Eighteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

Among the universal means of human communication that are capable of transcending the boundaries of cultures and epochs are myths and icons. In my paper, I explore the nature of both of them. I argue that myth is a narrated form of icon, and icon is a visualization of myth. What makes them transcend cultural boundaries? I believe both of them have this capacity, because they have a different nature from what they try to communicate. I understand nature in the Aristotelian sense of physics. At the same time, their message corresponds to the concept they stand for. The paper is a philosophical reflection. It builds on the testimonies of the authors from antiquity and our times.