Syncretism of primitive culture

Syncretism is a philosophical, religious or other system that seeks to unite several different doctrines, trends, etc. This is eclecticism, i.e. the unification of various ideas, principles or theories into one single unit. Connecting disparate concepts.

The word syncretism comes from the Greek “sygkretismos” / “συγκρητισμός” - connection, unification.

Syncreticity is unity, undividedness, continuity, indivisibility; characterized by the ability to combine incompatible components (for example: “syncretism of culture” means “unity” or “indivisibility of culture”).

Syncretic (syncretistic) is something that is made up of diverse and difficult to separate components.

Synonyms for the word syncretism are eclecticism, fusion, mixing, unity, indivisibility.

Syncretism in linguistics

Syncretism in linguistics is the relationship between morphology and syntax, where the distinctions required by syntax for a set of words are not made by morphology.

For example, in Russian there is a syntactically significant difference between the nominative and accusative cases. It can be seen in various forms of the word "karet": karet a (nominative case) and karet y (accusative case).

Some other nouns in Russian do not make this distinction. For example, the word “briefcase” in both cases has the same form - “briefcase”.

To understand whether syncretism is present, there must be differences in the forms associated with syncretism.

This happens with two different forms of the noun “carriage” (karet a /karet y ) in the example provided.

In the example, the carriage/carriage endings are different and this means that there is no . And in the example with the word portfolio, the endings coincide - which means we have case syncretism .

Syncretism is often associated with case, but can occur in different classes of words, including: gender, number, tense, etc.

Thus, there is case syncretism , when the endings of the nominative and accusative cases coincide, as is the case with the word “briefcase”.

But there may also be syncretism of different grammatical categories (one ending has different meanings of gender, number and case; for example, the word “branch”: the ending “-a” gives us simultaneously nominative case, feminine gender and singular).

Syncretism in art

Beliefs, cultures and customs were repelled from each other and united in a process called syncretism. Syncretism in terms of art is the mixing of cultures and ideas from different places. Representation of more than one religion or culture, especially in the visual arts.

This is the reconciliation or fusion of different systems and beliefs, or an attempt at this fusion.

Syncretic art is a fusion of disparate elements: visual arts, music, theater and dance.

An example of syncretism in art can be anything that combines well from different cultures or movements. For example, salsa dance is a combination of African, Latin American and European cultures.

World Salsa Championships in New York

World Salsa Championships New York 2020, Declan Guzman and Natalia Villanueva.

Syncretism of primitive art - cultural studies

Syncretism of primitive art is usually considered to be the unity and indivisibility of the main types of artistic creativity - fine art, drama, music, etc.

However, this idea does not fully describe what was happening. The most important thing in the syncretism of primitive art is that all these forms of creativity are very closely connected with all the diversity of the existence of the collective. In particular, with his works, rituals, totemic and mythological heroes, etc.

In other words, these are all collective actions that were the most important part of the life of primitive societies.

Prehistoric rock art, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Chad.

Syncretism in mythology

In mythology, syncretism served as the initial categorical and semantic foundation and the original artistic material for all further manifestations of spiritual and verbal creativity. But also for rational-thinking creatures (in the field of philosophy, science, etc.).

At the same time, there was a transparency of mythological consciousness, which manifested itself in the fact that primitive man completely identified the picture of the world shown in the myth with reality (that is, the person blindly believed that his environment was exactly as mythology showed it).

When talking about the transparency of myth, it means that a person saw everything through the prism of his worldview, but the existence of this prism was ignored (and the conceptual and semantic understanding of the myth was lost). Thus, myth and reality merged into one.

