Kurgaeva S. Semantic of water element in the cult of the maternal deity

The dissertation for obtaining a scientific degree of the candidate of historical sciences in the specialty 26.00.01 "Theory and History of Culture" in the direction - historical sciences. – National Academy of Cultural and Arts Leaders, Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. – Kyiv, 2019. The thesis is a study of the semantic value of the water element in the complex of attributes of the cult of the maternal deity of ancient civilizations. The work reveals the specifics of the birth of the cult of the Great Goddess from the Paleolithic period (40–30 thousand years ago) and its historical development until the appearance of the patriarchal form of organization of society in the early Iron Age (IV century AD). It was found out that the cult of the Great Goddess has already acted and remains the object of research in domestic and foreign historical science. However, this historical cultural phenomenon was studied mainly in some aspects and did not distinguish the complex of attributes of the cult, and especially the mythology and spiritual content of motherhood, and the semantic significance of the water element associated with it. In the writings of the scientists there were raised problems of the formation and development of the cult of the Great Goddess; his existence in different cultures of the ancient world; manifestations and its significance for society; the development and spread of worship in other cultures; Problems of the theory and methods of its research. It is established that in modern historical science there is no comprehensive study of the phenomenon of motherhood and water element in the cult of the Great Goddess of ancient civilizations. This interdisciplinary study is devoted to the study of the semantics of the water element in the cult of the maternal deity of ancient beliefs. The appearance of views on nature in the maternal aspect is due to the circumstances of the development of the man himself and mankind as a whole. This is due to the fact that the environment dictated the conditions for the formation of the original worldview, and man was not separated from nature and was an integral part of it. The cult of the Great Goddess in the beliefs and mythology of ancient civilizations, in particular, Ancient Europe, the East, Asia Minor, ancient civilization, beliefs of the early Slavs, was investigated. The components of the cult of the Great Goddess interact, complement each other and are constantly in numerous systemic and extra-system bonds, ensuring the functioning and development of ancient society. The content of motherhood and water element is developed as an archaic symbol of the source of life in the cult of the maternal deity. Based on the study and analysis of archaeological, historical and cultural sources of material sources, the epistemology and preconditions for the emergence of the cult of the Great Goddess, which include the foundations of the social organization of people, are closely related to the natural environment, the formation of consciousness that forms the basis of the birth of diverse ideas about the construction of the world and ideological ideas.