MYTHOLOGEME AS A UNIVERSAL UNIT OF THE MYTHOLOGICAL WORLD PICTURE

Abstrak:

Mythologeme is a shared structural feature of the world view in the myths that conveys archetypal themes and symbolic meaning common to all cultures and throughout history. As a recurring figure, image, or theme of narrative, the mythologeme conveys humanity's overall cognitive and affective experience, which governs how societies think about existence, morality, and cosmology. Although definitions vary among scholars, mythologemes are commonly defined as stable yet elastic signs that survive over time, bridging between old and new narratives. Universality stems from common human experience, psychological archetypes, cultural diffusion, and symbolic descriptions of natural and social phenomena. Serving as the building blocks of myths, mythologemes frame mythological discourse, transmit cultural values, and preserve collective identity. They are powerful in determining worldviews, establishing cosmological order, and symbolizing cyclical patterns of life, death, and rebirth. Firmly rooted in language, literature, and folklore, mythologemes persistently evolve, connecting the religious and the secular, past and present. They affirm their enduring presence by demonstrating that mythology is a necessary means for understanding the human condition and the interrelatedness of all cultures.