in the ideas of ancient peoples, the earliest period of human development, when people remained forever young, did not know worries and sorrows, and were like gods. In a figurative sense - the heyday of art and science, a happy and carefree time.
Excellent definition
Golden age
according to the ideas of the ancients, the period when people led happy life- without strife, wars and hard work. The legend arose in Hellas during the formation of class society, when the life of some community members worsened: they had to work for the nobility, experiencing humiliation. As Hesiod tells in the poem “Works and Days” (109 - 201), people “s.v.” created by the gods when Cronus (Kronos) ruled. They knew neither grief, nor worries, nor old age, spending their days at feasts. The land itself bore fruit, and numerous herds grazed on it.
Replaced the “z.v.” silver age endowed people with all sorts of benefits. However, Zeus exterminated people because they did not want to make sacrifices to the gods. Then, according to Hesiod, the Copper Age came: people created copper tools and weapons, they existed through wars and robberies, which destroyed themselves.
After them came a warlike, but fair and noble generation of heroes. They died during the campaign of the seven against Thebes and Trojan War. Hesiod calls his age an iron one: people are forced to constantly work, grief and worries do not leave them, and life itself has become short. Instead of laws, force rules on earth; shame has disappeared, and humanity is heading towards destruction - Zeus will destroy this generation too.
The legend of "Z.V." was also popular in Roman literature (see, for example, Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”).
Hesiod. Works and days // Hellenic poets in translations by V.V. Veresaeva. M., 1963; Ovid. Metamorphoses / Transl. S. Shervinsky. M., 1977; Trencheni-Waldapfel I. Homer and Hesiod / Trans. from Hungarian M., 1956; Burn A.R. The world of Hesiod. New York, 1966.
(I.A. Lisovy, K.A. Revyako. Ancient world in terms, names and titles: Dictionary-reference book on history and culture Ancient Greece and Rome / Scientific. ed. A.I. Nemirovsky. - 3rd ed. - Mn: Belarus, 2001)
a mythological idea that existed in the ancient world - happy times when people led a carefree life, not overshadowed by strife, wars and hard forced labor. According to Hesiod, Z.v. reigned on earth when Kronos still ruled in heaven. The lands in those days were abundant, and people lived like gods, knowing neither grief, nor labor, nor old age. They spent their lives in feasts and contentment, and died as if falling asleep. After death, people of this generation turned into good spirits protecting order on earth. The Roman poet Ovid describes the Old Age as follows, apparently borrowing this myth from the Greeks: “The golden age was the first to be sown, which knew no retribution, It itself always observed, without laws, both truth and fidelity, There were no helmets, swords, military exercises Without knowing, Sweet people tasted peace and lived safely. Also, free from tribute, not touched by a sharp hoe, not wounded by a plow, the land itself brought them everything... It was spring forever; pleasant with its cool breath, the ether tenderly basks in the flowers that have never been sown. Moreover, the land brought crops without plowing; Without resting, the fields were golden in heavy ears, Rivers of milk flowed, rivers of nectar flowed, Golden honey dripped, oozing from the green oak...” For the West. followed in order of deterioration by the Silver, Copper and, finally, the Iron Age, the most difficult of all. Ideas about Z.v. existed in many mythologies - Scandinavian, Chinese, Egyptian, Babylonian, Aztec, etc. In Christian mythology, they were reflected in the form of the life of the ancestors of mankind in Eden.
(Mythological Dictionary / G.V. Shcheglov, V.Archer - M.: ACT: Astrel: Transitbook, 2006)
The Golden Age, along with the Silver, Bronze and Iron, is one of the four periods of human development. This is precisely how the Greek poet Hesiod in his poem “Works and Days” describes his contemporary views on the origins of man and the change of centuries, in the form of a sequential alternation of these four eras. However, Hesiod makes some addition - between the Copper and Iron Ages he places the age of heroic demigods. It was then, in his opinion, that the heroes of Homer and other characters lived ancient Greek mythology. His own life, full of labor and hardship, fell on anxious, joyless times, called by Hesiod the Iron Age. Life in the golden age was peaceful and idyllic (see Arcadia). God Kronos ruled justly and generously in heaven; people remained forever young and happy. Horace, Virgil in the Georgics and Ovid in the Metamorphoses turned their gaze to the golden age; all classical literature permeates a nostalgic attitude towards a happy past. Hopes for changes for the better were reflected in Virgil's sixth eclogue, inspired by the predictions of the prophetess Sibyl, according to which the world circle of life represents a change of periods, circles correlated with ten months and under the protection of certain deities. By the time the eclogue was written, Diana’s circle (Iron Age) was ending and new circle- Apollo, in which the return of the golden age was expected. We find the same theme in Shelley's poems:
A great age is returning to the world,
The golden years are coming...
