ROLE OF THE ECOPHILIA FACTOR IN TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS AND MYTHOLOGICAL BELIEFS OF JAPANESE AND UKRAINIANS: COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTIC

Abstract

The ecological factor has always played an important role in the “human-nature-society” interaction.

The author discovers birth and formation of the ecophilia outlook in the Japanese and the Ukrainian culture. The main idea of it is in careful attitude to the nature from the side of the human (society), realizing their tight connection on the traditional stage of the evolution. The following points are typical of the traditional culture: to prefer collective over individual, conservatism, priority of traditions and habits, high dependency of the human (society) from the natural and geographical conditions, primary role of religious and mythological beliefs as regulators of individual and social vital activity.

Tight contact of human (society) with the wildlife and inanimate nature was being based on the emotional perception, practical exploration of the living space and observation. These factors defined advantages of natural phenomenons over limited abilities of the traditional human community (including Japanese and Ukrainians). All these generated in human consciousness the idea of mysterious, powerful, obscure energy (spirits, souls, deities) that controls all natural and anthropic events. Trust in animacy of the natural world had caused beliefs in unity of real and supernatural, started awakening fear and voice of the “inner conscience” in the human souls (Japanese and Ukrainians) in case of harming and punishment from the supernatural creatures.

The author had shown similarities of ecophilia outlook in the Japanese and the Ukrainian cultures based on traditional religious and mythological beliefs from ancient (animatism, animism, totemism) to polytheistic religions – shintoism and paganism. The author also determined functional and symbolic content in interaction “human-nature-society” system on household and sacred levels of being.

Japanese and Ukrainians are both agricultural nations and their ecophilia attitude is expressed in agricultural labors and observation on a nature. Trust in existing of the supernatural creatures in the nature influenced the production of the effective principles of agricultural labour, endorsed active exploration of the earthly and heavenly natural processes by empowering them with the human-like features. The author believes that the content of traditional religious and mythological beliefs, practical vital knowledge and the ecophilia outlook was reflected in the image of World Tree. By means of which Universe became structured and each living and inanimate object has taken specific place.

Ecophilia attitude of Japanese and Ukrainians can be tracked in their folk medicine and ceremonial actions. Traditional religious and mythological beliefs fixed prejudices in social life, produced primitive zoological, botanical, healing, psychotherapeutic knowledge. Japanese and Ukrainians empowered animals and trees with specific qualities and believed that during the ceremonial activity human and society meet with the supernatural powers of the nature and contact with them.

Modern century is marked with the anthropocentric ecological outlook, people are focused on the material wealth and comfort. Depreciation of moral and religious norms in human with human, human with nature interactions is still a characteristic trend and this provokes ecological crisis as well as disasters. The author states that appeal to the ecophilia experience of past generations can help to wake interest in traditional religious and mythological heritage of any culture (including Japanese and Ukrainian), learn some ideas worth spreading and implementing in both theoretical and practical plane. It will contribute in saving ecosystem of the Earth and prosperity biodiversity.

Keywords: ecophilia outlook, traditional culture, religious and mythological beliefs, beliefs, nature, folk.