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Navajo Ritual Healing
Galovič, Roman ; Chlup, Radek (advisor) ; Kozák, Jan (referee)
In this paper I deal with two traditions of ritual healing in Navajoland, namely with the traditional Navajo ritual healing and the peyote healing of Native American Church. I introduce them in three dimensions when I consecutively describe a cosmological framework, a social organization and a specific example of a ritual. At the core of my analysis is the grid & group method that was developed by Mary Douglas, when I look for the correlations between cosmological notions and social structures, and the ways they are established by the ritual. This way I point out how the colonial oppression weakened community ties and created ground for the growth of Native American Church in Navajoland, because NAC is able to offer existential answers for life in such a desolate space. However this does not mean that the Traditional Navajo healing was wiped out by colonialism, and both traditions continue to exist side by side and are quite often combined by particular patients. I offer a way to interpret this medical plurality when I fuse Mary Douglas' method with certain traditional Navajo notions and psychological analyses by Friedrich Nietzsche. In this view, every person would be permanently situated in socially and phenomenologically heterogenic space, and particular healing traditions would heal different social...
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Water Symbolism in Christianity and Islam according to Mircea Eliade
Bajerová, Adéla ; Lyčka, Milan (advisor) ; Kozák, Jan (referee)
In his book, Patterns in Comparative Religion (1996), the Romanian scholar Mircea Eliade deals with comparative religion in terms of their repeating structures of phenomena. These "symbolisms" are systems of hierophanies, or manifestations of the sacred, that are binded together by one element. The contents of symbolism is determined by the meanings of individual hierophanies as well as the structure between them. According to Eliade this structure is mutually transferable among religions. The aim of this thesis is to verify whether or not is this theory valid by means of analysis and comparison of hierophanies in two religions. Since in Patterns in Comparative Religion Eliade pays greater attention to archaic religions, this thesis tries to apply his theory on two living religions. We will verify the validity of water symbolism in Christianity, whose symbolism is partially addressed in Eliade's book, and Islam, which isn't mentioned in the chapter on water symbolism at all.
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Comparisson of Olympian and Chthonic Aspects in the Myth and Cult of God Asclepius
Oberhofnerová, Ivana ; Chlup, Radek (advisor) ; Kozák, Jan (referee)
In my work, I focus on a comparison of Olympian and chthonic aspects of the myth and cult of the god Asclepius in Classical Greece period. The starting point is a discussion concerning the distinction between Olympian and chthonic. I will try to clarify what these particular terms represent in works of selected authors and how those authors consequently apply them. Furthermore, I will try to show whether and how the dichotomy between Olympian and chthonic can be applied to a specific figure, namely the healing god Asclepius. I will focus on Asclepius myths and forms of his cultic worship too. Emphasis will be put on Asclepius divine, Olympian aspects, as well as on his heroic features, which belong to the realm of chthonic. On the basis of theoretical analysis of dichotomy between Olympian and chthonic and examination of a particular case figure of Asclepius, in the final synthetic part of my work I will try to demonstrate that the adherence to the dichotomy between Olympian and chthonic is significantly beneficial to the interpretation of the divine figure of Asclepius. Key words: Olympian, chthonic, Asclepius myths, cultic worship of Asclepius, interpretation of Asclepius
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The Wrath of the Water and Its Relationship with Geasa in the Celtic Mythology
Syrová, Kristýna ; Antalík, Dalibor (advisor) ; Kozák, Jan (referee)
TITLE: The Wrath of the Water and Its Relationship with Geasa in the Celtic Mythology AUTHOR: Kristýna Syrová DEPARTMENT: Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies SUPERVISOR: Doc. Dalibor Antalík, PhD. ABSTRACT: This thesis examines two similar medieval Irish narratives, 'Boann' and 'Sinann', from so called dindshenchas, interpreting the concept of the well of wisdom and the right to approach it, as well as looking for probable parallels of the story in other Celtic sources. Although it works towards encompassing the theories of other scholars, who used to be concerned mainly about parallels of this theme in other Indo-European cultures, the main aim here is different. The thesis is trying to explain the chosen narrative from the inside of the medieval Irish society, namely through a specific Irish ideology of a learned class of poets, the filid. It is also aiming to show how the relationship between physical boundaries, such as rivers, and social boundaries (which were connected to the institution of geasa, so called Irish taboos) could have had an influence on the narrative. Though we cannot deny pre-Christian mythological roots of the story, the author maintains that it was revised by the medieval filid to help them face a peculiar problem: an ambivalent position of a female poet within the...
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Evolutionary rationale of manifestation of personality traits to vocal expression
Kozák, Jan ; Pivoňková, Věra (advisor) ; Havlíček, Jan (referee)
Previous research in the field of vocal expression in relation to personality variables slightly uncovered some acoustic parameters that correlate with personality characteristics in different models of personality. However, just few studies have examined antisocial personality characteristics including also Dark triad traits. The Dark triad itself is a relatively new concept that has not been studied in relation to the acoustic parameters. This explorative study examines the correlation between acoustic parameters of the voice spectrum and personality traits of Dark Triad, NEO-FFI and Self-deception. For this research were selected voice samples in the form of prolonged phonation vocals / a /, / e /, / i /, / o /, / u /, reading of text, and neutral spontaneous description. Research was attended by 66 participants who completed personality questionnaires SD3, NEO-FFI and SDQ. From an acoustic perspective were measured 21 parameters describing voice quality in software PRAAT. Data analysis revealed significant correlations between personality traits and some acoustic parameters. As an important parameters have showed HNR, jitter and shimmer. The results confirm that certain personality traits are manifested through the human voice. The actual mechanism of influences on voice in this work was only...
