«Промышление» и пророческий дар Прометея

Индоевропейское языкознание и классическая филология. 2024.

Богданова О. А., Забудская Я. Л.

The mythologeme of Prometheus is a contradictory set of ideas that combine several plot elements, various functions of the hero’s figure and a diverse moral and ethical assessment of this figure by the authors who turned to the plot. This can be explained by the difference in the goals that myth serves depending on the genre (epic — drama — philosophical prose), era (archaic, classical or Hellenistic), as well as the specificity of the etymology of the name. The “cognitive” element of Prometheus’ mythologeme turns out to be relevant and actively developing precisely because of its novelty in Greek culture. In Hesiod, Prometheus is more cunning than wise, and his “foresight” comes through only against the background of the “non-wisdom” of Epimetheus. The motif of the prophetic gift appears in Prometheus Bound and is revealed inconsistently both in relation to the prophecies of Prometheus himself and in relation to the skills he bestows on people. This proves that ideas about the hero’s 2 О. А. Богданова, Я. Л. Забудская prophetic gift are in the process of formation and obey the logic of the development of the plot of the drama, and possibly the whole trilogy. The motive of the prophetic gift is necessary to the tragedian in order to justify the future reconciliation of Prometheus and Zeus. In Plato, one can find an understanding of both (epic and tragic) literary versions of the myth. In the scholia, the lexical opposition of the brothers as “knowing in advance” and “realizing after” is formed, perhaps an example of a later understanding of the pre-Greek myth. We also see an attempt at an allegorical interpretation, where the images of Prometheus and Epimetheus are interpreted as symbols of the duality of mind. An analysis of the scholia suggests that behind a common plot we can see a complex of religious and mythological traditions, reflected in literature only partially.

Keywords: этимология, мифологема, схолии, scholia, драма, drama, эпос, mythologeme, epic, Prometheus/Epimetheus, etymology, lexics of mental activity, Прометей/Эпиметей, ментальная лексика