(Modern dictionary-reference book: Ancient world. Compiled by M.I. Umnov. M.: Olimp, AST, 2000)
Excellent definition
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Chaldean Sibyl Sambeta thus predicted the onset of the Golden Age: “After catastrophes and wars, a new age will soon bloom again, the First and best, the golden time. Divine age, since all affairs will be carefully directed by God. The earth will once again bestow an abundance of fruits that will grow on their own. People will stop getting sick and will no longer grow old. They will be happy even when they go to the kingdom of Hades of their own free will.”
Libyan Sibyl:“A worldwide war will break out at the end of time. But this war, bringing famine, epidemics and loss of life, will be replaced by an era of peace, spirituality, freedom, justice and fertility. The beginning of this Golden Age. The Almighty will mark with a great heavenly sign.”
Sibyl of Eritrea.
People at that time will begin all over the endless world
To bring death to each other, and to this terrible turmoil
God will send them more plague, perun and famine,
Thus, punishing wicked people for unjust judgment.
The number of people in the world will then be reduced so much
What if someone sees only a human footprint,
That will be a lot of surprise. But God, who lives in the ether,
He will again become a savior to all just men.
And reliable peace and harmony will reign on earth,
The soil will give birth again and will bear abundant fruit,
For they will stop dividing and torturing her like a slave.
Every pier and port will open to people freely,
As it was before, shamelessness will completely disappear.
Later in heaven the Lord will show a great sign:
People will see the constellation - it will be like a wreath,
With its bright radiance it will illuminate the heavens for a long time
It will remain this way. And people will understand that a competition is coming,
And the Immortal calls them to fight for this wreath.
For then the great time of triumph will come
In the city of heaven: here the whole vast world will converge,
Everyone can become a participant in the incorruptible glory.
All peoples are then in immortal strivings for victory,
There is nothing more beautiful, they will rush; and the sinner cannot
There, it is shameless to buy a victory wreath for money.
And the blessed Savior will fairly distribute the rewards.
He will crown the faithful, and those who have suffered torment,
Having ended the struggle with death, the reward will be immortal.
For those who preserve their virginity and strive for imperishable victory,
He will reward according to their deserts, and to those who took care of justice,
And He will not forget anyone, even from distant nations,
If they lived righteously and knew the one God.
Those who revered marriage, rejecting shameful fornication,
The rich will receive the gift; their hope will never die.
For every human soul is a gift from God.
Song 2, 21 -54.
He will again be a savior to all just men - V once again The Almighty will take pity on people and the eleventh generation of righteous people will live during the Golden Age.
People before the Lord God, great and eternal, tribes
The whites here will bow down, descending on the nursing earth.
The creations of human hands will collapse and perish in the fire;
But they will receive great joy from God in return
Mortals, for the earth, trees and pastures will
To bear true fruit, and then plenty will appear
Sweet honey, wine, snow-white milk, bread -
The main thing is bread, because it is the highest good for mortals.
Just don’t you dare hesitate, you evil-willed and vain mortal,
But turn repentantly, pray for forgiveness from God!
Sacrifice to Him kids and firstborn lambs,
Bring hundreds of bulls as the years change.
Beg the Lord to descend and show His mercy,
For He is one God, and there cannot be another.
Always honor justice, do not offend anyone -
But beware of awakening God's supreme wrath
Song 3, 616-632.
Sacrifice to Him kids and first-born lambs, offer hundreds of bulls as the years change - difficult to interpret lines, since we are clearly talking about pagan rituals.
The judgment of the Immortal God on that day will come to mortals.
The power of the Lord in that day is upon good people will appeal.
Fetus best land which gives birth to everything,
He will give mortals an abundance of wheat, wine and olives.
Heaven will send a lot of sweet honey to man,
There will be plenty of tree fruits and fat cattle:
Goats, and cows, and sheep with small lambs together.
Streams of snow-white milk will burst out of the ground.
