Syncretism is a very broad concept, the definition of which can be found in different fields of science. In the general understanding, syncretism means unity, mixing, eclecticism. It is better to define this concept in accordance with the specific field in which it is applied. In art, syncretism manifests itself in the merging of incomparable different images, initial components into some kind of phenomenon.
In philosophy, syncretism is understood as a combination of several heterogeneous contradictory theories and principles into one system, but without their unification; this is a type of eclecticism that ignores differences in heterogeneous principles.
In religion, syncretism is the merging of completely different religious movements, creeds and cult movements.
Syncretism in linguistics means the unification in a single form of several designations distributed between different forms in relation to earlier stages of the history of language development; these forms are polysemantic and multifunctional. There is also the concept of cumulation of grammatical meanings, which is used in the same meaning as the concept of syncretism in linguistics and expresses several grammes of different grammatical categories behind one inseparable indicator.
Syncretism in psychology refers to the incomprehension of mental processes in the early period of child development. It is manifested by the tendency of children's thinking to connect various phenomena with each other, without having sufficient grounds for this. Many researchers have noted this phenomenon in the psychology of a child, in particular his perception of the inseparability of the sensory image of some object, without highlighting and correlating internal connections and elements. A child who mistakes the connection of impressions for the connection of objects unconsciously transfers the meaning of the word to only externally related things. By selecting syncretic connections in subsequent practice that will correspond to reality, the child restores for himself the real meaning of words.
Syncretism in cultural studies means the absence of differences in cultural phenomena.
The syncretism of primitive culture is characterized by the fusion of art, cognitive activity, and magic. Also, syncretism in cultural studies is an external mixture of the diversity of cultural components, which is characterized by a high level of eclecticism and manifestation in different planes of culture.
The syncretism of primitive culture is defined in three directions. Firstly, syncretism, as the unity of man and nature. Secondly, it manifests itself as the indivisibility of the spiritual, material and artistic systems of culture. Thirdly, the manifestation of primitive syncretism of culture is an artistic activity inextricably woven into material and production processes.
What it is
This concept is used in cultural studies, psychology, religious studies, and art history. According to scientists, syncretism is a lack of differentiation characteristic of the undeveloped state of a phenomenon. Culturologists and art historians call the combination of different types of arts syncretic. In religion, syncretism means the merging of heterogeneous elements, movements and cults.
From the point of view of child psychologists, syncretism is a characteristic of the thinking of a child of early and preschool age. Toddlers do not yet know how to think logically, establish genuine cause-and-effect relationships (“The wind blows because the trees sway”), or make generalizations based on essential features. A two-year-old child can use the same word to name a fluffy kitten, a fur hat, and other similar-looking objects. Instead of looking for connections, the baby simply describes his impressions of things and phenomena in the world around him.
The syncretism of a child’s thinking also manifests itself in creativity. Also K.I. Chukovsky wrote that preschoolers simultaneously rhyme, jump and select “musical accompaniment” for their poetic experiments. Children often use their own drawings for games, and the drawing process itself often turns into fun.
Origins of syncretism
Cultural objects of primitive society are considered a classic example of syncretism in art. During this period, a person did not yet perceive the world dismembered, did not try to analyze the events taking place, did not see the difference between what was depicted and the real. In primitive society there was no division of spheres of human activity into science, art, labor, etc. People worked, hunted, painted on the walls of caves, made primitive sculptures, performed ritual dances, and all this together was a way of existing in the world, understanding it and interacting with it. Cultural artifacts (masks, figurines, musical instruments, costumes) were used in everyday life.
Primitive culture is also notable for the fact that people of that time rarely painted themselves. The explanation for this is the previously mentioned integrity of perception of the world. If the person himself and his image are one and the same, then why detail the drawing? It is much more important to depict a hunting scene, to show the key moment of the action - the victory over the beast.
The syncretism of primitive culture is also manifested in the identification of a person with members of his community. There was no “I” system as such, but instead there was a “we” phenomenon.
In the depths of syncretism, fetishism arose - the idea that the names of people, objects used by fellow tribesmen, have magical powers. Consequently, through a thing one can harm an aggressive neighbor or, conversely, make a worthy member of the family successful. Therefore, syncretism is also the beginning of the formation of magical cults. His name was also considered part of primitive man.
