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Kotin I. “Asian beasts” in the Academic and Poetic Activity of M. A. Rodionov

Igor Kotin
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the RAS
Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0001-5751-7703
E-mail: igorkotin@mail.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. The article discusses the history of the creation and holding of the round table “Asian Bestiary” at the MAE (Kunstkamera) RAS and analyses several ethnographic and poetic plots developed by outstanding Ara- bist, ethnographer, and poet Mikhail Rodionov (1946–2022). His research interests were related to the ethnography of Lebanon and Hadramaut. One of the important themes of Rodionov’s poetic work and scientific research was the “Bestiary”, understood broadly as the world of living creatures, animals, and spirits. In one of the volumes of the “Bestiary”, he analysed the emergence of the ancient myth of the Phoenix and linked it to the image of a red poiso- nous snake common in South Arabia. In another article, he drew parallels between South Arabian ibex hunting and the ancient Greek Dionysia. In a publication devoted to the Arabian tradition of wild honey gathering, Rodionov discovered analogies between beekeeping practices in Ancient Arabia, Palestine and Italy. Vladimir Pekar’s animat- ed films, based on scripts by M. A. Rodionov, deserve special mention. The script for the animated film “Talking Hands of Travancore” (1981) is based on the legend of the creation of Kerala. According to legend, the hero Parashu- rama fought demons to protect his homeland and threw his axe at his enemies, separating a strip of land between the mountains and the sea from the mainland. This is how the blessed land of Kerala came into being. This myth is told against the backdrop of the battle between the goddess Durga and the demon Mahisha, symbolising the struggle be- tween good and evil.

 

KEYWORDS: Mikhail Rodionov, “Asian Bestiary”, bees, goats, ibex, ethnography, poetry

 

FOR  CITATION: Kotin I. “Asian Beasts” in the Academic and Poetic Activity of M. A. Rodionov. Kunstkamera. 2025. 3 (29): 88–95. (In Russian). DOI: 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-3(29)-88-95

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-3(29)-88-95
UDC 39(569.3)

 

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