A diachronic approach to the study of myth and its representations. The case of an Ecuadorian Virgin in New Haven and her broken nose
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/2237-9126.2014v8n14p116Keywords:
Myth, Holy image, History.Abstract
With this essay I want to open a reflection on the necessity of a reincorporation, in the anthropological discourse, of a diachronic approach. In particular, my purpose is to reflect on the relationship between the stories narrated in the mythological traditions and the great and minor human histories. To do it, I will use a case, represented by an Ecuadorian Catholic myth - the myth of the Virgin of the Swan - and by its material representation. The analysis of this case led me to identify three central issues: the succession of events reported in a myth is closely related to human history; this correlation is not accidental, but it’s indicative of the symbolic function that the myth develops for the believer; within the framework of Catholic mythology, the creation, transmission and symbolic manipulation of the myth succeeds thanks to the key role of sacred images.References
DURKHEIM, Émile. As formas elementares da vida religiosa: O sistema totêmico na Austrália. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2000.
ELIADE, Mircea. Mito do eterno retorno. São Paulo: Mercuryo, 1992.
FRAZER, James George. O ramo de ouro. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 1982.
GARZÓN, Juan Carlos. Novena en honor a Nuestra Señora del Cisne, Madre de los Emigrantes. Quito: 2007.
GEERTZ, Clifford. A interpretação das culturas. Rio de Janeiro: LTC, 2008.
LEEUW (van der), Gerardus. Fenomenología de la religión. México D. F.: Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1964.
LÉVI-STRAUSS, Claude. Antropologia estrutural, Rio de Janeiro: Tempo Brasileiro, 1985.
OJEDA, Hernán. Tradición, historia y devoción de la Reina de El Cisne. El Cisne: 2010.
OTTO, Rudolf. O sagrado: Os aspectos irracionais na noção do divino e sua relação com o racional. São Leopoldo: Sinodal, 2007.
ROMIZI, Francesco. La dialéctica trascendentecontingente en la síntesis mítica de la realidad. Los casos de tres Vírgenes ecuatorianas ‘migrantes’. Arxiu d’etnografia de Catalunya. Tarragona: N. 12, pp. 131-150, 2012.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Domínios da Imagem adopts the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, therefore, the copyrights related to the published articles belong to the author(s), who grant the journal the exclusive right of first publication.
Under this license it is possible to: Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material, giving due credit and providing a link to the license and indicating if changes were made.