Homeric epic and other epic genres in ancient Greek literature

Language

1. in historical terms - an alloy of various Greek. dialects (individual tribes)
2. metric size - hexameter:

-6 dactylic feet (-uu), the last one is usually truncated (disyllabic)

-in each foot (except 5) 2 short syllables can be replaced by a long → spondee (—)

-in the middle of the verse there is usually censorship, which divides the verse into 2 hemistiches

1. 1/5 of the verses are formulaic verses (repetitive). In repeated situations (feast, sacrifice, duels, the beginning of direct speech) The style of the poems has preserved many elements that go back to the song, semi-improvisational stage of the development of the epic. This includes the so-called typical passages, repeated whenever the narrative reaches a certain point in the description of a battle, a feast, a ship’s voyage, etc., for example, a description of a feast:
2. desire for typification:

-blond hair – women and boys (Achilles, Apollo, Menelaus)

-dark hair – mature men (Zeus, Agamemnon. Odysseus)

- constant epithets (fast ships, swift-footed Achilles, starry night)

Style

1. constant and deliberate archaization in the narrative
2. the past is idealized
3. there is nothing random (the strongest wins in a fight, because he has better weapons)
4. objectivity of the narration - the singer does not analyze, but only reports. Sometimes the author's attitude can be traced: Elena is the culprit of the war.
5. the speeches of the heroes are traditional, but connected with the appearance of the speaker, often even individualized (the speeches of the 3 envoys to Achilles)
6. detailed comparisons, the purpose of which is to illuminate the past. In them, the poet compares the real world with the heroic one. This includes pictures of nature. While the epic generally paints a picture of social well-being in heroic times, the comparisons include unjust judges, a poor widow artisan, who earns meager food for her children with her labor.
7. detailed comparisons are independent artistic sketches. But pictures of nature are not yet connected with a person’s mood. This is not peaceful nature, but a storm, natural disasters. In “O” the comparisons are more concise and free, but have become widespread (girl = slender palm tree).
8. The pace of the story is not constant. Slowing down the tempo—an “epic ride”—to capture the listener’s attention. In dialogue, a replica is always entered by a formula indicating who owns the replica
9. chronological incompatibility

Images:

1. many characters (people, heroes, gods)
2. the gods are humanized - endowed with virtues and vices, but on a large scale
3. the gods are immortal and dictate their will (dreams, omens)
4. fate is stronger than the gods (lot)
5. the gods in "O" are very different from the gods in "I". in O - they live their own lives (excl. - Athena, patroness of Odysseus). People are strong, confident and energetic.

Features of the epic worldview and style.

First, the volume of epic poems is always significant. The volume depends not on the desire of the author, but on the tasks set, which in this case require a large volume. The second feature is versatility. The epic is a repository of wisdom, an educational function, a repository of information on history, and performed scientific functions (kept knowledge from various fields). This is called epic syncretism.

The images are elevated above ordinary people, they are almost monuments. They are all higher-minded, more beautiful, smarter than ordinary people. This is epic monumentality.

Three Laws of Epic Style:

1) The law of retardation is a deliberate stop of action. Retardation helps to expand the scope of your image. Retardation is a digression, an inserted poem. Tells about the past or expounds the views of the Greeks. The poems were performed orally and during the retardation the author and performer tries to arouse additional attention to the situation: for example, a description of the rod of Agamemnon, a description of the shield of Achilles

2) The law of double motivation of events.

3) The law of chronological incompatibility of simultaneous events in time. Two events that should essentially occur simultaneously are presented not as parallel, but as occurring one after the other. Having finished one event, the narrator does not go back, but moves on to the second event as if what is later narrated should happen later. A striking example: Priam and Helen are talking.

Epic poems abound in repetition. Up to a third of the text is repetition. Several reasons: due to the oral nature of the poems, repetitions are properties of oral folk art, folklore description includes constant formulas, most often these are natural phenomena, equipment of chariots, weapons of the Greeks and Trojans. Decorating epithets firmly assigned to heroes, objects, gods (hair-eyed Hera, cloud-busting Zeus). Often epithets are so fused that they contradict the position: “noble” suitors in the house of Odysseus. Aegisthus, who kills Agamemnon, is blameless. These are folklore formulas.

A combination of fiction with details of realistic reality. The line between reality and fantasy is blurred: a description of the Cyclops' cave. At first everything is very realistic, but then a terrible monster appears. An illusion of objectivity is created.

