Astral myths of prehistoric Russia

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Human intelligence is manifested by the ability to the highest form of understanding the essence of phenomena. A trained circus animal can also read the "chronicle".

But not everyone is able to understand what is written.

You don't have to go anywhere for evidence. We can conduct our experiment with you right here on these pages.

Here's a task for you. Read the "chronicle" entry and explain its meaning: "Black, crooked, all dumb from birth. If they stand in a row, they will speak now. " No, these are not monks or tribes of negroes who cannot speak, who were only later taught to speak.

This phrase tells about completely different events that are not related either to physiology, or to religiosity, or to a person's racial identity. This is a Russian folk riddle, and the answer is “letters”.

Another task, similar to the first one, but the phrase is different: "The black cottages, as they are strung together, Thomas watched - he got his mind." And in this phrase, it is not encrypted at all what, at first glance, is read. The same letters are encrypted here.

Then why are we forced to take a similar allegorical narrative: “Vladimir was defeated by lust, and he had wives … and he had 300 concubines in Vyshgorod, 300 in Belgorod and 200 at Berestovo. And he was insatiable in fornication, bringing married women to him and corrupting girls”(Tale of Bygone Years)? And they force us not only to perceive, but also to believe that this riddle, allegedly, is "an accurate description of the historical events that took place in Russia."

The intellect of the child was developed in Russia with riddles - and today we are developing our children in the same way. But foreign priests and historians could not understand the allegorical narrative - after all, this is not their tradition! And since tradition is alien, then it is not appreciated. And so the foreigners, who settled at the helm of Russian knowledge, turned everything inside out.

Myth is the oldest way of storing information. It is unique in that it is the only method that can be used at all times without noticeable distortion. If records, magnetic tapes, cassettes, floppy disks, etc. quickly disappear into oblivion, then myths are not afraid of either a change in the carrier or a change in language.

Man remembers myths, man keeps and reproduces also man. Consequently, myths are alive as long as the person himself is alive.

Anyone who wants to use the information hidden in the myth is required only one thing: to be able to understand the myth. In Russia, at all times, the understanding of the myth was tuned in from the earliest childhood. These are Russian riddles.

The kid learns to understand the language of poetic symbols through the Russian riddle. And then, already a little older, the child switches to Russian fairy tales, certainly understanding the language of symbols encoded in Russian fairy tales.

At the very beginning, we cited two mysteries of the Vologda Oblast as epigraphs to this monograph. Here are some more riddles:

• "The baking of pies is full, and in the middle there is a korovai" (stars and a month).
• “There are many Beliansky cattle in the Italian field; one shepherd boy is like a poured berry "(stars and a month).
• “In the middle of the Polish is the crest of senets” (month in the sky).
• “There is a rootless tree, a wingless bird flies on it; a girl without a mouth comes and eats a wingless bird”(earth, snow and sun).
• “Zayushka-climb, lie down on me; you feel sick, I feel so good”(snow on the ground).
• “Baba Yaga, her leg is split, the whole world is feeding, but she herself is hungry” (plow).
• “Is there someone like Ivan Pyatakov? He got on a horse and rode into the fire "(pot) (after the book. Songs, fairy tales, proverbs, sayings, riddles collected by NA Ivanitsky in the Vologda region. Institute of Russian Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. 1960).

Already from these riddles it is clear that for the description of natural phenomena in Russia from ancient times a special language was used - the language of figurative meaning - when the meaning from the objects under consideration is transferred to their models, represented by any other objects, objects, phenomena.

Using a figurative language, the Russian people called space a stove, pies - stars, and a month - a loaf. In riddles, magical countries were born, which later became "REAL" (historical) states - Italy, for example.

The riddles presented help to understand, finally, what is encrypted in the famous tale of Baba Yaga. Ivan, whom Baba Yaga put into the oven, is actually a pot of porridge or cabbage soup, and Baba Yaga herself is an ordinary plow.