Syncretism in philosophy
In philosophy, syncretism is an essential characteristic that combines different philosophical trends in one system, but without combining them, and this differs from eclecticism. Although the concept of syncretism is close to it, eclecticism, with the help of criticism, identifies the basic principles from different systems and connects them into a single set.
Syncretism, unlike eclecticism, connects heterogeneous principles, but their true unification never happens, because there is no need to connect them in internal unity with contradictions to each other.
Syncretism was most clearly expressed in Alexandrian philosophy, in particular Philo of Judaea and other philosophers no less, who were trying to connect Greek philosophy and Eastern philosophical movements. The same tendency was present in the supporters of Gnosticism.
Religious-philosophical syncretism combines occult, mystical, spiritualistic and other trends that are unlike traditional religious trends. Such concepts combine components stemming from various religions along with extra-scientific and scientific knowledge. Such religious and philosophical syncretism can be observed in such directions as Gnosticism, Alexandrian philosophy, theosophy, in particular the theosophy of Blavatsky, the anthroposophy of Agni Yoga of the Roerichs or Rudolf Steiner. Based on syncretic religious and philosophical teachings, religious movements began to appear. For example, based on Blavatsky's theosophy, more than a hundred esoteric religious movements appeared.
Syncretism is the principle by which it is determined how a person relates to the world around him, to himself, and how he relates to reproducible activities. It is an essential characteristic of the incomprehension of modalities, it lacks an understanding of how the world differs, various phenomena from logical dually directed oppositions in simultaneous complete disorder (that is, the absence of logical prohibitions) in defining phenomena, correlating them with some of the poles of the opposition based basically everything and in everything.
This idea seems quite absurd at first glance. Because, in fact, how can it be possible to arbitrarily divide the world into the categories of good and evil, for example, and at the same time believe that such a difference is characteristic of the real world? But such nonsense is possible under one circumstance: if, according to this logic, every phenomenon of the world is a werewolf, that is, it is not what it is, it has the ability to turn into something completely different from what it truly is.
This phenomenon occurs when a person thinks using inverse logic. For example, in various cultures there are the following interpretations: a stone can be a totem, a bear can be a brother, a living wolf can be killed by a person, a parrot can be just a person, a worker can be a pest, and so on ad infinitum.
Philosophical thinking allows people to believe so, since there is a difference in culture, as the accumulated experience of humanity, the people and the experience of the individual himself and the appearance of phenomena. This allows each person every day to interpret every phenomenon that is significant for him in the ideas of culture, provided that such a phenomenon can be compared, correlated with a certain component of this culture, and its meaning is “played out” by each pole of the opposition. The meaning of such a phenomenon is constantly twisted in the head; in human activity there is a stable and constant awareness and rethinking.
If a person did not have such an ability, he would not be a person with philosophical thinking.
Syncretism is an essential characteristic of a social, cultural, philosophically filled life, formed by a person’s desire to connect with the natural and social rhythms that are most important to him. It is not independent, separate from the social whole of human responsibility. It is common for him to analyze every difference through the seriousness of the danger of excommunication, cutting off communication with the cosmos, the world around him, with himself and his soul.
Syncretism is revealed as the cause of an uncomfortable feeling of state, a stimulus for greater activity, oriented towards initiation and participation, joining a single whole. Syncretism does not distinguish the universal from the individual. A significant individual phenomenon is a signal for a person that evokes in the consciousness separate undifferentiated general systems of considerations and ideas. Here we also understand the tendency to return to the past, mainly through the fear of separation from the whole, the focus on returning to the totem, leader, social order. This is precisely what represents the basis of syncretic humanity, which, if it moved away from the philosophy of syncretism, at least did not try, using its foundations, to return to a state that is based on a priestly-ideological orientation.
Syncretism of other eras
Manifestations of syncretism took place in the ancient world, the Middle Ages and later periods of history. Homer's poems describe folk festivities, during which people sang, danced, and played musical instruments. A striking example of syncretism is the ancient Greek theater. In Ancient Rome, religion was syncretic, since during the conquests the Romans borrowed and adapted the religious beliefs of other peoples.
