Reflection of fertility cult in Ukrainian national rituals and modern mass culture

Abstract

Purpose of the article. Any new phenomena do not occur by themselves, they are formed at a certain foundation, which can trace its roots to the most ancient layers of human vital activity. This fully pertains to the phenomenon of intercourse contemplation. By reflection we mean the cult of fertility preservation and transformation of its elements in traditional rituals and objects of mass culture. Novelty. During the transformation in new conditions, totemic feast was the beginning of ritual actions and works of art. Sexual intercourse was substituted with the symbols, only composition remained unchanged. Research methodology. Descriptive research method with the elements of a comparative method, where appropriate, is used. Results. Key fundamentals of the hunting worldview are reflected in totemic feast, which involved killing and consumption of the meat of totem and joining incestuous sexual relations with the members of their own tribe. It should be noted here that the content of totemic feast contained a complete plot with perfect composition: exposition – initial situation, rising action – killing totem, pre-climax – eating meat of totem, climax – overall orgy with incestuous intercourse, dénouement – repentance. Totemic feast contained orgy of the participants and apparently had no objections that any orgy had the audience who actively or passively contemplated this action. Sexologists define the following stages of intercourse physiology: excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution. This is another well-shaped composition where each phase corresponds to building elements – exposition, rising of action, climax and dénouement. We can assume that the first natural work of art for primitive man was contemplation of sexual intercourse during totem feasts, ministries to orgiastic cults, conducting rites associated with fertility and so on. Classical Greek tragedy arose from totemic feast of ancient hunters, and interim stage was orgiastic feast of Dionysus, which revived the mythical god murder. Tragedy, unlike Dionysius, divides participants into actors and spectators, and reality is replaced with symbols. The task of the tragedy is to bring the audience to catharsis not due to direct involvement in the creation of sin, but only contemplating acting. Contemplation of intercourse in ceremonies was accompanied by the use of obscene language, filthy songs, dances with sultry movements, shouting and laughing; substances that have an impact on psyche and body turn-on – alcoholic, psychotropic, narcotic were widely used; were permitted manifestations of antisocial behavior prohibited at any other time. Since the totemic feast is associated with matrilineal pattern of society, one should pay attention to women’s ceremonies in traditional and modern rituals. These include "kolodkuvannia" and funeral of Yarilo or Kostrubonka on Green holiday – the most demonstrative ceremonies that preserved manifestations of anti-social behavior. All this suggests that before the transformation a ceremony could contain sexual relations, including collective that must have spectators and thus contained the phenomenon of contemplation. Among family rituals, the most characteristic in terms of contemplation of sexual intercourse is wedding ceremony of "pantry" in which a bride had to prove her chastity. No doubt that the ceremony is the transformation of orgiastic part of totemic feast. To understand the limits of transformation, one should refer to the earliest record of the Ukrainian wedding carried out in the first half of the 17th century, where guests acted as spectators of the act of defloration. The most completely phenomenon of contemplation of sexual intercourse in modern mass culture is reflected in pornography that fully uses achievements of cinema. During totemic feast, a primitive man was able to easily keep an eye for coitus; during the next period of development the actual sexual act was replaced by symbolism that deprived the man of the right to see the real action; during the third stage modern means of communication returned man the possibility to contemplate. Thus, in ancient time people contemplated sexual intercourse just like modern consumers of porn and erotic movies. Therefore, works of any direction may expect popularity and success among the audience provided that, the basis for both their form and content constitute natural, time-tested plots that reflect worldview tendencies developed at the dawn of humanity formation. Not the fact of sexual intercourse contemplation itself but compositionally built act where its climactic part is the most important and consequently the most influencing has significant impact on the spectator. During the transformation in new conditions, totemic feast was the beginning of ritual actions and works of art. Sexual intercourse was substituted with the symbols, only composition remained unchanged. These requirements are stable for fertility cult, calendar and family rituals, works of art, forms of modern culture and mass culture. The results may be used for the research of folk rites, works of art and modern forms of mass culture.