Russian people learned this language and understood it. Foreigners perceived the mysterious and fabulous allegories at their "face value" and based on their misunderstanding they composed the "real" history of Russia.

As a result of reckless trust in the writings of foreigners, Russia was left without history, and the world was filled with crazy pseudo-events that never existed in reality and that existed only in fairy tales and riddles. And against this background, the foreigners themselves received a "great", but never existed history.

Let us turn to one of the riddles presented above - the Vologda riddle “There are many Beliansky cattle in the Italian field; one shepherd boy is like a poured berry. In Russia, even children knew the answer - these are the stars and the month. Western historians were straightforward. In both senses, straight. They made Italy a real country, and left its etymology from the Russian riddle.

This is how reference and encyclopedia publications today describe the origin of the meaning of Italy. The origin of the word Italia, they say, is not exactly known. According to the most common point of view, the term came from Greece and means "country of calves" - Italian. Italia, lat. Italia, Osc. Viteliu ("country of bulls") - we see the same Italian field with Beliansky cattle.

And then the etymologists explain why the reference to the bull is used in the name of this country. It turns out that the bull was a symbol of the peoples inhabiting the south of Italy, and was often depicted butting the Roman Wolf. The specialist in symbolism knows, and the one who does not know immediately understands: in this confrontation, the well-known plot about George and the Snake is encrypted to everyone.

And no one will call the country for such a trifle. Moreover, all countries, without exception, have gone through a phase of bull worship in their history - but they did not become “Italians”.

This is just one example, and there are many of them at every step of cognition. For example, originally the name Italia was applied only to that part of the territory that is now occupied by Southern Italy (present-day province of Calabria). Why was this part called Italy?

Astral myths

Astral myths are the most profound evidence of human civilization today. These are myths that have fixed in human memory the attitude of an ancient man to cosmic objects - stars, time, space, constellations, etc.

Astral myths allow culturologists to reveal the most ancient layers of human history - those layers where no more means of knowledge of ancient history can reach.

It is for this reason that any systemic study of civilization must begin with an examination of astral mythology. Is she there? What is she like? Who are her main characters? What are astral performances and events? The answers to these questions make it possible to recreate a picture of days gone by with a degree of reliability that no other study can provide.

Biological objects of mythology

In astronomical myths, only the most significant phenomena could become the object of myth creation. That is why the astronomical myth tells about space, the origin of life, stars, the origin of man, his ancestors, etc. Animals also became participants in the myths, but only those that occupied the most important place in the life of ancient man.

The degree of importance of this or that animal, fish, or bird can be established from the materials of the study of archaeological finds from the Mesolithic of the Russian Plain.

Note, contrary to the widespread misconception about glaciers and tundra on the Russian Plain, "already from the end of the Late Dryas, throughout the Mesolithic, only forest fauna is represented in the region."

(Kirillova I. V., Fauna of mammals of the Ivanovskoye settlement 7. 2002; Chaix Louis. The Fauna of Zamostje. In: Lozovski V. M. 1996. Zamostje 2. Editions du CEDARC, Treignes. 1996).

The myths about glaciers are a thing of the past, and therefore we will not linger over them.

And we will disprove one more delusion - about the reindeer: “It should be recognized that the point of view about the existence of reindeer hunters in the study area in the early Mesolithic and their migration eastward following the departing reindeer at the beginning of the Holocene should be recognized as outdated”

(Zhilin MG, Hunting and fishing in the Mesolithic of the Volga-Oka interfluve // Northern Archaeological Congress. Reports. Khanty-Mansiysk. 2002).

Remains of reindeer were found only in part of the Mesolithic settlements and in very small quantities - less than 1 percent. This means that the DEER could not be an object of myth-making.

In the life of the Mesolithic man of the center of the Russian Plain, "the elk played a leading role"

(Zhilin MG, Hunting and fishing in the Mesolithic of the Volga-Oka interfluve. 2002) is the main object of ancient Russian myths.

