Representation of concept 'creativity' in poetic part of Ohrid prologue by Nikolai Serbsky (Velimirovich)

The article deals with ways of representing the concept ‘creativity’ in the lyrical works by Nikolai Serbsky. The research material consists of 40 poems in the Ohrid prologue dedicated to theologians, spiritual writers and hymnographers. Common metaphorical series and key images representing the idea of inspired creativity have been revealed. It is shown that in the poetic part of the Ohrid prologue, creativity is presented within the framework of the theological understanding of the co-creative process of God and man, expressed not only in the spiritual work of the saint and the action of Divine grace, but also in the inner change of those who perceive such co-creations. The metaphorical realization of this idea is based on perceptual signs, among which are as follows: visual (reflection of light), sound (action of musical instruments) and gustatory (sweetness of blessed honey). The conclusion is made that the author's use of traditional Orthodox images and metaphors in the representation of creativity takes this concept beyond the individual poetic concept and makes it embodied into the general religious speech-making tradition of Orthodox authors.