Authors
- Medkova Elena Stoyanovna Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences
Annotation
Following the requests of the time stated in the Decree “On the approval of the Foundations of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the field of historical education”, the article provides an example of a detailed meaningful analysis of the symbolism of the works of folk masters of one of the most interesting but little-studied crafts in Russia — the Gorokhovetsky fishery.
The purpose of the study: using the example of the symbolic and semantic content of the Gorokhovets trolley toy such as a cart/sleigh to show the connection of traditional crafts with ideas about the basic national model of the world order based on the deep mytho logical layers of the national mentality. Methodology and methods: The article focuses on structural and semantic methods of attracting a wide range of related images and subjects from the Indo-European and Asian cultures of the Neolithic and Bronze Age, as well as imagery from the most archaic domestic crafts of Kargopol and Mezen. At the general theoretical level, the author adheres to the paradigm of a meaningful analysis of traditional folk art (B. A. Rybakov, V. M. Vasilenko). For the structural and semantic analysis, works on mythology, Neolithic and Bronze Age art (V. A. Semenov, E. A. Novgorodova), catalogues of Sergiev Posad museums and the works of the State Russian Museum (I. Ya. Boguslavskaya) were involved.
Results: The mythological basis of the syncretic form of the Gorokhovets trolley toy such as a cart/ sleigh and their connection with myths about creation, the formation of cosmic order, the connection of all levels of the universe, the mechanisms of the cycle of time are revealed. The cosmogonic symbolism of the sleigh as a universal means of uniting all the floors of the Slavic mythological cosmos and the sacred symbol of motionless movement is revealed. The auxiliary role of the solar chariot as a sign of real movement in the profane world is recorded. The imagery of the main characters of the toy, their connection with the thunderstorm myth and the images of Perun and Veles are determined. The author
reveals the prevailing plot moment in the semantics of the toy, the victory of the thunder god Perun over his protagonist, Veles, and the liberation of a female character associated with fertility. A list of positions and attributes is given that make it possible to determine the semantics of the composition of a wheelchair toy in general and each character in parti-
cular. Among the significant oppositions are the following: upper world. Novelty: The conclusion is substantiated about the mythological foundations of the ima gery of the Gorokhovets trolley toy such as a cart/sleigh and its connection
with the world-building space-time annual myth of our ancestors and its particular manifestation in the form of a thunderstorm, snake-fighting myth.
Practical significance: The substantial and symbolic aspects of the Gorokhovets toy identified in the article can be applied in the pedagogical practice of studying the history of folk art and traditional crafts. The structural and semantic approaches demonstrated in the analysis of the article can serve as a working scheme for students of secondary
and higher educational institutions when conducting educational research. An example of the world-building symbolism of a folk toy can serve as an example of the development of plastic formulas to convey modern ideas about the world.
How to link insert
Medkova, E. S. (2025). Folk toy as a model of the world order: philosophical, cultural and pedagogical aspects (using the example of the gorokhovets wheelchair toy) Bulletin of the Moscow City Pedagogical University. Series "Pedagogy and Psychology", № 1 (13), 43. https://doi.org/10.24412/2782-6597-2025-113-43-62
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