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Gods and Demons: The Construction of the Slavic Paganism in the Medieval Textual Sources
Dynda, Jiří ; Kozák, Jan (advisor) ; Golema, Martin (referee) ; Zbíral, David (referee)
Jiří Dynda Gods and Demons: The Construction of the Slavic Paganism in the Medieval Textual Sources PhD Thesis, Faculty of Arts, Charles University Abstract The thesis focuses on the analysis of ways of discursive construction of Slavic paganism in medieval written sources. Three chapters attempt to answer the basic research question: how are the elements of Slavic paganism (and especially its concept of divinity) described before; shortly after; and long after Christianization. In other words, how paganism was portrayed as an active external enemy, as a defeated enemy, and as an internal enemy of medieval Christianity. The discourses analysis is applied to more than a dozen case studies of specific sources or their groups. These written sources are analysed also in comparison with other textual, archaeological and ethnographic sources. By thorough identification of several discursive strategies (idolatric, demonological, ortho-practical, euhemeristic and Graeco- Roman interpretation) in the sources the thesis is directed towards a detailed knowledge of the specifics of the Christian perspective (interpretatio Christiana) on the Slavic pagan religions. Thus, the thesis contributes to the possibilities of their understanding. In particular, the concept of divinity in functioning pagan societies in comparison...
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Forest, water and field mythological creatures of the West Slavs
Zboroň, Adam ; Dynda, Jiří (advisor) ; Kozák, Jan (referee)
Adam Zboroň Forest, water and field mythological creatures of the West Slavs Abstract The goal of this Bachelor's thesis is to present the issue of the mythological entities which inhabit the environment of the forest, fields and waters, and how they conceived among the western Slavs - frequently using the comparative materials from all the Slavic countries. The core of this thesis is dedicated to some of the most important entities of every single environment and their characteristics, known from the folklore. The framework of this thesis is based on the phenomenon of the borders between the enviroments, competences and different type of origins of the supernatural entities within the folklore and Slavic culture. The rituals and concepts of the folklore are the main sources of our effort to locate the function of these beings in everyday life and in their natural environments. To sum it up, this thesis should clarify the conception of supernatural entities among the western Slavs with emphasis on their origin, their territories and the borders between them.
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Zbruch Idol: History, Context, Interpretation and Myth
Doležal, Ondřej ; Dynda, Jiří (advisor) ; Antalík, Dalibor (referee)
First of all, the author introduces the problem to the reader by description of the idol and its history. Subsequently he reaches the first pillar of his thesis - summary of the history of research and academic debate about the origin and interpretation of the Zbruch idol since the moment of discovery up today. The author tries to present equally all the directions of interpretation present in discussion for 170 years and in the same time to reach the main specifics of individual periods and key questions of the debate. Even though the author attempts to give an account of equally all significant researchers, who contributed to the progression of the debate, he focuses more precisely on the period previous to Leńczyk comprehensive study from 1964, which he considers neglected. Yet he does not remain impartial in the summary and expresses his disapproving opinion about researchers, who deny the authenticity of the sculpture and declare it a forgery, as those, who deny the idols slavic origin. The author admits, that the Zbruch idol probably bears signs of influence from migrating turkic tribes, but he does not consider it their work. He comments this question in a partial way in the chapter about parallels, which serves him to prove that the Slavic territory probably carried enough of stone...
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Byliny of bogatyr Svyatogor: Structural and Comparative Analysis of Narrative
Dynda, Jiří ; Lemeškin, Ilja (advisor) ; Antalík, Dalibor (referee)
Jiří Dynda Byliny of bogatyr Svyatogor: Structural and Comparative Analysis of Narrative (MA Thesis) Abstract This thesis is an analysis and interpretation of the thirty seven textual variants of the byliny of bogatyr Svyatogor. After the general introduction to the Russian folk epics and after the presentation of issues concerning the study of oral epic literature, author's own structural concept of myth and cultural representations is presented. In the central part the thesis attempts to apply these principles to the narrative of the byliny of Svyatogor and by means of a thorough analysis it indicates, which motives and their relations were fundamental for this narrative to make sense in the local context of bylinaic tradition. The thesis claims that these narratives primarily deal with the themes of the initiation of a young hero, the generation conflict and the transmission of a mentor's position to his apprentice (or, metaphorically, a father's position to his son). This hypothesis is subsequently tested via a two phased comparative analysis of the central motives and their clusters: Firstly, the comparison is made in the context of the bylinaic traditions per se and in the context of the ethnographic situation at the Russian North (internal comparison), and secondly, in the wider scope of the Eurasian...
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The Archaic Slavic Religion in a Perspective of Georges Dumézil's Comparative Mythology
Dynda, Jiří ; Antalík, Dalibor (advisor) ; Téra, Michal (referee)
THE ARCHAIC SLAVIC RELIGION IN A PERSPECTIVE OF GEORGES DUMÉZIL'S COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY JIŘÍ DYNDA ABSTRACT The presented paper deals with the application of Dumézil's comparative mythology on religion of ancient Slavs. I will briefly introduce the life and method of Georges Dumézil and examine the influence of Durkheimian sociology and Lévi-Straussian structuralism on his research. A short summary of his focal theory of tripartite, three-functional ideology will be presented as well. Then I will present an analysis of Slavic archaic social stratification by means of tripartite ideology; I will also accentuate the importance of Slavic religious specialists, i.e. the "priestly class", and also the need of searching of (supposed) clearly articulated tripartite theological structures of Slavic paganism, especially in cultic practices. In the last third of this work, four possible dumézilian interpretations of Slavic pantheon will be demonstrated. Each function will be examined on the basis of primary sources reading and secondary interpretations. In the concluding synthesis there will be shown the antithetic, yet complementary character of given academic theories and interpretations and subsequently I will evaluate the dumézilian hypothesis in general. Furthermore its contributions as well as inherent...
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