The cities will be full of wealth, and the fields will be fruitful;
The noise of battle and the terrible massacre will completely disappear,
With a heavy groan the earth will no longer shake,
Wars and drought will no longer be a threat to the world,
With them, famine and hail that destroys the harvest will be abolished.
A great peace, unknown before, will descend on earth,
Now the kings will become friends until the end of time,
People all over the earth will live by the same law,
What will the Lord, who rules in the starry heavens, establish?
With this law the Immortal will measure human affairs,
For He is one God, and there cannot be another,
And He will burn with fire human race unholy.
So hurry up, people, to internalize my words with your hearts:
Leave vile idols and serve the living God;
Beware of fornication and a man's dirty bed,
If children are born, raise them, don’t kill them -
All these sins entail God's wrath.
God will finally send down an eternal kingdom to all people:
Having given the sacred law to those who revered Him as they should,
He promised that He would open the world and the earth for them
And the gates of bliss will open for them - great joy,
Eternally sound mind and bright thoughts will become
Their heritage. Then to the dwelling of the great God
Gifts will be brought from all over the world and incense will be burned.
People will no longer ask for directions to another house,
Those people call him the son of the great God.
All the paths are across the plains and all the cliffs are steep,
Mountain heights and waves that wildly rage on the sea -
Everything will become easily accessible to people these days.
For good people will have peace and quiet,
The prophets of the great God will abolish the sword, and they themselves
They will judge mortals and reign fairly.
Then all human wealth will become righteous.
This will be the judgment and power of the Most High God.
Rejoice and rejoice, O virgin! Eternal joy
He gave it to you, Who created heaven and earth.
Having settled in you, He will become your immortal light.
Sheep and wolves eat grass in the mountains
They will, and wild leopards will graze with the kids together.
Can a calf with a bear be safe in a pen,
A carnivorous lion, like an ox, will be satisfied with chaff in a manger;
His little children, tying him up, will lead him along,
Believe this one will become tame by the will of the great God.
The snake and the baby will sleep peacefully in the same bed
And he will not do evil - the Lord’s hand will not allow it.
Canto 3, 742-795.
God will finally send down an eternal kingdom to all people – according to the predictions of other prophets, the Golden Age will not last long, but people will live forever.
Mortal people will not forget to honor the lands of their birth -
Korshunov, also dogs, which Egypt gave to the world,
It is vain to extol, torturing stupid lips.
The homeland of the pious, the holy land will bring them
Streams of honey that flow from rocks and springs.
Then unearthly milk will flow to the pure in soul -
To those who have placed their hopes in the Creator alone,
the Most High God, bringing Him reverence and faith.
Canto 5, 278-285.
That imperishable path that the Great God paved,
Where three springs flow - honey, wine and milky.
The earth will become common; no longer being divided
Walls and boundaries, she herself will give abundant fruit;
Everyone will live together, having no need for wealth.
Neither a slave, nor a tyrant, neither small nor great;
There are no kings or leaders - all people are equal to each other.
No one will say anymore: “night has come”, or “tomorrow”,
Or “yesterday it was,” and days full of worries,
Nor will it; the four seasons will disappear,
Death and Marriage; buying and selling things;
Even the West and the East - everything will turn into a long day,
Those who lived a righteous life will turn to Him with prayer,
So that He saves sinners from fire and from continuous torment, -
The Lord will hear your requests, and all this will happen like this:
He will take everyone out of the never-ending fire unharmed.
And through His people He will send their lands to others,
And for another life, incorruptible in the fields of the Champs Elysees,
Where the stream of Acheron spread its waters widely,
Becoming the deepest lake that will remain forever.
Woe to me, woe to me, unfortunate one! On that day, what will happen to me?!
After all, I recklessly sought to surpass all people in sin.
Forgetting about both your spouse and your common sense.
But in the palace I lived my rich husband,
She did not allow the poor there; and knowing that I am doing evil,
She went to lawlessness. Savior, me from torment,
Deliver me from the impudent dog, and forgive me all my shamelessness.
I also pray to You: give this song a little peace,
347 Manna Good Giver, Lord of the Great Kingdom!
Song 2, 317-347.
Champs Elysees(Ellysium) - in Greek mythology, the abode of the blessed, the afterlife for the righteous.
