"Negirdėta neregėta pasaka" apie nusivožtą galvos kiaušą : mitinės bei ritualinės užuominos

LTStraipsnio objektas – žmogaus galvos kiaušo ir geriamojo indo (puodynės, dubens, kaušo) simbolinė tapatybė. Ši tapatybė ne tik žinoma daugelyje tradicijų bei aiškiai atsispindi atitinkamose kalbose, bet ir sudaro kai kurių mitinių pasakojimų bei ritualinių vaizdinių pamatą. Vienas iš tokių mitinių pasakojimų priklauso lietuvių melų pasakai, pavadintai „Negirdėta neregėta pasaka“ (LPK 1920D, ATU 1920H), kurios herojus meluoja gėręs medaus pritirpusį vandenį iš nusivožto savo galvos kiaušo. O panašų, netgi kai kuriomis smulkmenomis sutampantį motyvą aptinkame senovės indų (vedų tradicijos) somos aukojimo ritualą aprašančioje „Šatapatha brahmanoje“. Abiejų tekstų sugretinimas bendrame galvos kiaušo–geriamojo kaušo simbolinės tapatybės kontekste ir sudaro straipsnio turinį. Tyrimo metodai – aprašomasis, simbolių analizės, lyginamasis. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Baltai; Kaušas; Kiaušas; Mitologija; Puodynė; Soma; Soma, Lietuva–Indija; Vedų tradicija; Balts; Cup; Lietuva–Indija; Mythology; Pot; Scoop; Scull; Soma; Vedic tradition.

ENThere is a well known homology in many traditions between the human skull and the pot, jar, cup, or bowl, tesitified in Lithuanian language and folklore as well. One special case of this homology consists in Lith. kaušas "scoop, bowl", but also "scull", and kiaušas "scull", but also "scoop, bowl", being derivatives of the common root. This symbolic homology is, moreover, reflected in the Baltic archeological data, namely, in ritual cups having distinct traits of human scull. The same identification of the ritual cup and scull (and the related word for the cup kośa, by the way) is also known in the Vedic tradition, in the Śatapatha brahmana IV.4.3, for instance, where the Vedic priest drinks soma from the ritual cup kapāla which at the same time is identified with the scull of demon Vritra and at the same time of the very priest drinking from it.Keeping in mind that the Vedic soma was usually consumed mixed with water soluton of honey and sometimes even named "a river of honey", we can turn to a peculiar Lithuanian "tale of lies", in which the hero tells of himself as having once had got his pockets or sack full of honey, and afterwards, having had to cross a river, had the honey dissolve, making water so sweet that it was a pity to let it go. Unfortunately, he had no dish to drink from, so he took off his scull (kiaušas) and drank the honeyed water to his heart’s content, becoming so drunk that he forgot to put his scull back on his head. And so he walked away with the open brain until after a while he scratched his head and realised that he had no scull, so he returned to the river and finally put it on again. The "opening of the scull" here, by the way, could be interpreted as a very apt metaphor for the inspiration achieved with the aid of some ritual intoxicant allied to the Vedic soma. [From the publication]