble the spirit owner of the yard; also possible are other local embodiments with identical function of the protector. As a result of the analysis of one private ceremony, the author comes to the conclusion that in present-day ritual events, the reality often exaggerates the subtext containing more ancient mythological history, and replaces it with the new meaning. The mythological character with initial harmful function by means of ceremonies of worship turns into protecting spirit. In some local traditions over time its function of the owner of the area was narrowed and transformed to the protector of the cattle and a farmstead. In other local traditions it extended to the heavenly deity.
Keywords: cult, mongol, history, myth, tradition, etymology, symbol
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Issue: 1, 2019
Series of issue: Issue 1
Rubric: ANTHROPOLOGY
Pages: 105 — 112
Downloads: 761