THE CONCEPT OF «THE OTHERWISE» IN ANCIENT MYTHOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: IMAGINATION AND ROLE IN CULTURE

The article explores conceptions of the afterworld in the archaic period and in the cultures of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and ancient Greece. The diversity and common features of the afterlife in these cultures are analyzed, with a focus on the role and significance of the concept of the «otherworld» in their respective cultural contexts. The importance of interpretations of mythological narratives and religious rituals in shaping conceptions of the afterlife is revealed. In particular, special attention is given to the role of funerary practices in the formation of these beliefs. Ideas about the afterlife didn’t arise immediately, but only at a certain level of development of primitive culture. In the simplest ideas about the world of the dead, the stay of the soul was associated with the places of its vital activity, or, conversely, with deserted places. At this stage of development, the afterlife was perceived as a continuation of earthly life. Completely different ideas emerged in the civilizations of the ancient world. The afterlife was portrayed as a distant reality that contrasted with the world of the living. Various conceptions of postmortem existence and a differentiated realm beyond arose, giving birth to different spheres within them. In the Mesopotamian culture, this differentiation was just beginning; Egyptian mythology developed the teachings of the Fields of Ialu and had a less developed concept of the Duat; Greek mythology introduced the division between Hades and Elysium (the Elysian Fields) and Tartarus. Thus, the concept of the afterlife encompassed not only a belief in postmortem existence but also a system of values, rituals, and perspectives that influenced all aspects of life for ancient peoples and civilizations.