Primitive syncretism also influenced the development of the art of the Ancient East. People already knew about the existence of artistic reality, mastered the techniques of fine and other types of arts, but cultural artifacts were still created to solve utilitarian problems or to perform religious rituals. Thus, in Ancient Egypt, the alley of sphinxes decorated the road to the temple.
In the Middle Ages, syncretism manifested itself in the unity of spheres of human life. Politics, law, scientific research and art were one whole, but religion, of course, remained the fundamental principle of all teachings and the regulator of people’s lives. In particular, mathematical symbols were used to interpret divine truths, which is why medieval mathematicians were also theologians.
The Renaissance and Modern times are characterized by the differentiation of science, religion, art, and the emergence of specializations. Syncretism in the art of those times was reflected in music (opera), architecture (buildings in the Baroque style), painting (synthesis of intellectual and sensory principles in the work of N. Poussin), etc.
Russian syllables
31.03.2017
Conclusion
A possible reason for the presence of Russian-speaking names in the pantheon of ancient deities may lie in the syncretism of ancient religions known to historians. I'll give you a little information.
Big Russian Encyclopedic Dictionary
SYNCRETISM SYNCRETISM (from the Greek synkretismos - connection),
- Indivisibility, characterizing the undeveloped state of a s.l. phenomena (for example, art at the initial stages of human culture, when music, singing, poetry, dance were not separated from each other; indivisibility of mental functions at the early stages of child development, etc.).
- Mixing, inorganic fusion of heterogeneous elements, for example, various cults and religious systems in late antiquity - religious Syncretism of the Hellenistic period.
Syncretism in the Russian semantic field.
Let us use our method to restore the original meaning of the word syncretism.
Syncretism
syncretism
Literal meaning: absorption (si) of provisions (n) connection for (k) inextricable (re) connection (ti) of foreign, separated (z) interiors (m).
Syncretism is an absorption, a connection for, with the purpose of inextricably linking individual, foreign internal positions.
Let me clarify a couple of phrases encountered during our decipherment.
“Internal regulations” – internal laws, internal regulations and rules of conduct and internal regulations of individual religions.
“Separate, foreign” - located outside the main dogma that perceives itself.
Let's summarize what has been said.
Syncretism is the absorption, connection for the purpose of inextricable connection of individual, internal provisions of individual or foreign religions that are outside the main dogma that is absorbed into itself.
HISTORICAL TYPES OF RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM (Quoted with abbreviations). E.V. BELYAEVA UDC 17 (075.8)
...The term “religious syncretism” is used in the analysis of three phenomena of different origin. Firstly, syncretism is a characteristic of the specific indivisibility of primitive consciousness. Secondly, syncretism is the result of the interaction of religions at various levels with the formation of a new system of beliefs and cult, which has spread in a certain natural-historical community of people. The religions of ancient civilizations were the result of the syncretism of the beliefs of various tribes. ... Thirdly, syncretism is a cultural effect of the era of globalization and postmodernization - an arbitrary chaotic mixing of fragments of many religious forms, the subject of which is the individual. ...
Syncretism in the religious sphere naturally exists as a consequence of historical continuity and multicomponentity of religious phenomena, “every religious new formation is a syncret of new and old elements” [7, p. 15]. The study of specific forms of religious syncretism is widely represented in the scientific literature. Such work has not only scientific and educational value, but also social value, because religious beliefs constitute an important, sometimes constitutive, element of the culture of peoples, their dynamics are closely connected with the historical fate of ethnic groups. ...
Syncretism of world religions with pagan ideas
“Secondary syncretism” is not just a new stage in the evolution of the original phenomenon, but a fundamentally different phenomenon... The formation of tribes became a historical and cultural prerequisite for the emergence of religion itself with a formalized institution of priests, worship, and sacrifices. Ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, ancient Indian and ancient Chinese religions were syncretic formations that included elements of religious views and cults of all ethnic groups in the region.
One of the manifestations of syncretism of the third type was neo-paganism [9, 14], which not so much revives the surviving elements of archaic culture, but rather represents newly constructed doctrines. ...
