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Berezkin Yu. Ye. The succession of the spread of mythological motifs into America

Yuri Ye. BEREZKIN — Doctor of Historical Sciences, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia, St. Petersburg)
E‑mail: berezkin1@gmail.com

 

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ABSTRACT. Traditional folklore studies lost their impulse in late 20th century and the disappearance of traditional folklore was not the real reason. More important was the shift of preferences in cultural anthropology from research on the etic facts to interpretation of emic ideas. Since then interests of the folklorists and anthropologists became restricted by the areal and temporal horizon of their own informants. Latent tradition of the 19th century evolutionism intensified the crisis. However, the processing of the big data on folklore and mythology opens the possibility of transforming this sphere of the research into the full-bodied historical discipline. Because comparative folkloristic does not possess its inner resources to date processes under study, parallels between folklore and mythological materials recorded in Asia with its Oceanic margin and in America acquire crucial significance. Time and direction of migrations responsible for the peopling of the New World are basically known that opens possibility to assess the age of corresponding sets of motifs. Separate computing of particular groups of motifs selected according to their thematic peculiarity (cosmology, star lore, human anatomy and relations between genders, animal characteristics, etc.) helps to reveal the probable sequence of their transfer across Beringia. Parallels between Melanesia and South America are related to the earliest stage while parallels between East and Southeast Asia on the one hand and southern North America and Mesoamerica on the other hand date to the later time. The most recent complex of motifs is widespread across Siberia and northern North America. Unlike the other two it occupies a continuous territory where exchange of information could persist up to the recent times.

 

KEYWORDS: peopling of the New World, comparative folklore studies, precise methods in humanities

 

УДК 291.13
DO I 10.31250/2618-8600-2019-3(5)-8-25

 

REFERENCES 

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