Mythosymbolic Component of the Animalistic Concept Horse (Loshad' / Kon') in the Russian Language Picture of the World

Abstract

The research featured concept "horse", which is one of the key archetypal concepts of the Russian culture. The present article focuses on the secondary symbolic constituents that form the structure of the concept. The research objective was to describe symbolic features in the structure of the concept. The material involved sources of the Russian national corpus, Russian folk tales, and other genres of the belles-lettres discourse representing diverse functional styles of the language. The study revealed the ambivalent nature of symbolic categorization of the animal concept in the Russian language through the prism of religious and mythological worldview. The ambivalent nature represented in the bilateral image is in its polar opposition. On the one hand, it is a solar symbol, a symbol of celestial source, and deity. On the other hand, it is chthonic and demonological. Thus, it implies the following symbolic signs: sun; sky; rain; earth; star; month; bird; fire; light; air; red; water; white; gold; another world; age; sea; mountains; death; Kelpie – a water spirit; immortality; black; centaur; Trojan horse; the magic; time of day; number; unity; fertility; spirituality; speed; inspiration, contemplation; loyalty; persistence; fearlessness; luck; chivalry, nobility; purity, and inaccessibility; lust, riot; secrecy, deceit; power; beauty; intelligence; wisdom; power; life force. Ambivalent features revealed on the basis of factual material are invariant, since their historical significance is also actualized in modern linguistic realities. In addition, for the most part they are positively oriented, which indicates the marking and significance of the horse in the consciousness and life of the Russian people.

Keywords

• cognitive linguistics
• linguoculturology
• structurally symbolic signs
• symbol
• mythology