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The three historical types of religious syncretism have different natures and cannot be considered as historical stages in the evolution of a single phenomenon; their origin and essence are different. There is, firstly, syncretism as a characteristic of an undivided primitive culture; secondly, religious syncretism itself as a result of the interaction of religions at various levels with the formation of a new system of beliefs and cult, which spread in a certain natural-historical community of people. Thirdly, syncretism is a cultural effect of the era of globalization and postmodernization - an arbitrary chaotic mixing of fragments of many religious forms, the subjects of which are the individual and the open community of individuals.
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https://cosmozz.info/religiya/531-religioznyj-sinkretizm.html
Quoted with abbreviations.
Religious syncretism is a state of a religious phenomenon characterized by the borrowing by one religion of elements of other religions, or a combination of components of different religions in a new religious system. The term syncretism goes back to the Greek συγκρητισμός and means connection, unification.
The concept of “Religious syncretism” is used in relation to different forms of religious life, in the context of which it has different semantic shades. The term “syncretism” was first used by the ancient Greek historian Plutarch to describe the behavior of Cretans reconciling differences during a period of increasing external danger.
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Outside of religious archaism, religious syncretism means the combination of religiously alien elements into one integrity. Such a connection - syncretization - is a typical process of development of almost all religions, which in the course of evolution integrated into their original content ideas and elements of ritual borrowed from coexisting beliefs and cults. In the ancient world, religious syncretism was especially characteristic, for example, of the religion of the Romans, within which syncretization (inclusion of other ethnic gods into the Roman pantheon, etc. practice) was part of the official religious policy. Although monotheistic religions sought to observe dogma and cult in an unalloyed state, neither Judaism, nor Christianity, nor Islam, even at the stage of formation, avoided incorporating religiously alien phenomena into their composition. The entire subsequent history of these religions was associated with the struggle of two opposing tendencies, the borrowing of foreign religious elements and attempts to free themselves from them. In Russia, religious syncretism was primarily a consequence of the interaction of Orthodoxy and the ancient religion of the Slavs. Russian Orthodoxy itself, as a unique ethno-religious type, is largely the result of religious syncretism. In Rus', Christianization proceeded for centuries under the sign of preserving elements of folk (pagan) beliefs, cults and traditions. Thus, Perun’s abilities were transferred by the popular consciousness to the prophet Elijah, with whom the image of Ilya Muromets subsequently merged; the female deity Makosh began to be called St. Paraskeva while maintaining her mission; miraculous icons replaced local patron gods. Some folk festivals in Russia were renamed in a Christian manner, maintaining the same meaning: “honey spas” (the consecration of honey and cereals) was preserved in its original meaning. The “Apple Savior,” while preserving the ritual of the consecration of apples, symbolizing the transformation of nature, was superimposed on the Christian image of the “Transfiguration of the God-Man.” The holiday of the “Protection of the Virgin Mary” replaced the “Protection of the God Kryshen” celebrated on this day (October 1st of the Old Style) in Russia (the girls sang: “Kryshen, Kryshen, cover the earth with snow, and me with a bridegroom!”). The significance of this holiday is associated with the idea of Heaven's protection of the entire Russian land. The Slavic celebration of the winter solstice, Maslenitsa, has also been preserved without a Christian interpretation (with mummers walking and symbols of the sun god).
In the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, new forms of religious syncretism are associated either with the desire of traditional religions to adapt to modern sociocultural realities, or with the desire of new religions to maintain their influence at the expense of ancient traditions. Thus, the Russian Orthodox Church was forced to agree with the celebration of the New Year, despite the fact that it falls on the Nativity Fast. In the context of the ban on the widespread celebration of Easter, there was a revival of the pre-Christian folk practice of “rejoicing” together with ancestors at the graves of relatives, which was categorically prohibited by the Orthodox Church (as a “compromise” the church began to celebrate a special holiday with the pagan name “Radonitsa” on the 9th day after Easter).
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End of quotation.
https://www.studfiles.ru/preview/5359052/page:13/
Based on site materials. Quoted with abbreviations.
