The Tree of Aal Luuk Mas: Semiotic Interpretation of the Mythological Image in Olonkho Epic Revisited
Introduction. Interpretation of sign systems inherent to archaic texts of Olonkho epic remains an important issue within Yakut epic studies. The situation is complicated by the ongoing penetration of network structures into all spheres of human activity in modern society, and requires further sys...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Российской академии наук, Калмыцкий научный центр
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Oriental Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://kigiran.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/2586/2367 |
| Summary: | Introduction. Interpretation of sign systems inherent to archaic texts of Olonkho epic remains
an important issue within Yakut epic studies. The situation is complicated by the ongoing penetration
of network structures into all spheres of human activity in modern society, and requires further
systemic studies in the nature of mythological consciousness. The article examines the mythological
image of Aal Luuk mas Tree which steadily functions in mythological contexts of the Yakut Olonkho
epic. As is known, the ‘pith and marrow’ of any phenomenon can be comprehended only through the
study of its formation. So, the work analyzes all stages of the development of the image, starting with
the sources proper. Goals. The research aims to identify the sequence of stages in the formation of the
mythological image of Aal Luuk mas, determine the model archetype within the ethnic mythopoetic
consciousness, and demonstrate modeling and structuring functions thereof as the main generating
idea in the Sakha view of the world. Materials and Methods. The work considers mythological views
of the Sakha people reflected in Yakut Olonkho epic texts, and employs an interdisciplinary approach
that includes various methods of modeling, structural-semiotic analysis, and deduction. Results. The
stadial research shows that Olonkho texts contain fragments of mythological cosmogenesis, archaic
motifs of the world egg, world sea, elements of zoomorphic space, anthropomorphic characters to
have preceded the era of the Tree ― to further shape a complex image of Aal Luuk mas as a model
that structures a multilevel Universe. The work mentions a geometric representation of the Tree in
the form of a static pyramid and a dynamic cone identical to the Olonkho epic model of the world
discovered by the author in previous studies. The paper concludes that in addition to the well-known
ideas about the image of Aal Luuk mas as a symbol of fertility and the eternal cycle of life and death,
the form and content of this archaic image largely determined the emergence of many sign systems
nowadays integral to Yakut material and spiritual culture. And this circumstance proves instrumental
in recognizing an invariant archetype scheme with the preservation of semantic ‘valencies’ in modern
texts of the tradition, thus indicating further research prospects. |
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| ISSN: | 2619-0990 2619-1008 |