THE PHENOMENON OF MEDIEVAL MYTHOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY CULTURE

Abstract

The phenomenon of medieval mythology is studied on the example of concepts of dwarves in this article. A mythologem of dwarves is quite universal and present in myths of different nations, but only in

medieval mythology it takes the leading place. Ideas about gnomes (dwarves) become an important part of the cultural code of the Middle Ages.

The most developed and detailed concepts of dwarves can be met in Polish and Celtic myths. A Polish version of dwarves - with its own name “krasnoludzie” - can be considered typical for this period. An important source of our research is medieval literature: different versions of Physiologus and Bestiaries. Medieval myths and worldview symbolics became an important basis where a literary genre of fantasy appeared and developed in contemporary culture (J. Tolkien, A. Sapkowski in contemporary Poland). Medieval mythology differs from the classical ancient one in many ways. Main medieval characters (dwarves, elves) are shown in the context of axiological parameters through conceptual opposition of good and evil.

This opposition is not a simple division into "absolute good" and "absolute evil", but is built on the differences and similarities in their nature, culture and worldview. The organic "weaving" of dwarves and other similar characters into existential constructs allowed a thinking person to perceive the life path of an individual as less tragic than in antiquity.

The game is the basis for the perception of the mythology of the Middle Ages. Medieval mythology allowed us to perceive a number of life situations by analogy with stage plays and therefore more comfortably.

Characteristic of the mentality of this era was the individual's attempt in every thing or phenomenon, in every event, even, at first glance, insignificant, to necessarily see both their general and secret meaning and purpose; therefore, for dwarfs, their place in the hierarchy of being was necessarily determined. The existential and axiological characteristics of the existence of such characters were necessarily perceived as complementary to a person's own existence.