This animal is depicted in the image of the constellations Elk and Calf - Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, respectively. “Elk and beaver are found on all sites, and they are significantly dominant everywhere (if we do not take into account the number of water vole bones in some sites). These animals are represented by almost all parts of the skeleton, which indicates that they are brought (in whole or in parts) and disposed of in the parking lot."

(Zhilin M. G., 2002).

Rice. 1. Map of the distribution of the White Sea petroglyphs (shown by a figurine of an elk)

and ancient settlements (shown in black circles).

In fig. 1 shows a map of the distribution of the White Sea petroglyphs and ancient settlements. Attention is drawn to the name of the village of Matigora - that is, Mother Mountain. This is a relic of the concept of the Center of the World.

And in fig. 2 shows a sample of the White Sea petroglyphs - these are moose. Their images prevail on this monument, confirming the importance of this animal for ancient people. The age of the monument is Mesolithic. This is exactly the time when the myths with the participation of the elk took shape.

Rice. 2. White Sea petroglyphs (moose).

The importance of elk and beaver for the life of the Mesolithic man of the center of the Russian Plain M. G. Zhilin also says: “One cannot fail to note the preservation of traditional hunting priorities … It is noteworthy that the elk and beaver retain the leading role in hunting in the Volga-Oka interfluve throughout the Early Neolithic; and even in the Middle Neolithic"

(Zhilin M. G., 2002), that is, from the 15th millennium BC. to the 4th millennium BC

On the Mesolithic sites of the center of the Russian Plain, “a water vole and a dog occupy a special position” (Zhilin MG, 2002). The vole gave several fabulous images at once - this is a violating mouse, and a mouse that helps to pull out a turnip, and a mouse that breaks a golden egg, etc.

The hunter's main assistant is a dog. “The dog is represented in the Volga-Oka interfluve throughout the Mesolithic. It was the only pet. However, the main role of the dog as a hunting assistant is hardly in doubt."

(Zhilin M. G., 2002). The dog gave such vivid images of Russian fairy tales, like the Beetle, who helped to pull out the same turnip.

Another participant in the Russian myth is the bear. Western propaganda certainly strives to tie him to the image of a Russian person. However, in reality, everything is completely different. “A brown bear was found in almost all sites, while the proportion of its bones is very modest and only separate parts of the skeleton are represented” (Zhilin MG, 2002).

This suggests that the mythologization of the bear and the adhesion of its image with the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor took place at a later time. And, perhaps, not under Russian influence, for the Russian names of these constellations are completely different.

In Russian fairy tales, the bear rarely appears in a positive manner. Even in the same Teremka, the bear acts as a destroyer. In two or three Russian fairy tales for children, the bear is a negative character. And for adults there is another fairy tale - the Tsar Bear, which has nothing to do with the bear at all.

These would-be etymologists who do not understand the Russian language, for some reason decided that the WITCH (the word is derived from the "WITCH", that is, the WITCH is the king of witches, or the witcher) and the BEAR are one and the same. So it turns out that the witch-bear of the old king from the well grabs the beard.

The bear had no meaning in Russian culture. His image was imposed by late Christianity and only in order to compare the Russian peasant with a shaggy and uncouth simpleton - a bear, and by defeating a bear at fairs and on the coats of arms of cities, Christians demonstrated their victory over the Russian man. Thus, the bear is a shape-shifting symbol.

The rest of the animals are represented by their bone remains in quantities much less than 1 percent. And, of course, hunters hunted them on occasion, but such animals could not lie at the basis of myths - they did not represent either everyday or mythological interest.

Among the birds caught, “the predominance of river ducks” was noted (Zhilin MG, 2002). The images of ducks are known in Russian fairy-tale art, in embroidery, in rural architecture. Before chickens entered the Russian land, the duck was the most widespread bird, and therefore it was entrenched in myths.

