The Mythological-Religious Complex as the Core of Spiritual Cultureof the Eastern Slavs in the 9th–11th Centuries

It is noted that the genesis of the spiritual culture of the Eastern Slavs was accompanied by the formation of a mythological-religious complex, which reached its peak by the time of the formation of the Kievan Rus’ state. The study analyzes the specific features of this complex as the core of the spiritual culture of Eastern Slavic society, as well as its social functions within the chronological framework of the 9th–11th centuries. The content of the complex is characterized as a synthesis of mythological and religious consciousness among the Eastern Slavs. The research demonstrates the interconnection between mythological and religious conceptions of the world and humanity’s place within it, reflected in the pantheon of deities (from supreme gods to lower spirits), the system of everyday rituals, and syncretic forms of belief combining various mythological narratives and religious traditions. Historical sources reveal distinctive features of the mythological-religious complex: cultural syncretism, polytheism with tendencies toward monotheism, limited notions of the transcendent, nature worship, a synthesis of autochthonous traditions and innovations, and the predominance of natural hierotopes. A key feature of the study is its historical-religious approach to examining spiritual culture, implemented through historical sources and religious studies concepts such as myth-making, the evolution of religions, and religious syncretism. This approach not only elucidates the specifics of the Eastern Slavs’ mythological-religious complex but also identifies the mechanisms by which elements of archaic cultures were transmitted into the spiritual culture of Kievan Rus’.

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