Archaic and Political Myths: Similarities and Differences

This article explores the linkage between archaic myth and political myth, elucidating the shared characteristics and distinctive features of these phenomena. Myth is conceptualized as a fundamental aspect of human consciousness, rooted in the unconscious layers of our psyche and intricately entwined with our lived experiences. Archaic myth can be defined as a particular, figurative-sensory, and syncretic depiction of the surrounding reality, grounded in the belief in the power of spoken language. In this mythological system, the spoken word is not divorced from the material world, and the extraordinary is rendered in a mundane manner. These features are also preserved in political mythology. Political myth is understood as a product of political consciousness, which is presented in a transformed form, rationalized and ethicized, of an archaic myth. The “rational” myth-idea, which is artificially constructed through ideology, serves as the foundation for defining fundamental goals, ideals, and ethical values. When clothed in the garments of myth-images and imbued with emotional resonance, it permeates the collective consciousness of society, transforming into a myth-event. The peculiarity of political myth is manifested not only in its threefold structure, comprising myth-idea, myth-image, and myth-event, and its connections with rational, ideological, and political aspects, but also in its relation to historical chronotope and the presence of actual prototypes for mythical characters. Furthermore, political myth extends beyond the confines of the political realm, permeating culture as a whole, including artistic expression and everyday human experience.