Totemic beliefs and animalistic images in literature

Abstract

The article examines the concept of totemism in Kazakh literature. A comprehensive analysis is conducted on its connection with the genre of animalistic literature in literary studies, the level of research, its harmony with myths, features, methods of creation, and manifestations of totemism. The analysis is carried out in a scholarly style, illustrated with examples from Kazakh worldview. Additionally, the comparative method is widely applied, based on scholars’ opinions regarding these terms in global literary studies. The article demonstrates, through examples, that there have been differing viewpoints among world scholars on totemic consciousness, as well as differences and similarities in the totemic knowledge of various peoples. Using the historical-comparative method, the similarities in worldviews of peoples around the world in their beliefs are studied. It is argued that totemism has influenced many social communities, nations, and tribes, contributing to their psychology, cultural traditions, and ethnic behavior. The origins and genesis of animalistic images, formed alongside the emergence of totemic beliefs, are analyzed based on historical facts. The ways of crea ting animalistic images in Kazakh literature are considered in conjunction with the Kazakh worldview. In K azakh literature, the animal world is so deeply integrated with Kazakh existence that, through the approach of anthropomorphism, the qualities, existence, and nature of animals, compared with human beings, are reflected and described both in Kazakh and world literature in general. Totemic concepts underlying animalistic images in our national literature were originally named after tribes and contributed to tribal unity. These, tran sformed, became the sacred ancestors of each clan and turned into totemic lineages. Hence, the notion of sacredness arose, which in naming people passed into significance. Special attention in the article is given to this issue: based on historical data, representations of the presence of swords, buzzing sounds, saddles, belts, daggers with images of totemic animals (mountain goat, ram, horse, camel, wolf, lion, dragon, deer, crow, eagle, etc.) are analyzed.