...Greek and Roman religions were characterized by polytheism and religious syncretism, anthropomorphism of gods, deification of the elements of nature, types of productive activity, forces and laws of the cosmic and social order. These religions did not create sacred texts (!), but were reflected in the rich ancient literature. ...
Ancient Greek religion has its origins in the beliefs of the Cretan-Mycenaean civilization, which existed in the 3rd–2nd millennium BC. on the islands of the Aegean Sea and the southern Balkans. ... The embodiment of the cult of the productive forces of nature was the sacred bull .
Mycenaean texts mention gods characteristic of the future Greek pantheon - Zeus, Poseidon, Artemis, Hera, etc.
The emergence of the Greek religion proper dates back to the turn of the 2nd–1st millennium BC
The Greeks usually ranked among the highest Olympic gods: Zeus - the supreme ruler of the world, the king of gods and people; Hera is the supreme goddess and patroness of marriage, sister and wife of Zeus; Poseidon - ruler of the sea, brother of Zeus; Demeter - goddess of agriculture and fertility, sister of Zeus and wife of Poseidon; Hermes is the son of Zeus, messenger and executor of his will, patron of travelers, trade and deception; Athena - goddess of wisdom, just war, sciences and arts, daughter of Zeus; Hephaestus is the founder of blacksmithing and patron of artisans; Hestia - goddess of fire and hearth, sister of Zeus; Ares – god of destructive and long-suffering wars, son of Zeus; Aphrodite – goddess of beauty, love and marriage, daughter of Zeus; Apollo - god of oracles and patron of the arts, son of Zeus; Artemis is the goddess of hunting and wildlife, vegetation and fertility, wife of Apollo.
Among many other gods, the following stood out: Hades - the god of the underworld, brother of Zeus; Persephone - goddess of the souls of the dead, wife of Hades; Eros – god of love; Dionysus - god of viticulture and winemaking; Helios – god of the sun; Selene – goddess of the moon; Moiras are goddesses of fate, in charge of the thread of human life; Nemesis - goddess of fair vengeance; Themis – goddess of law and justice; Mnemosyne – goddess of memory; Asclepius - god of healing; Muses are goddesses of the arts; Pan is the deity of herds, forests and fields, the patron saint of shepherds. There were also deities - personifications of night (Nyx), death (Thanatos), sleep (Hypnos), day (Hemera), darkness (Erebus), victory (Nike), etc.
The religion of the ancient Romans, the emergence of which dates back to the 8th century. BC, was formed on the basis of the beliefs of the Italic tribes with significant influence from the Etruscans and ancient Greeks.
Based on borrowings from the Greeks and Etruscans at the end of the 3rd century. BC. In Rome, an official pantheon of twelve “harmonious gods” was established. It included Jupiter (Greek Zeus, etr. Tin) - the thunderer and king of the gods; Juno (Greek Gaia, etr. Uni) – patroness of marriage and mothers; Apollo (etr. Apl) – god of light and life, inspiration and prophecy; Diana (Greek Artemis) – goddess of vegetation and fertility, hunting, childbirth; Neptune (Greek Poseidon, etr. Nephuns) – god of the seas; Minerva (Greek Athena, etr. Menva) – patroness of arts and crafts; Mars (Greek Ares, etr. Maris) – god of war; Venus (Greek Aphrodite) – goddess of beauty, ancestor of the Romans; Vulcan (Greek Hephaestus, etr. Seflans) - the god of fire and blacksmithing; Vesta (Greek Hestia) - the goddess of the sacred hearth of the Roman community and home; Mercury (Greek Hermes, etr. Turms) – messenger of the gods, patron of trade, merchants and profit; Cecera (Greek Demeter) is the goddess of agriculture, the patroness of the rural community.
End of quotation.
Wikipedia and a host of other RuNet sources report the same thing in unison.
“According to Diodorus Siculus, the Hyperboreans incessantly sing of Apollo in their hymns when he appears to them every 19 years. The sages and servants of Apollo, Abaris and Aristaeus, who taught the Greeks, were considered to have come from the country of the Hyperboreans. These heroes are considered as a hypostasis of Apollo, since they owned the ancient fetishistic symbols of God (the arrow, raven and laurel of Apollo with their miraculous powers), and also taught and endowed people with new cultural values (music, philosophy, the art of creating poems, hymns, building the Delphic temple).
