“I creep with the cross, i cover with the cross”: the protection of the space of sleep in the mythological imaginations of Ukrainians

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the parameters of the mythological space that do not fit into the matrix of materia mundi.
The scientific novelty lies in an attempt to consider magical means, with the help of which the construction of not only the obvious / “this”, but also the hidden / “that” space of the myth takes place. We are talking about a dream, which is considered in the context of a meaningful element of culture and forms local content modules focused on the interpretation, modeling and organization of the space of traditional society.
Conclusions. The principles of space organization, which relate to liminal states, have their own specificity. In particular, ritual actions were performed before going to sleep, which were supposed to protect the body temporarily left by the soul. In the mythology of Ukrainians, during sleep, the soul made a journey to the “other” world, which explained the origin of prophetic dreams. For this purpose, with the help of delineating the boundary and baptism formed in such a radius, the local space where the dreamer’s body was located was isolated. Such actions were accompanied by the recitation of magical texts
and prayers. The respective configurations are iconic, as they duplicate ornamental and iconographic subjects associated with solar symbolism. The sun sanctified by the sign of the cross, which protects the dreamer’s body, can also be interpreted as an ideogram of a prayer to the Life-giving Holy Cross and duplicates the imposition of the “Seal of God”, protecting the dreamer from the deadly dangers of the night. Protected in this way, the “soul” and “body” are considered to be impregnable to otherworldly forces that can harm and inhabit the dreamer (phenomenon of doppelgangers).