Prophecies of John of Jerusalemabout happy times and the Golden Age:
31. When the millennium that followed the present one comes to an end,
people will finally open their eyes, break out of the captivity of their heads and cities, will be able to see from one end of the earth to the other and understand each other. They will understand: if you hit one, you will hurt another. People will become a single body, each of them a tiny part of it. Together they will be the heart. And a dialect will arise, understandable to everyone, something will be born - a Great Man.
32. When the millennium that follows the current one comes to an end, man will overcome the sky, he will create stars in the large and dark sea, he will set off on his journey in a shiny ship, like the new Odysseus, friend of the sun, on an odyssey
your heavenly one. And he will become the master of the water, build cities in the depths of the sea, feeding on the fruits of the sea. He will live in all the great places
state, and everything will be allowed to him.
33. When the millennium that followed the current one comes to an end, people will learn to swim under the waves, their bodies will be renewed, and they will become fish. Others will fly higher than the birds when they manage not to fall like a stone to the ground. They will communicate with each other, their spirit will open to everyone, and he will be able to receive the messages of others. And they will share dreams with each other, and will live as long as the oldest of people - like the one about whom the Holy Scriptures.
34. When the millennium that followed the current one comes to an end, man will know the spirit of all things: he will know stone, water and the living essence, in the eyes of another person; will penetrate into the secrets kept by the ancient gods, and he will begin to open door after door in that labyrinth of a new life. He will become a creator, powerful and indomitable, like a source. He will bestow knowledge on all people, and his children will know both the earth and the sky better than anyone before them, and his body will find perfection, and his spirit will embrace everything and take possession of them.
35. When the millennium that followed the current one comes to an end, man will lose his undivided kingdom. Next to him, the woman will raise the scepter and become the mistress of future times. Having conceived something, she will encourage men to create and become the mother of that millennium that came after the current one. And it will flow with the tender sweetness of a mother after the days when the devil was in charge, and it will become beautiful in the days that came after the barbaric days. The millennium that comes after the current one will suddenly become easy. And people will love again, and be fruitful, and will dream again. And their dreams will come true.
36. When the millennium that followed the current one comes to an end, man will be given a second birth: the spirit will take possession of the entire herd of people, and each one will become a brother to everyone - then the period of barbarism will expire. This will be a time of new life and faith, after the dark days at the beginning of the millennium that followed the current one. Will begin happy days. A person will again take a path worthy of him. The earth will experience order again.
37. When the millennium that followed the current one comes to an end, there will be paths from the ends of the earth and sky to others, the forests will be overgrown and become forests, the deserts will be watered with water that has regained purity. The earth will become a garden, man will honor everything that is alive, he will begin to clean everything that he himself has spoiled, he will consider the Earth to be his homeland, and he will think wisely about the coming day.
38. When the millennium that followed the current one comes to an end, everyone will live with others in unison, will know everything about the world and the body, treat diseases before they appear, and everyone will become a healer for themselves and everyone else. He will understand that he needs to help in order for everyone to go together, and after a time of isolation and stinginess, he will open both his heart and his pocket for the poor. He will recognize himself as the keeper of all order for people, and then another time will come.
39. When the millennium that followed the current one comes to an end, man will comprehend the science of giving and dividing, the bitter days of loneliness will be forgotten, and he will again believe in the Spirit, and the former barbarism will be despised by everyone. But this understanding after wars and fires will come from the burnt skeletons of the Towers of Babel. And an iron fist will be needed, but so that order can be established in chaos. And then a person will find the only right path.
40. When the millennium that followed the current one comes to an end, man will know that existence is the bearer of Light and every creature awaits its respect.
Man will build cities in heaven, on earth and in the sea. His memory will preserve what once happened to him, and he will know what will happen to him next. Won't be afraid own death- his life will be several lives, and he will know that the light will never go out.
Gospel of John(Gospel of Peace): “And then the sons of Men, like true brothers, will give each other the love that they have received from their Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother, and they will all become comforters to each other. And then all evil and all grief will disappear from the Earth, and then there will be love and joy on earth. And then the Earth will be like the heavens and the Kingdom of God will come.”
Clairvoyant Regina(XII century) about the future of humanity: “A strange generation of people is now found on this Earth. He has no desire for spiritual elevation; He was overcome only by a strange desire to exterminate the entire human race. And one day, someday in the future, people will say: “Once upon a time there lived a people - the British, the Franks or the Germans - who eternally observed the ancient law, which brought them to the grave.” These people are digging a grave for their own souls. Britons, Franks, Germans or other peoples - wherever they live, they are all united by an ancient law, which, in the end, will lead to the fact that they all wither and fade away. And when the sun rises again in golden glory over the graves, in time a new generation of people will be born and a new humanity will appear.”
