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ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES AS A WAY OF LIFETIME EXPERIENCE OF DEATH // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2017. Issue 9 (186). P. 9-14

The problem of mortality and the experience of death is one of the most urgent for a person. Each culture offers its own solution. In the Ancient Greece of the era of the classics, mysteries were the means of the lifetime experience of death, among which the most widespread were the Eleusinian sacraments. The emergence of the mystery phenomenon is connected with the specificity of the ancient Greek religion, which was a kind of complement in the form of rituals to existing mythological subjects and never turned into an essential cultural dominant that would determine all spheres of life of ancient Greek society. The Eleusinian Mysteries, which arose on the basis of the agrarian myth of Demeter and Persephone, allowed people to survive death without dying, while still alive, and thus not only include it in the circle of being, but also get hope for a better posthumous fate. In this case, the mysteries are more connected with the myth than with the actual Greek religion. They acted as illustrations to the myth, ritualizing it. The problem of the lifetime experience of death with the help of the Eleusinian Mysteries will allow us to understand better the specifics of the ancient Greek culture of the classical epoch, and the findings can be used in the preparation of courses on the history and culture of ancient Greece.

Keywords: Ancient Greece, Eleusinian Mysteries, sacraments, myth

TRANSFORMATION OF THE HERO MYTHOLOGEME IN ANCIENT GREEK TRAGEDY (BASED ON THE TRAGEDIES “OEDIPUS REX” AND “THE BACCHANTES”) // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2018. Issue 5 (194). P. 69-73

The study of the transformation of the mythologeme of the Hero seems to be actual, since, having arisen in the space of a myth, it continues to exist in culture throughout the history of mankind, including modernity. At the same time, the image of the Hero undergoes changes due to the peculiarities of a particular historical epoch in other forms of culture different from myth. Such a transformation occurs with the Hero mythologeme in the ancient Greek tragedy of the classical era. In the transition from myth to tragedy, the Hero mythologeme undergoes significant changes: the hero of tragedy perceives fate as an external force that affects his life. He does not reconcile himself to Fate, and tries to change his destiny with all his might, and even realizing that this is impossible, he makes independent decisions demonstrating that he does not bow before circumstances and is capable of performing heroic deeds. Also, the hero of the tragedy refuses to take for granted the will of the gods and tries to force them to be guided in their actions by categories of morality. The problem of transformation of the Hero mythologeme in the ancient Greek tragedy, considered in this study, will allow us to better understand the changes taking place in the ancient Greek culture of the classical epoch. The conclusions obtained by the author can be used in preparing courses on the history and culture of ancient Greece.

Keywords: Ancient Greece, Greek tragedy, mythologeme, Hero