The Mythical Journey of the Hero in Sigitas Geda’s Cycle of Hymns 26 rudens ir vasaros giesmės

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the narrative level of the autumn cycle ‘Delčia rudenė deivė’ (Waning Moon, the Autumn Goddess) in Sigitas Geda’s cycle of hymns 26 rudens ir vasaros giesmės (26 Hymns of Autumn and Summer). The writer turns the lyrical subject’s movement to death into a mythical journey to the underworld. This journey follows the structure of a mythic narrative: the hero finds a helper, crosses the threshold separating the profane and mythical worlds, and reaches the centre of the mythical space, where he experiences apotheosis and returns to everyday life. However, by supplementing the mythical journey with surreal imagery, Geda does not adhere to its strict archetype.
The lyrical subject of the autumn cycle of the hymns is the poet whose aim is to renew the art of poetry. In a myth, this can only be done by returning to the prehistory of culture and destroying obsolete forms of expression. For this reason, the lyrical subject dies in the mythical centre of the underworld and is reborn in the everyday world to bring renewed poetic forms to his community.