Saint Birgitta(Sweden, XIV century): “The time will come when the pagans will be so devout that Christians will be their humble servants, and the Holy Scriptures will be fulfilled - there will be one flock and one Shepherd, one faith and one clear knowledge of God. Many who are called will be unfit, and the desert will bloom, and the pagans will sing: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Mulhiazl , Forest Prophet from Bavaria. (1750-1825). “To prevent disaster, people should be wary of displaying vanity and arrogance, because both will lead to misfortune…. After the collapse of the world, a wonderful time will come. Preachers and miracle-working saints will return. And people will turn to faith again.”
According to predictions Paracelsus, The Golden Age on Earth will be short-lived and will last only 50 years. Philip Theofast Bombast von Hohenheim(1493-1541) - physician, naturalist, alchemist and astrologer, better known as Paracelsus. He wrote the book “Oracles”, where he describes the events of the future until the end of the 22nd century. Paracelsus' prophecies about the Golden Age: “For a period equal to 50 years of the Second Kingdom of Saturn, which will come 500 years after the death of Paracelsus, the Golden Age will come again, but it will last only 50 years.”
Second kingdom of Saturn – according to the theory of chronocrats, set forth in the work Liber Rationum (XII century) by the Jewish scientist Abraham Avanezra, periods of world history are divided into cycles with a period of 354 years and 4 months. They are arranged in reverse order of the days of the week: Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Moon, Sun. Medieval astrologers took 5200 BC as the starting point of the cycles, that is, the year of the creation of the world according to Eusebius of Caesarea. You and I live in the era of the Sun. Next loop(" second kingdom of Saturn") will begin in 2242. It is unknown which reporting point Paracelsus used, but according to his predictions, the Saturn cycle will begin in 2041 and last until 2395 (2041 + 354 = 2395). During this period of time there will be a short-lived Golden Age.
The Golden Age is an entire era in art, which differs from others in its images and stylistic manners. Let's take a look at the features that distinguish this era of art from all others. Why did the Golden Age become the main and fundamental in the development of Russian culture? Let's try to figure it out.
Basic elements of this era
The expression “golden age” appeared when all art began to be divided into time periods. It was then that the golden and silver ages began to be distinguished. The Golden Age is the nineteenth century, when Russian art began to flourish and include artistic elements, which were already known and actively used in Western Europe.
In the literature of this time, elements of the Enlightenment style, which were most popular in Europe, began to predominate. In addition, it is important to say that the Golden Age is the period when the Russian language began its development, thanks to which it became much more beautiful and extensive. New words, expressions, means of expression and poetic images.
The significance of this era
After the significance of the Golden Age has been revealed, a few words need to be said about what directions were open to Russian art in this era. The Golden Age contributed to the development of the Russian language, during which important features of the Russian language began to emerge. national culture. They began to identify several main trends of the golden age - humanism, sociality and citizenship.
The nineteenth century becomes very important in the formation social life, where literature comes first and plays a central role in public activities.
Since the nineteenth century was precisely the time in which it fell Civil war 1812, then this era became key in the creation of the Russian patriotic spirit. It was during this same era that the Decembrist uprising began (1825), and soon the abolition of serfdom. All this had a very great influence on the spirit of the Russian people, changed their entire life in all spheres, and created new ideas about the world and life.
In addition, it is important to say that the golden age is a time when people became more interested in history. This was due to victory in the Civil War of 1812. National identity has become much more developed. N. Karamzin’s work “History of the Russian State” became a huge cultural monument. This creation became the first in the genre of history, which was read by the whole country, looking for an answer to the question of what place Russia occupies in the history of the whole world.
Literature of this era
In literature, the golden age is precisely the era when the very dawn of everything begins artistic creativity. New literary trends, for example, the same romanticism, new poetic images, new forms of versification. All this begins to develop in the era of Elizabeth - in the golden age of Russian literature.
Alexander Pushkin
The most famous poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is considered to have made a huge contribution to the development of literature of the Golden Age. It was thanks to the poet that the Russian language began to develop. Appeared huge amount new, previously unused visual and expressive means that begin to be found in every work of Pushkin.
