Ancient Ukrainian Mythology in Andrii Harasevych’s Lyrics

Abstract

Andii Harasevych in his lyrics implicitly actualizes old Ukrainian mythological images and plots which became fundamental in his fictional world. Early poems of the author contain a great number of authentic Ukrainian mythological images and plots. Almost every poem of cycles “The Steppe vision” and “Sonnets” has mythologemes in strong position, which refer to specific images of the collective unconscious. The mature lyrics of Andrii Harasevych, which includes the poems of the cycles “Old Prague”, “Loneliness” and “The Challenge”, contains less mythologemes, but they are more complicated, versatile and full of existential tension.
The poet interprets the images of the Great Mother, the Tree of Life, complex of solar images and cosmogonic plots at conceptual, worldview and axiological levels. The author understands the nature of chaos and accepts it: chaotic process means life creation and continuing. Nature / world / nation / state / human experiences a constant, cyclic creation accompanied by choice, struggle, sacrifice and responsibility. All the books of Andrii Harasevych’s poems are analysed: “Sonnets” (1941) and “To the Peaks” (1959). These books contain all the author’s poetic cycles — “The Steppe Vision”, “Sonnets”, “Old Prague”, “Loneliness” and “The Challenge”.
All the mythologemes were distinguished. Almost every mythologeme stands in strong position and is repeated in several texts of the author. Certain groups of mythologemes form complexes of plots and images of old Ukrainian mythology. They are illustrated by the most revealing fragments of the author’s texts and analyzed within the model of his artistic world. The research can be used for deepening of interpretation of Andrii Harasevych’s poems and for development of mythocritical method of text analysis through the prism of authentic, national mythology as a powerful source of traditional plots and images in national literatures.