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Possibilities for in-vitro testing of controlled-release parenterals.
Kožák, Jan ; Řehula, Milan (advisor) ; Rabišková, Miloslava (referee)
The objective of this study was to start with the development of a gel-based medium simulating intramuscular environment for in-vitro drug release testing as an alternative to currently used water-based media. A pork meat was selected as a model of the muscle tissue. At the first part of the study, diffusion rate was proposed as the most determining factor of drug release in gel-based medium. Consequently, the diffusion rate of sodium fluorescein in pork meat was compared with the diffusion rate in various gels, namely gelatine, calcium alginate and different grades of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). The measurments were performed at 37řC with respect to recomendations for drug dissolution testing and in- vivo temperature. Gelatine however underwent a gel-sol transition at 37řC regardless to polymer concentration and showed to be unsuitable for measurement by selected method. The diffusion rate of fluorescein in all used gels was higher than the diffusion rate in the meat. Only 25% HPMC (Methocel E4M grade) showed acceptable similarity to meat, in terms of the diffusion rate, and was consequently selected for the second part of the study. In the second part of the study, the release of ibuprofen from ethylcellulose implants (ethylcelulose : ibuprofen weight ratio 9:1) in pork meat and 25%...
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The Gates of the Otherworlds: The Border of the Otherworld in Celtic and Old Norse Myths
Hůlová, Silvie ; Kozák, Jan (advisor) ; Antalík, Dalibor (referee)
The Gates of the Otherworlds: The Border of the Otherworld in Celtic and Old Norse Myths Sylva Hůlová Abstract: My work presents a set of motifs (circumstances, barriers, creatures and other phenomena) that are connected with passage through the border of the Otherworld in the Celtic and Old Norse myths. It should be used as a basic guide for better orientation and understanding of stories describing the journey to the Otherworld and confrontation with Otherness in the chosen cultural areas. The common framework of these stories is the structure of initiation which is also frequently used for interpretation of the examined motifs. A general explanation of the concept of Otherness is based on the phenomenological approach (R. Otto, M. Eliade). Some conclusions are based also on the psychological approach (J. Campbell, S. Freud) and on the theory of narrative (V. J. Propp, N. Frye).
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Útgardaloki in the Context of Eddic Mythology
Miechová, Martina ; Kozák, Jan (advisor) ; Antalík, Dalibor (referee)
The submitted work concerns itself with the analysis and interpretation of the Utgarðaloki character on the basis of eddic mythology in which it appears. The introductory chapter focuses on primary sources and secondary literature, bringing together the results of the previous research which partly lend the structure to this work. The key primary text used is the myth about Ϸórr's journey to Utgarðaloki which is contained in the Younger Edda of Snorri Sturluson. Other versions of this narrative are also taken into account so that it may be possible to reconstruct the image of this character in its entirety and highlight its complementary aspects. This is the subject matter of the second chapter. Among these versions I have included Snorri's parallel myth about Þórr's journey to Geirrøðr, Saxo Grammaticus's narrative about Geruthus and Utgarthilocus from his work The History of the Danes, the Tale of Ϸorsteinn Bœjarmagn (belonging to the saga literature) and, used to a lesser extent, the skaldic poem Þórsdrápa. The third and fourth chapters compare Utgarðaloki to Oðinn and Loki - other mythological characters who share many common traits with him. Finally, in the concluding chapter I bring forward my own concept of Utgarðaloki as a mediating element between the two aforementioned deities, using the...
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Þorr's voyage to Geirrøðr
Kozák, Jan ; Antalík, Dalibor (referee) ; Starý, Jiří (advisor)
The thesis analyzes eight versions of a narrative of thórr's journey to the dwelling place of thurs (giant) Geirrodr. These variant versions are preserved in several distinct genres and come down from different ages - the oldest is a scaldic poem from the time before the christianization of Scandinavia (10th century) whereas the other versions are written down by Christian Icelander Snorri Sturluson and Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus (both 13th c.). The youngest version is a fairy-tale short story from 15th c. The fact of diachronic and genre variation is used to track and analyze the changes of an originally religious narrative after the christianization, i.e. after the dissolution of the original pagan symbolic universe into the medieval (or even post-medieval) one. Although the basic pattern of the story and the names of the protagonists are preserved quite well (in respect to the time span and indirect transmission), the meaning and genre setting of the story is significantly altered: in the case of Saxo Grammaticus into euhemerized pseudohistory and in the case of 15th century short story into fairy-tale loosely connected to historical king Ólafr Tryggvason. This observation illustrate and confirm the process of demythization of pagan myths and show two genres where those myths are to be "stored"...
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