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ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY AND METAMORPHOSES.
Ramazonova Guzal Chorievna
freelance researcher:
Email: ramazonovagozal92@gmail.com
Contact number : +998902668252
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14738312
Annotation:
In this article, we will talk about the metamorphoses that have
come down to us as part of the works of the ancient literature representatives of
Homer, Hesiod, Ovid and others, and the specific signs of this phenomenon, the
reasons for its formation. It is also thought that types, which are the product of
primitive thinking, developed rapidly in antiquity and turned into a literary tool,
serving the socio-aesthetic goals of the creator.
Key words:
myth, mythology, metamorphosis (transformation,
transformation), Homer, Aesiod, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Ovid, etc.
Аннотация:
В данной статье говорится о метаморфозах, дошедших до
нас в составе произведений представителей античной литературы Гомера,
Гесиода, Овидия и других, и конкретных признаках этого явления,
причинах его формирования. Считается также, что шрифты, являющиеся
продуктом первобытного мышления, быстро развивались в древности и
превратились в литературный инструмент, служащий социально-
эстетическим целям творца.
Ключевые слова:
миф, мифология, метаморфоза (превращение,
превращение), Гомер, Эзиод, Эсхил, Аристофан, Овидий и др.
Fiction, reflecting all the phenomena of existence, does not bypass the laws
of nature, including the process of metamorphosis. The great Russian literary
critic Mikhail Bakhtin defines this term in literature as follows. “Metamorphosis
(evolution) - primarily human evolution - belongs to the treasury of primitive
peoples, along with self-awareness. Evolution, self-awareness have a deep and
strong connection with the image of man in primitive peoples.”[1]
Ancient people saw divine power in the changes, transformations, and
conflicts in existence. They also recognized the existence of divine secrets in the
creation of the world and believed that the owner of infinite power was in
control of this world. Early people imagined that the existence and
transformations in existence arose on the basis of metamorphosis due to the
will, command, or curse of the gods. On this basis, myths based on
metamorphosis began to emerge.
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The role of the mythology of the ancient world (ancient period) in
transmitting the initial forms of metamorphoses to subsequent generations is
incomparable. In this regard, it is enough to recall the epics of Homer “Iliad” and
“Odyssey”, the works of Hesiod “Works and Days” and “Theogeny”.[2] In Greek
and Roman literature, especially in the poetry of the Hellenistic period, we do
not meet a poet who, like Ovid, organically connected metamorphoses with each
other and turned them into a single work like "Metamorphoses", which includes
250 variations. The first Latin novel written on the motif of transformation that
has come down to us in its entirety is the work of Apuleius, the last
representative of Roman literature, “Metamorphoses” (or “The Golden Ass”).
For example, in the chapter of the Iliad entitled “The Greeks at Farewell,” a
monstrous red snake emerges from under one of the altars at the port of
Farewell, devours eight sycamores and a bird on the top of a plane tree, and is
immediately turned to stone. This motif of transformation in the epic is
interpreted as a harbinger of the gods foretelling the future.[3]
Homer’s Odyssey also features several metamorphoses. So, during his ten-
year journey, Odysseus accidentally lands on the shores of Circe’s island, where
he is treated to wine. His companions who have drunk wine turn into pigs one
by one, but do not lose their minds. In this episode, metamorphosis is also
carried out not by humans or by chance, but by the magician, the magician.
Also, during the work, the goddess Athena advises the hero Odysseus when
he is helpless, and with good intentions, disguises him as a beggar and helps him
enter her palace. During the events of the work, even the gods interfere in real
life and do not spare their beloved heroes from helping them. This reflects the
mythological thinking of the Greek people that gods and goddesses, when the
time comes, help their slaves in any helpless or difficult situations, and when
they are angry, they take revenge in various ways.
Metamorphoses also play an important role in Hesiod's works “Works and
Days” and “Theogeny”. The commonality inherent in the metamorphoses in the
shell of Hesiod’s myths is completely different from each other.” ... in it we see
the embodiment of the main genealogical series, that is, the alternation of works
and generations (myths about the five centuries called the Golden, Silver,
Copper, Trojan and Iron Ages), the unique theogeny characteristic of the
metamorphosis of nature, the metamorphoses of the grain series, the
metamorphoses of the grape branches. At the same time, the series on the
peasant process in Hesiod is also expressed in the form of the “Peasant
Metamorphoses”, writes M. Bakhtin.
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“Metamorphoses”, written approximately in the years 1-8 AD, is the
pinnacle of Ovid’s work, and at the same time, one of the great monuments of
Roman literature. The epic contains about 250 such narratives. One of the oldest
myths in the epic, belonging to the type of metamorphoses, is about Phaeton, the
son of the sun god, and his sisters.
According to legend, when young Phaeton goes to his palace to find out if he
is really the son of Helios, his father wants to prove the truth of his words by
making his son agree to whatever he wants. To demonstrate this truth to others,
Phaeton persuades his father to ride the sun chariot and circle the sky. But,
unable to control the horses, he let go of the reins, and a terrible fire broke out
where the solar chariot approached the earth. Jupiter, wanting to save the earth
from the fire, killed him with a lightning bolt. His lifeless div fell into the river
Eris. Since the sisters wept so much over the destruction of Phaeton, the gods
turned them into poplars and their tears into amber. Since then, poplars have
always bowed down to the banks of the river Eris and wept, and their tears
turned into amber and fell into the river.
Ovid’s Metamorphoses also contain variations on various themes, in
particular, the motif of being a victim of tragic love plays a major role. The gods
are interpreted as the main cause of the terrible tragedies of love. Their love for
the daughters of ordinary people ultimately leads to the most tragic
consequences. For example, when Jupiter's love affairs with Io began to become
boring, he handed her over to his wife, so that he would not have trouble. And
she turned him into a cow. Jupiter was also the reason why the beautiful Callisto
was turned into a bear by the wrath of her.
As time passed, we witness that the metamorphoses lost their original
significance and function, expanded in subject and scope, and turned from a
divine event into a literary event, taking the form of a traditional motif.
Metamorphoses went through the path of rapid development already in
antiquity and managed to form as a literary phenomenon.
It is worth noting that types in fiction play an important role in expressing
the goals and ideas of the author, in making the work interesting, in the
development of unexpected events and in the formation of solutions, as well as
in the formation of idealistic and materialistic views in philosophy.
References:
1. Mirziyoyev Sh. We build our great future together with our brave and noble
people. – Tashkent: Uzbekistan, 2017. 446 p.
2. Alimuhammedov A. History of ancient literature (Textbook). Second edition. –
Tashkent: “Uchituvchi” publishing house, 1975. 412 p.
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3. Boynazarov F. World literature. Handbook. – Tashkent: music, 2006. 158 p.
4. J. Eshonkul. Myth and artistic thinking. Academy of Sciences of the Republic of
Uzbekistan “Science”, -- Tashkent: 2019, 147 p.
5. Kasimov A., Khojaev S. Western literature of the 20th century. – T.:
Akademnashr, 2011. – 136 p.
6. https://www.in-academy.uz/index.php/zdit/article/view/7714. C. 327–329.