One of central characters golden age, which characterizes this era as well as possible, was Eugene Onegin - main character novel of the same name Alexander Sergeevich. Onegin supports all those views that were characteristic of people living in this era.
Mikhail Lermontov
The works of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov “Mtsyri” and “Demon” became creations that emphasize the level literary development in the nineteenth century. Like Alexander Pushkin, the main characters became the image of “ extra person”, who cannot find his place in the world, wandering alone and overcoming life’s difficulties, sometimes following a dishonest path.
Anton Chekhov
The satirical works of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov also belong to the Russian classics of the golden age. Reflecting the true human essence, many of Anton Pavlovich’s plays are still staged in theaters around the world. In his works, Anton Chekhov always touched on very important issues modern man. Moreover, it is important to say that the way the author presents these human shortcomings evokes both laughter and pity at the same time. They have always said “laughter through tears.”
Fyodor Dostoevsky
The work of Fyodor Mikhailovich also became very important for the golden age. New views, which were based on individual freedom, changed the entire perception of the world. It is this problem that Fyodor Dostoevsky raises in a number of his works. For example, “The Player” even utters a phrase that makes you think: “If ten years ago this was shameful, and today it is put on display, then what can we expect from subsequent generations?..” In another of his works, “Crime and Punishment” , Dostoevsky, through his main character - Raskolnikov, shows that a person is subject to everything, he is free and has the right to do whatever he pleases. However, conscience and moral principles should keep a person from making very large and irreparable mistakes.
Ivan Turgenev
The work of Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev also clearly emphasizes all aspects of the new everyday order in society. His work "Fathers and Sons" describes a period when new views are just beginning to appear among young people. The older generation, who grew up in a completely different period, cannot understand and support the newly introduced public opinion. This rejection perfectly characterizes the entire upbringing of the older generation. The works of Ivan Turgenev can help those who are trying to figure out how and why a person argues today in this way and not in any other way.
Leo Tolstoy
The works of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, as well famous representative golden age - these are creations that are able to show readers all those norms and principles of morality that have been supported for very long centuries. Numerous works that tell about the loneliness of immoral people, about their torment and experiences, carry a special moral for all readers.
“War and Peace” is an epic novel that, in addition to the problem of human immorality, reveals all the horrors of the art of war. The Civil War of 1812 described by the writer has a central place in the work. The main characters understand the cruelty and stupidity of the war, the meaninglessness of the lives sacrificed.
Fedor Tyutchev
The work of Fyodor Ivanovich became the final one. It was the works of Ivan Tyutchev that concluded the golden age in literature, thus separating it from all subsequent eras. Lyrical works, which came out of the hands of the writer, are more reminiscent of the Silver Age in their images, but still do not have the features inherent in the next era.
General conclusion
The nineteenth century, or golden age, became very important in the development of the Russian language, literature and culture in general. discussed in detail above. It is difficult to imagine what would have happened to Russian culture if there had not been all those wonderful writers, thanks to whom such a rapid and impetuous revolution of all views, both political and social, took place.
Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia
In the past, tribes of people lived on the earth,
Not knowing heavy sorrows, not knowing any difficult work,
No harmful diseases that bring death to mortals.
Golden age- a concept present in the mythology of almost all nations, a blissful state primitive humanity living in harmony with nature.
The very concept of a “golden age” ( aurea saecula) for the first time in ancient literature recorded only in the 1st century. BC BC: in Ovid's "Metamorphoses" (Metamorphoses, 1:89 - 90), Virgil's "Aeneid" (Aen. VI. 792-794). Before this, in the ancient tradition, not a “chronological”, but a “genealogical” interpretation of the myth about life under Kronos (Saturn) and subsequent history was widespread: this history was thought of not as a change of eras, but as a change of completely different, unrelated clans, genos of people (in Hesiod - gold, silver, copper, heroic and iron), each of which was alternately created by the gods and then disappeared from the face of the earth. The transition from the “golden race” to the “golden age” noted by Virgil and almost all of his followers was the most important qualitative shift in the interpretation of myth, which made it possible to actualize the utopian content of ancient legends.
According to legends, during the Golden Age, people and gods lived together.
See also
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Notes
Literature
- Golden Age // Encyclopedia “Myths of the Peoples of the World”
- Eliade M.