The ancient Roman scientist Pliny the Elder in his “Natural History” wrote the following about the Hyperboreans:
Behind these (Riphean) mountains, on the other side of Aquilon, a happy people, who are called Hyperboreans, reach very advanced years and are glorified by wonderful legends. They believe that there are loops of the world and the extreme limits of the circulation of the luminaries. The sun shines there for six months, and this is only one day when the sun does not hide (as the ignorant would think) from the spring equinox to the autumn one, the luminaries there rise only once a year at the summer solstice, and set only at the winter solstice. This country is entirely sunny, has a favorable climate and is devoid of any harmful wind. The homes for these residents are groves and forests; the cult of the Gods is carried out by individuals and the whole society; Discord and all sorts of diseases are unknown there. Death comes there only from satiety with life <…> One cannot doubt the existence of this people.
From time to time, Apollo himself goes to the country of the Hyperboreans in a chariot drawn by swans in order to return to Delphi at the appropriate time of the summer heat; Alcaeus mentions this in the hymn to Apollo. Just like their patron Apollo, the Hyperboreans are artistically gifted. Eternal fun and reverent prayers are characteristic of this people - the priests and servants of Apollo. Hercules brought the olive from the Hyperboreans at the source of the Istra to Olympia.
There are many works that report on the mysterious people of the Hyperboreans, a contemporary of the ancient Greeks. A whole cult of the god Apollo was compiled, connecting the Greeks with the Hyperboreans. The ancients were convinced that the Greek sun god Apollo and his sister, the hunting goddess Artemis, came from distant Hyperborea. Their mother Leto lived here before moving to Greece. For some time, Apollo lived among the Hyperboreans and there he acquired a prophetic gift, although, according to myths, he did not possess this gift from birth. Herodotus, Diodorus, Democritus, Pliny directly stated that their Greek civilization was “grown” by the Hyperborean, more ancient and highly developed.”
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" Subtotals. Semes of the Russian language. Brief summary "
Syncretism today
Contemporary art is characterized by a tendency towards synthesis, the unification of various types of art, as well as the emergence on this basis of a qualitatively new product. In theatrical productions, vocal parts alternate with recitatives, stage actions are combined with video demonstrations, and installations are shown at exhibitions. The dance movements are again given a magical meaning, and the dance itself is a theatrical performance.
Television and advertising are syncretic in nature. Modern syncretism is the blurring of the boundaries between high art and everyday life, author and consumer, performer on stage and spectators in the hall.
Probably, a person’s desire for integration is due to the awareness of himself as a member of a certain community, a representative of a clan. Also, in the conditions of a post-industrial society, syncretism in art is due to the need to comprehend the new reality (economic and political crises, the spread of information technology, changing views of man and society) and adapt to it.
Cultural synthesis as a desire for generic human universality
This desire for synthesis can act as evidence of the formation of a new stage in the history of the development of human civilization, the desire to overcome the fragmentation, atomism of the surrounding reality and its perception in the consciousness of the individual, the desire for generic human universality.
It is culture that acts as the most important factor in the universalization of the individual, the “assembly of man,” under the influence of which the tendency toward the universalization of the generic human essence is actualized. In turn, the universalization of man is a long, nonlinear, complex process that is dialectical in nature, the origins of which lie in primitive syncretism.
Finished works on a similar topic
- Course work: Cultural syncretism of traditional societies. Unity of manifestations of culture and life activity of an ethnic group 450 rub.
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Religious syncretism
Syncretism in religion is based on the desire to unite all faiths, taking the best from each of them. Such beliefs include Baha'iism (a synthesis of Christianity and Islam), voodoo (contains features of Negro beliefs and Catholicism), Won Buddhism (the penetration of ideas of other religions into Buddhism), etc. Followers of traditional religious teachings believe that such associations are unfounded and therefore doubtful from the point of view of true faith.
Syncretism is also called a combination of different views, opinions, beliefs, the need to search for their unity, which is also characteristic of our time.