The poems are written in hexameter. Moreover, the last foot is truncated. All ancient versification is based on a strictly ordered alternation of long and short syllables, and the quantitative ratio of stressed and unstressed syllables is 2:1, but the stress is not forceful, but musical, based on raising and lowering the tone

Epic poetry arose in the 10th century BC, the poetry of Homer - at the turn of the 9th and 8th centuries. Most likely, this is not the beginning of a tradition - the author refers to predecessors and even includes excerpts from predecessor poems in the text. "Odyssey" - Demodocus, Thamir of Thracia. Then parodies of Homer’s poems appear - “Batrachomyomachy” - the fight between frogs and mice.

"Epic" - "word, story." It appears as a form of everyday story about an event important for the history of a tribe or clan. Always poetic reproduction. The subject of the image is the history of the people based on mythological perception. Heroes of epics represent entire nations (Achilles, Odysseus). The hero of Homer's poems lives in a special world where the concepts “everyone” and “everyone” mean the same thing.

The images of warriors were varied. Homer did not yet have an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bcharacter, but, nevertheless, he does not have two identical warriors. It was believed that a person is already born with certain qualities, and nothing can change during his life.

When the hero is overwhelmed by conflicting feelings and finally makes a decision, the poet still does not know how to motivate him. (scene in the 1st book of the Iliad, the angry Achilles hesitates whether to draw his sword and kill Agamemnon or restrain himself. He already draws the sword, but then puts it back in its scabbard. In order to motivate this change of mood, the poet needed the “divine "intervention: the goddess Athena appears invisibly to Achilles and encourages him to calm down).

The language of the Iliad and Odyssey is an artificial subdialect that has never been spoken in life. Until the 19th century, the prevailing point of view was that the content of both poems was poetic fiction. In the 19th century, they started talking about the reality of events after Troy was discovered by Heinrich Schliemann.

Two categories of people are considered native speakers of the Homeric language: Aeds and Rhapsodes. Aeds are storytellers, creators of poems, semi-improvisers, they have a high position in society, so they had the right to change something in the poems. Homer mentioned Demodocus and Thamir the Thracian. Some families: Gomerids and Creophilides. Most often they were blind, “Homer” means blind. This is another reason why many believe that Homer did not exist. Rhapsodes are only performers; they could not change anything.

The values ​​that interest Homer: the main thing is the problem of the meaning of human life. The theme of human duty: to the homeland, to the tribe, to ancestors, to the dead. Ideas about human friendship are formed. Odysseus and Diomedes, Achilles and Patroclus.



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Religious syncretism

The practice of syncretism is quite common in most modern religions and religions of the past. For example, Jewish ideas played a significant role in the formation of Christianity. In addition, Christianity now has many details that were not characteristic of early Christianity.

For example: Christmas with a tree and gifts is an ancient pagan ritual. It was introduced into Christianity to facilitate conversion from old religions to the new. The same thing happened with Easter eggs - they were part of Greek and Roman pagan traditions.

If you examine several religious movements, you can find syncretism in almost any modern religion.

See also the meanings of Eclecticism, Culture, Religion and Art.

Alevis - Islamic humanists

Alevis [not to be confused with Alawites

Syria] is a sub-ethnic, religious and cultural community in Turkey, Albania and Bulgaria (several million people).

The Alevi's place of religious worship is the home, not the mosque. The ceremony consists of music and dancing, symbolizing purification and union with God. Men and women have equal rights and pray together.

Key Alevi tenets include:

1. Love and respect for all people (“The important thing is not religion, but human existence”).
2. Respect for other religions and ethnic groups (“If you hurt another person, your prayer is worthless”).
3. Respect for working people (“The greatest honor is work”).

Some consider Alevism to be a form of Islam - like Shiites, Alevis revere Ali and the Twelve Imams. However, many Alevis do not consider themselves Shiites. Alevism is also closely related to Sufi Bektashism

: Both doctrines honor Haji Bektash, a 13th-century saint.

• Alevis - Wikipedia.