TRANSFORMATION OF THE LINGUOCULTUROLOGICAL ARCHETYPE OF MOTHER EARTH UNDER MARTIAL LAW

Abstract

Introduction. Traditionally, the image of Ukraine in the national consciousness has been deeply rooted in the peaceful, agricultural archetype of Mother Earth – an idyllic, passive “nurturer” and a sacred space of harmony. However, the existential threat of full-scale military invasion disrupts this pastoral chronotope. In contemporary discourse, the aggressor is conceptualized as a mythological multi-faced Serpent (Zmiy Gorynych), a force of chaos threatening the nation’s ontological foundations.
Purpose. The purpose of this study is to trace the linguoculturological and semantic shifts within this archetype in Ukrainian textual space under the extreme stress of ongoing warfare.
Methods. The study employs a multidisciplinary approach bridging philosophy, psychology, and linguistics, drawing on C. G. Jung’s theory of the Great Mother’s ambivalence, alongside Ukrainian geopsychical concepts (M. Shlemkevych, O. Kulchytskyi). The linguistic framework relies on conceptual, linguoculturological, and distributive analyses of texts ranging from classical Ukrainian literature (T. Shevchenko, P. Tychyna, O. Dovzhenko, V. Symonenko, L. Kostenko) to contemporary prose and poetry
(O. Zabuzhko, T. Horikha Zernia, K. Kalytko).
Results. The analysis reveals that the existential threat has activated the «dark» or wrathful aspect of the Great Mother archetype – not as an expression of evil, but as a fierce protective force. The research traces a clear evolution of this concept: from the classical tradition that establishes the sacred value of the land, through its integration into modern urban spaces, to its complete militarization as a defensive force.
Originality. Classical Tradition: Establishes the sacred value of the land, portraying enemy aggression as a sin against nature. O. Zabuzhko, T. Horikha Zernia: Transition the archetype into contemporary and urban landscapes, where the soil acts as a living repository of generational memory that rejects foreign occupation. K. Kalytko: Represents the culmination of this militarization, where the land strips away all victimhood, transforms into a “Warrior Earth” and actively destroys the invader (literally “chewing and digesting” the enemy).
Conclusions. The Ukrainian linguistic worldview has rapidly adapted to wartime realities, shifting the semantic framework of the «Earth» concept from agro-pastoral passivity to military-sacred subjectivity. Future research prospects include applying corpus linguistics to analyze these shifts in media and military discourses, as well as conducting comparative studies against Western European perceptions of wartime landscapes.