Apparently, the duck was the most accessible type of prey, because on the basis of its image the most ancient myth about the creation of the Earth was formed: the Gray Duck swam in the Ocean (Oka) (Tyunyaev A. A., Etymology of the name of the Russian river Oka and the term "Ocean". 2008) and, diving, trained the Earth.

Rice. 3. Onega petroglyphs.

In fig. 3 shows the Onega petroglyphs. Their location on the right bank of Lake Onega is shown with a duck symbol. And on the right are examples of such ducks, the images of which prevail on the stones of this region. There are also the above-mentioned moose. Onega petroglyphs were left by the Neolithic population, 4th - 3rd millennium BC. (Karelia: encyclopedia / A. F. Titov. Petrozavodsk, 2009).

Some researchers believe that not ducks are depicted, but swans. In our opinion, the swan is a late development of the duck image. The duck personified a creature that was on the border between the worlds: in air and in water. Later, this function was shifted to the swan, but he stopped diving, and began to fly across the Smorodina River - to the land of the dead.

In fig. 4 shows the development of the image of a duck, mainly in the northern zone of Russia, that is, where the presented petroglyphs are located. Please note that the brother's duck has a long neck, like a swan or like birds depicted in petroglyphs.

Rice. 4. Duck theme in Russian mythological art:

1 - outrigger ladle, 18th century, Yaroslavl region, carving, painting; 2 - scoop-staple, Russian North. 2nd floor 18th century, Russian Museum, Leningrad;

3 - scoop bucket; 4 - sculptural images of a duck, Jena culture, Russian Plain, Mesolithic (Zhilin M. G., Mesolithic bone industry of the forest zone of Eastern Europe. - M. 2001); 5 - brother with buckets, khokhloma (T. Belyantseva, 1980).

Among the fish: “The pike is the main fishing object of the surveyed sites. At all the sites considered, pike predominates, accounting for the overwhelming majority of fish bones, and often more than 80 percent”(Zhilin MG 2002).

It is the elk, beaver, dog, duck and pike that are the characters of the most ancient myths and fairy tales. Proceeding from the archaeological finds of these animals, there follows a conviction about their importance for ancient man, and the period of mythologization itself, in our opinion, should be attributed to the time of the abundant use of these animals.

That is, by the time of the Mesolithic, the archaeological cultures of which for the center of the Russian Plain are characteristic for the period from 15 to 7 thousand BC. Although these dates may be shifted into the deeper boards of human history.

The hunter and the horse as objects of mythology

The ancient hunter was originally on foot. Of the vehicles that were at his disposal, it should be noted a BOAT with oars and SKIS (Zhilin M. G. 2001). Both of these means of transportation have been recorded archeologically at numerous Mesolithic sites in the center of the Russian Plain.

In fig. 5 shows a petroglyph depicting a boat. Attention is drawn to the size of the vessel - it accommodated TWELVE people, and also pay attention to the SAIL and the rope from the harpoon, which is thrown by the hunter who is at the bow of the boat.

Rice. 5. White Sea petroglyphs.

But in the Upper Paleolithic, boats and skis are not attested. It follows that the mention of boats and skis in the ancient myth can be attributed, at the earliest, only to 15 - 7 thousand BC. And if we proceed from the finds, then from about the 11th millennium BC. boats and skis appeared.

But such dates are valid only for the center of the Russian Plain. For other areas, boats and skis can only date back to the Neolithic at the earliest.

The equipment of the ancient hunter initially included a bow, arrows with numerous types of points, darts, spears, spears, fishing rods, nets, pawns, fishing rods for winter ice fishing, nonsense, botal, etc. All this is found in abundance on all Mesolithic sites of the Russian Plain. “The bow and arrow were the main hunting weapon in the Mesolithic of the Volga-Oka interfluve” (Zhilin MG 2002).

And in earlier periods, many of these weapons already existed. Only the bow and arrow are in question.

Rice. 6. White Sea petroglyphs.

