Olena Boriak 

Doctor of Historical Sciences (Dr. habil), Leading Researcher, State Scientific Center for Protection of Cultural Heritage from Technological Disasters, Kyiv, Ukraine.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9873-6088

E-mail: olena.boriak@gmail.com

Keywords:

dwelling, folk midwifery, childbirth, space, sacred space.

Abstract

The article examines the transformation of the interior space of a hut into a sacred space during traditional childbirth, when a midwife assisted the woman in labor. The extraordinary nature of the event of the birth and the appearance of the baby required a lightning-fast, profound transformation of space. The main purpose of the study is to analytically generalize the mechanism of changing the spatial characteristics of the dwelling in extraordinary circumstances, and thus to understand how human thinking structures space. Certain objects (window, door, stove / chimney, floor) are singled out in the geometry of the space, and regulated actions of closing / opening, entering / leaving, and movement trajectory become relevant for its definition. As a result, a closed space is modeled with clear boundaries, marking the «sacred» center, performing ritual actions and storing symbolic things, a space where predictions/prophecies become possible.

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