Mythology of the guiding principles of criminal law in the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (1919)

The mythical way of thinking is inherent not only to traditional communities; modern society uses it in the field of politics and law. Socially anticipated information is transmitted through mythological, historical and religious norms. In law, myths are reflected as cultural symbols and meanings, value norms and patterns of relations between social elements. The influence of mythology on the formation of legislation and collective legal awareness is studied by legal anthropology, the branch of science of the theory of state and law. However, till present, legal myths and mythology have not been the object of research in the framework of criminal law and criminal science. To understand the essence of a myth and its value for legal culture and legal awareness, the present study considers the role and importance of mythology in developing the fundamental propositions of Soviet criminal law based on the analysis of a legal document called “The Guiding Principles on Criminal Law in the RSFSR (1919)”.