But for the Mesolithic of the Russian Plain, bows and arrows are a common weapon. It is confirmed by images on the White Sea petroglyphs, as well as numerous archaeological finds of this type of weapon. Therefore, such weapons of an ancient warrior, named in the myth, can be dated to any period.

Among the vehicles that the ancient hunter could have used, the ELK should also be attributed. Numerous sleds and sleds have been found on the Mesolithic sites of the Russian Plain.

The sled was a transport device on runners, the cross-section of which was almost flat, and the front ends were thin and bent upwards. The length of the sled reached 4 m.

The sledges had a complex system of parts, which consisted of vertical struts, belt straps and a plank platform. The length of the sleigh exceeded 3 m (Virginsky B. C., Essays on the history of science and technology from ancient times to the middle of the 15th century. 1993).

Rice. 7. White Sea petroglyphs.

In the absence of other pulling power, these sleds and sleds could only be pulled by moose. These animals, as we have already said, were abundantly used in the economy of the Mesolithic man in the center of the Russian Plain. In fig. 7 shows a fragment of the White Sea petroglyphs, which depicts a man skiing for a moose (nearby people are also shown skiing).

Moreover, from the composition, it can be assumed that a person is driving for a moose using the reins. That is, the elk in this case is a draft animal. We find similar images on medieval maps.

Thus, in the Mesolithic of the Russian Plain, people already used both skis and moose as transport. Naturally, both are reflected in myths.

Rice. 8. Elks harnessed to a sleigh, on a map of 1539 (Olaus Magnus Map of Scandinavia);

on the right - on the map "Siberian peoples as depicted in the 17th century Remezov Chronicle".

And also moose were domestic until the middle of the 20th century. In some countries, even in our time (the beginning of the 20th century) they served in the army, transported mail, dragged sledges and served for riding (Tyunyaev A. A., Domestic moose are known in Russia since the Mesolithic. 2009).

Modern elk breeding experts argue that “a moose does not need to be domesticated, it is a ready-made pet if it is properly raised and raised” (Sumarokovskaya moose farm, website moosefarm.ru, 2009). In addition, it is necessary to mention the production of moose milk as a food resource.

“Females who gave birth on the farm, with rare exceptions, do not go further than several kilometers to graze and come to milking twice a day. The number of animals is limited by the summer reserves of food in the adjacent forests, no more than 10 - 15 milking moose cows at the base of the herd”(ibid.).

In the next era - in the Neolithic era - the horse was added to the named animals. There are a lot of pictures of a horse, so we won't even give them.

The oldest remains of a domestic horse were found in the southern Urals (Mullino II, Davlekanovo II, the territory of modern Bashkortostan). These findings are dated by radiocarbon around the 7th - 6th millennium BC. e. (Matyushin G. N., Archaeological Dictionary. 1996).

At the sites of Davlekanovo II, Murat, Karabalykty VII, Surtandy VI, Surtandy VII, horse bones were found in significant quantities - from 50 to 80 - 90 percent of all bones (Matyushin G. N., At the cradle of history (on archeology). 1972).

In a sense, the picture repeated itself. If in the center of the Russian Plain in the Mesolithic the elk was the main animal, then in the Neolithic in the Southern Urals the horse became the main animal (in the Southern Urals there was no Mesolithic, people came there only in the Neolithic, when they were fixed by the indicated sites).

The bearers of the Khvalynsk culture bred horses and sheep, and also, possibly, domesticated the horse as early as 4800 BC. e. (Anthony, Eneolithic horse exploitation in the Eurasian steppes: diet, ritual and riding. 2000), have shaped the skills of breeding domestic horses.

