Pelican as an ornithic symbol in Ukrainian culture and arts

The purpose of the article. Investigate the determination of the image of the pelican in Ukrainian culture and art as an original manifestation of national symbolics. Methodology. The research methodology is based on the application of a systems approach in combination with historical-genetic, comparative, and art methods, with the involvement of analysis of sources from the field of Ukrainian symbolism. The scientific novelty lies in the actualization of the study of the symbolic image of the pelican as a nationally specific component of Ukrainian culture. Conclusions. The representatives of the Ukrainian avifauna acquired in the popular imagination the forms of established symbolic images, that entered the space of national folklore through mythological thinking. The penetration of the pelican symbol into the arsenal of fine arts of Ukrainian culture did not pass through the mythological element but was borrowed from Christian cult publications and images of European countries. The oldest known images of the pelican in Ukraine belong to the artistic decoration of the book, and since the XVIII century, they are found in Baroque iconography and all kinds of plastic art. In Ukrainian art, as in the art of other countries, the image of the pelican acquires a symbolic meaning in three hypostases: a symbol of Christ's self-sacrifice, paternal self-denial, and human mercy. Priority in the study of the role and place of the symbol of the pelican in the national culture belongs to an art critic, poet, political activist Natalia Kotsyubynska. Further search for information on the role of ornithological symbols in the system of Ukrainian culture opens the prospect of a deeper understanding of the national mentality of our people. Keywords: symbolic image, pelican, art, Ukrainian culture, Natalia Kotsyubynska.