"OUT FROM THE LIFELESS BODY FLEW A WHITE DOVE, AND IT SOARED OFF INTO THE BLUE SKY." THE IMAGE OF THE SOUL AS A DOVE WITHIN CZECH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Abstract

The symbolism of a dove is quite rich in many cultures. Birds (and especially doves) with their ability to fly high in the sky were usually connected with heaven or "higher place", gods etc.

In Christian Iconography, a dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit and also, as a symbol of purity, a soul of some saints and martyrs. A dove represents the pure soul leaving the dead body.

We can also find a picture of a white dove as innocent soul in Czech oral tradition, for example in fairy tails, or in widely known texts of Czech authors (e. g. B.

Němcová, K. J.

Erben). The soul - dove usually leaves the body when a character, typically a helper of a hero, is killed and hero breaks a curse (for example a helper is decapitated).

In this paper, there will be introduced the picture of the soul - dove in the Czech language and culture. Methodology will be based on principles of cognitive-cultural linguistics.