Khvalynskaya culture occupied the territory from the Astrakhan region and the Mangyshlak peninsula in the south to the Republic of Chuvashia in the north. From the Penza and Volgograd regions in the west to the Orenburg region in the east, including the Samara and Saratov regions (Berezina N. S., On the contact of forest and forest-steppe tribes at the end of the Mesolithic and Neolithic. 2003; Vasiliev I. B., Khvalynskaya Eneolithic culture Volga-Ural steppe and forest-steppe. 2003). That is, the Khvalynskaya culture covered the eastern part of the Russian Plain.

From the Khvalynians, the skills of handling a domesticated horse were adopted by the carriers of the Botay culture, which was spread to the east - in Northern Kazakhstan between 3700 and 3000. BC e. (Anthony. 2000). No signs of new breeds were found here, but evidence of the use of horse harness by the Botay culture bearers is the most ancient. The bit marks on the molars are dated to 3500 BC. e. (Anthony. 2000). Such marks are left not only by metal bits, but also by bits made of organic material (Anthony Early horseback riding and warfare: the importance of the magpie around the neck. 2006). In Botay settlements, the proportion of horse bones reaches 65 - 99 percent.

The remains of mare's milk were found in ceramic vessels of the Botay people.

For horse riding, the horse began to be used by the carriers of the Maikop culture (late 4th millennium BC). The Maikopians bred cattle, and the aristocratic elite used to ride horses.

In the period from the second half of the 4th to the end of the 3rd millennium BC. e. the domestic horse became part of the culture of many peoples of Eurasia and was used by people both for military purposes and in agriculture. During this time, the yoke was invented.

The basis for the spread of the domesticated and, in particular, the riding horse was the ancient trade routes that connected Ancient Russia with almost all the countries of Eurasia (Tyunyaev, Ancient trade routes of the Russian lands. 2010).

These paths began to operate from the 5th millennium BC. and existed at all times (Tyunyaev, Tyunyaev A. A., Ancient trade routes of the Ural-Volga region. IEI UC RAS. 2010), already in our era have smoothly grown into a modern transport network. It was these trade routes that were the main communication systems through which not only technological skills and knowledge were spread, but also the very tales and songs that we mentioned above.

The development of new domestic horse breeds was documented by materials from excavations of bell-beaker culture settlements in Hungary, dating back to 2500 BC. e., as well as in Spain and Eastern Europe.

The horse came to the Near and Middle East already domesticated. By this time, people knew her habits and the rules for breeding new breeds. In the period from 3500 to 3000 BC. BC e. the horse appeared in the ancient settlements of the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Central Europe, the Danube.

In Mesopotamia, images of horses appeared only in the historical era, in the years 2300 - 2100. BC e. In the Sumerian language, the word horse literally means "mountain donkey" and appears in the documents of the third dynasty of Ur around 2100 - 2000 BC. e.

At the same time, horses appear in the settlements of the Chinese culture of Qijia in the territory of Gansu province and the adjacent provinces of northwest China. The similarity of the metallurgy of this culture and the steppe cultures proves that trade relations existed between them, and horses appeared in China as a result of borrowing from the steppe.

In the 3rd millennium BC. in the South Urals - in the country of cities, among which the city of Arkaim - the first chariots appeared, and after 2000 BC. e. chariots also appeared in Mesopotamia.

From what has been said, it is clear that the myths involving elk should be dated to the Mesolithic (15 - 7 thousand BC). In these myths, the moose can be a domestic animal, it can provide milk, skins and meat, and also serve as a carrier. The Mesolithic hunter of the center of the Russian Plain had himself as a means of transport, sleds, skis and boats. The armament of a hunter of this time is a bow, arrows and all kinds of fishing accessories.

The Neolithic hunter (6 - 4 thousand BC) is armed with the same, but a stone ax is added to the weaponry. In the forest zone of the center of the Russian Plain, the hunter remains on foot or riding with the use of an elk, or on skis and a boat, and in the steppe zones, the hunter is transplanted onto a horse.

Actually, along with this process, the image of the hunter disappears in the steppe zone. The hero becomes the SHEPHERD - the master.