- Freidenberg O. M.// Questions of Philosophy, 1990. - No. 5. - P. 141-167
- Chernyshov Yu. G./ Ed. 2nd, rev. and additional Part 1. Before the establishment of the principate. - Novosibirsk: Publishing house. NSU, 1994. - 176 p.
- Chernyshov Yu. G./ Ed. 2nd, rev. and additional Part 2. Early Principate. Novosibirsk: Publishing house. NSU, 1994. - 167 p.
- Toman I.B. Images of the “Golden Age” in the culture of Europe and Russia // Dialogue of Cultures: Russia - West - East. Materials of the International Scientific and Practical Conference " Slavic culture: origins, traditions, interaction. XIV Cyril and Methodius Readings". May 14, 2013. Moscow-Yaroslavl: Redmer, 2013
Excerpt describing the Golden Age
– What should I do with the people? - said Dron. - It completely exploded. That's what I tell them...“That’s what I’m saying,” said Alpatych. - Do they drink? – he asked briefly.
– Yakov Alpatych got all worked up: another barrel was brought.
- So listen. I’ll go to the police officer, and you tell the people, so that they give up this, and so that there are carts.
“I’m listening,” answered Dron.
Yakov Alpatych did not insist any more. He had ruled the people for a long time and knew that the main way to get people to obey was to not show them any doubt that they might disobey. Having obtained from Dron the obedient “I listen with,” Yakov Alpatych was satisfied with this, although he not only doubted, but was almost sure that the carts would not be delivered without the help of a military team.
And indeed, by evening the carts were not assembled. In the village at the tavern there was again a meeting, and at the meeting it was necessary to drive the horses into the forest and not give out the carts. Without saying anything about this to the princess, Alpatych ordered his own luggage to be packed from those who had come from Bald Mountains and to prepare these horses for the princess’s carriages, and he himself went to the authorities.
X
After her father's funeral, Princess Marya locked herself in her room and did not let anyone in. A girl came to the door to say that Alpatych had come to ask for orders to leave. (This was even before Alpatych’s conversation with Dron.) Princess Marya rose from the sofa on which she was lying and said through the closed door that she would never go anywhere and asked to be left alone.
The windows of the room in which Princess Marya lay were facing west. She lay on the sofa facing the wall and, fingering the buttons on the leather pillow, saw only this pillow, and her vague thoughts were focused on one thing: she was thinking about the irreversibility of death and about that spiritual abomination of hers, which she had not known until now and which showed up during her father’s illness. She wanted, but did not dare to pray, did not dare to state of mind, in which she was, turn to God. She lay in this position for a long time.
The sun set on the other side of the house and the slanting evening rays open windows The room also illuminated part of the morocco pillow that Princess Marya was looking at. Her train of thoughts suddenly stopped. She unconsciously stood up, straightened her hair, stood up and went to the window, involuntarily inhaling the coolness of a clear but windy evening.
“Yes, now it’s convenient for you to admire in the evening! He’s gone, and no one will bother you,” she said to herself, and, sank into a chair, she fell head first on the windowsill.
Someone called her in a gentle and quiet voice from the side of the garden and kissed her on the head. She looked back. It was M lle Bourienne, in a black dress and plungers. She quietly approached Princess Marya, kissed her with a sigh and immediately began to cry. Princess Marya looked back at her. All previous clashes with her, jealousy towards her, were remembered by Princess Marya; I also remembered how he lately changed to m lle Bourienne, could not see her, and, therefore, how unfair were the reproaches that Princess Marya made to her in her soul. “And should I, who wanted his death, condemn anyone? - she thought.
Princess Marya vividly imagined the position of m lle Bourienne, who had recently been distant from her society, but at the same time dependent on her and living in someone else’s house. And she felt sorry for her. She looked at her meekly questioningly and extended her hand. M lle Bourienne immediately began to cry, began to kiss her hand and talk about the grief that befell the princess, making herself a participant in this grief. She said that the only consolation in her grief was that the princess allowed her to share it with her. She said that all former misunderstandings should be destroyed before great grief, that she felt pure in front of everyone and that from there he could see her love and gratitude. The princess listened to her, not understanding her words, but occasionally looking at her and listening to the sounds of her voice.
“Your situation is doubly terrible, dear princess,” said m lle Bourienne, after a pause. – I understand that you could not and cannot think about yourself; but I am obliged to do this with my love for you... Was Alpatych with you? Did he talk to you about leaving? – she asked.