슬라브 민간신앙에 반영된 ‘물’ 신화소(神話素)

초록

This study investigates the meaning and interpretation of 'water' as a mytheme in the Slavic tradition and folk belief. Especially, this research will focus on 'Creation myth', 'World Tree', and 'Slavic folk culture' that Slavs share as their own worldview. ‘Water’ is one of the most fundamental and substantial elements that consist of things in the world. Water is an element that forms all the universe and nature. From the primordial time, water is the most fundamental and substantial element. Water is associated with mentality and emotions of human beings that have been creating and changing the world. As a natural element, water symbolizes many things, such as chaos, a source of destruction and creation, purifying power, and many dualistic meanings: black vs. white, contamination vs. purification, destruction vs. creation, a fundament of life vs. death, and so on. In Slavic folk belief, including mythology, legends and folktales, water has a variety of meanings and roles: a source of energy, power, creation, purification, generation of life, etc. Long time ago, Slavs think that water has dual characteristics of good and bad, white and black, and destruction and creation, etc. In addition, water is considered as a place where vicious spirits or souls hide, and therefore all the water is drained after death of any family member. After Kiev Rus’s the baptism of Christianity, Slavs emphasize the important role of ‘baptizing’ and ‘christening’ as a purifying power. For example, water is a place where there live Rusalki and Vodjanoj that people consider vicious and unlucky. At the same time, water is where there is a power to create a new world.

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