20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

The language nature of mythical mentality 717shamanism is different from the other rituals not by the functions or thedegree of ecstatic experiences. The importance is found in the way they areall reflected in the consciousness.The shamanic tradition kept intact the rudiments of synpragmatic wayof thinking (the term introduced by A.R. Luria (cf. his “The Languageand the Consciousness”, 1998, Moscow – in Russian) although not itsearliest type). It should be observed that we find shamanism among thepeoples who do not have their own systems of writing. If shamanism isto be considered as a form of religion, it seems impossible to find anycorrelation between it and the Bronze Age petroglyphs found in Siberia,which depict half human-beings, half beasts, and consider them shamans(cf. articles of A. hULTkranz and V. Voigt in: Acta orientalia. T. 2.1996, Budapest Fasc. 2-3). One can find the arguments both for and againstthese views. If we consider the half-beasts as parts of the magic ritual“capturing the beasts” (Okladnikov Martynov 1972: 209 – in Russian),then they may be a part of the rite in a wide sense. It may be viewed asreflecting the transition between syncretism of symbolic activities of thepaleolithic hunters and polytheism of the neolithic agriculturists. Therear no reasonable grounds to think that “magic” must predate “animism”(J.G. Frazer) or vice versa. The views of magic as an active force mayhave been achieved in the long way of ritualization and reflection on theemotional experiences of the pre-historic man. The basis for the magic aswell as that of ecstatic techniques may be found in the principle pars prototo, which was unconsciously elaborated in the epoch of Paleolyth. Lateron it lead to a “natural zoomorphism”, which proceeds anthropomorphism.It should be also observed that the archaic stages of polytheistic religionsmay combine both zoomorphic and anthropomorphic images.Archaeological data allow to tracing the roots of magic. A.D. STOLyARhas found in the very well-known Paleolithic monuments certain specimenof the natural creativity of Homo erectus and natural models of Homoneanderthalensis, both being the roots of the so-called “primitive art”. HereI mean the complexes of late Acheulian and early Mousterian (ca. 300-200years ago), containing skeletons, bones etc. These artefacts, according toSTOLyAR, were used by the local inhabitants to pre-view and entertain thedifficulties of the hunting party. In the late Mousterian period (ca. 60-35 yearsago) we find already real models of stuffed animals. This may reflect thebeginning of a ritual attitude towards an animal. (cf. STOLJAR 1985: 173)“Animalistic symbolism” leads to the beginnings of trade magic, basedon the principle similar to pars pro toto. The rudiments of pre-historic