And the hero becomes a riding warrior only in the Bronze Age. In almost all territories of Eurasia, this is about the 3rd - 2nd millennium BC. Some areas of Arabia, the Caucasus and others did not have their own Bronze Age. At the same time, a yoke and a cart (chariot) were invented.

By this time should be dated the myths, in their narratives, these objects are used. The warrior remained in service - a bow, arrows, a spear, a mace, a brush. There was no sword.

Note that in some cultures the constellation Yarmo existed instead of the constellation Draco (see below), and the constellation Carriage existed instead of the Big Dipper.

The appearance of the hero's sword, chain mail, armor, helmet, etc. took place only in the Iron Age - 500 BC - 500 AD The myths in which these and, in general, iron objects are involved, date back to this time.

Creature of myth

It is very important to understand why we devote so much time and energy to studying the myth. If you look back in time, you can see that this subject has occupied the best minds always and for many millennia.

Why? Yes, because “in primitive and traditional societies, the myth that tells about the origin of the Universe and man, about the emergence of social institutions, about cultural acquisitions, about the origin of life and the phenomenon of death, performs the functions of religion, ideology, philosophy, history, science” (Mirimanov V., Myth. Around the World. 2014).

Thus, the knowledge that primitive man clothed in the wrapper of a myth is in fact scientific knowledge about the world around him. Only this knowledge needs to be able to properly unpack and read it correctly. If today the coding of knowledge is built more on a rationalistic basis, then in primitive society myths were built on the basis of magic.

That is why “Max Weber developed the idea of a historical rationalization of the picture of the world, which, in his opinion, inevitably leads to their“enchantment”” (ibid.).

“What Weber called magic is undoubtedly one of the reasons for the dying of myths. Moreover, the disintegration of the mythological structure always meant the emergence of a new myth”(ibid.). Early Christianity was also engaged in the enchantment of myth - it purposefully exterminated wizards. This extermination was directed not against magic, as such, but at the establishment of their own, Christian, hegemony.

Despite the fact that “the possession of the secret of myth must be recognized as the privilege of a primitive man” (ibid.), That is, it is postulated that a society professing a myth is primitive because of this, “a living myth is, first of all, the principle of truth itself, a method of verification corresponding to a given configuration of knowledge”(ibid.).

And if we still normally perceive the myth and even build on it our worldview (Bible, Talmud, Koran, Vedas, etc.) and science, then such primitiveness of our ancestors does not automatically put them on a lower intellectual level in relation to us …

Thus, a myth is a very specific knowledge. The form of presentation is magic (in the narrative sense).

The structure of the myth is formed by tradition: “from the Upper Paleolithic, the syncretic complex: myth - image - ritual forms a stable structure carrying the code of both the rational principle and the non-rational nucleus of culture. This structure is universal, since it permeates all cultures without exception, and at the same time is unique, since it persists throughout human history”(ibid.). The totality of individual key acts of the myth acts as a very specific system of dating both the myth itself and, through it, historical events.

As for the mechanism of parallels found in myths, “in science there is still no consensus about whether these parallels arose as a result of cultural diffusion or independently of each other.”

However, even with these doubts, the authors come to the confident conclusion that "it is quite possible that the need for astronomical knowledge was associated with a cultural need for a calendar and the development of navigation, which requires a basis for orientation."

Moreover, the authors just as confidently date these data: "This astronomical picture is about 6 thousand years old." This means that the time of the formation of the astronomical picture today, researchers consider the time of the Neolithic, and in the reckoning of eras - the era of Taurus, when meadows became space, and cows became stars, and an invisible shepherd manifested itself only by clearly exercising an orderly calendar effect on this entire space …

The following beliefs of specialists exist regarding the reliability of the myth: “The myth provides the key to“understanding”things, forms the topography of the inner world, sets the stereotype of social behavior … The myth is the Truth itself directly contemplated” (ibid.).

And this truth still remains encrypted in ancient Russian folk tales.