The archetype of the mother in the poetic world of S. Cherkasenko

Abstract

The article carries out a systematic analysis of S. Cherkasenko’s creative heritage in a mythological way. The archetype of the Mother in the work of S. Cherkasenko is considered, which reflects his mythopoetic worldview and thinking. The main mythological motifs associated with maternal images are determined; the peculiarities of the interpretation of the archetypal image as a sacred image of the Motherland are clarified. The archetype of the Mother is a prototype that has absorbed all the ideal characteristics of the female world and reflects the enormous role of the mother in the formation of the personality and in the life of humanity in general. We prove that the mythologeme of the Motherland has its roots in the oldest and most stable archetype of Mother Earth. The image of the Mother at the initial stage was connected, firstly, with the nature. Back in Greek mythology, Gaia, Mother Earth, was the oldest of all the gods of the Greek pantheon. She gave life not only to all the gods, but also to the first human. Deference towards Mother Nature was also transmitted in the Roman tradition through the cult of Demeter and Rhea. In Slavic mythology, the most common is the syncretic image of Mother Earth, from whose womb everything living and non-living was born, because the land fertilized by rain produces crops, feeds people, and helps to continue the family. In Christian culture, the image of the Christian Mother of God is an echo of the ancient cult of Mother Earth.