The word "gloom" is not as simple as it seems when you first met him. Something dark, hopeless, hordes of absurd and terrible creatures crawling out in the darkness - this is what the frightened imagination of modern man suggests. But such images lie on the surface of the true meaning of the word "darkness."
What is the "gloom" in the academic sense?
In the explanatory dictionaries of S. I. Ozhigov, V. Dahl, D. N. Ushakov, the word is assigned a direct meaning - the absence of light, darkness. Example: Complete darkness reigned on the street.
This word also has a figurative meaning - a kind of dull state of something. For example: gloomy, gloomy thoughts visited the old man that day.
Persistent expressions with the word: darkness of ignorance (about savagery, lack of education), soul (state of internal mystery or sinfulness), future (suspense or hopelessness, lack of hope).
The figurative meaning of this word is ultimately connected with the property of darkness. Darkness in education, in relationships, in thoughts, and even darkness in state affairs. There are also gloomy categories of time - hour, day, season, century. For example, the Middle Ages, with its Inquisition, superstitions, and lack of personal hygiene, are truly dismal times.
The concept of "darkness" among the Slavs
To the question of what darkness is, in addition to the official version enshrined in the dictionaries, there is another interpretation of the meaning, a deeper one. This meaning is born from the etymology of the word in terms of Slavic culture.
The word "gloom" is decomposed into semantic-educational fragments, something similar to reading the abbreviation. The names of Slavic deities and their functions are involved in the analysis: M - Mara (goddess of darkness and death), RA - light, K - Kosh (Fate). The result is: "darkness absorbs light as it is destined" or, in other words, "as conceived by the first creator." And this means that “darkness” is a part of the universe, the same as light.
Interesting is the expression "Radiant Gloom." What does it mean? This refers to the darkness mentioned in ancient texts (Vedas) when describing the creation of our world. This is the fundamental principle of the world, the darkness that conceals in itself the undeveloped light, all that will one day exist. Hence a new understanding of the deep sacred meaning of the word “gloom” - the fundamental principle of the world, an eternally existing category.
Darkness - meaning in "dark art"
Such art is called the creations of poets, artists, composers - all who are trying to reflect in their masterpieces the dark, dull side of our world. All that is conceivable and unthinkable, associated with darkness, all the most terrible and depressing, the most unthinkable manifestations of darkness can be felt, seen or heard, having become acquainted with this art.
But here, darkness is understood not only as something dark. The paintings of “gloomy” artists show the side of darkness, often as the side of the world, bearing knowledge, a special meaning and a peculiar beauty that is different from the world of light.
It turns out that this is not only the bad, dark side of the world or the negative. This word has deeper layers of understanding.
So, the word "darkness" has the following meanings:
- Lack of light, darkness (direct).
- Negative feelings, emotions, phenomena of reality (transference.).
- The multifaceted manifestation of the fundamental principle of the world, concealing in itself the unmanifest light (transference).
- These are the realities of the earthly world, viewed from the perspective of the dark side (transference.).
We examined what is "darkness." We hope each reader will think about the meaning of this word and will not associate it only with the all-consuming darkness in which monsters live.