"La tradition du feu" : le mythe de Prométhée et sa métamorphose dans la tragédie de Viatchéslav Ivanov Prometeï (Prométhée)

The title of this article, as well as the motto from K. Wierzyński's poem are aimed at emphasizing the continuity of the "tradition of fire", as well as the link between the myth of Prometheus and the ritual (symbolic) death of Jan Palach – the hero of "Prague Spring". This continuity of multidimensional sense of fire as a symbol (of the rebellious spirit) and the myth of Promethean gift of fire can be found in the tragedy by V. Ivanov. Here, the spiritual dimension of fire is emphasized due to referring to orphic version of the myth about the suffering Dionysus. The author of this article, analysing and interpreting the tragedy by the Russian poet, presents the semantic metamorphosis of the myth of Prometheus, putting it in the vast cultural context – the works of Aeschylus and Nietzsche, the philosophical thoughts of Proclos, Schelling and Bachelard, as well as the thoughts of contemporary culture scientists.