Myths and legends often employ the duality of day and night to convey the idea of life's cyclicity, where light represents vitality, renewal, and hope, while darkness signifies dangers, treacherous forces of fate, and the inevitable trials accompanying human existence.

Twilight of Destiny: The Duality of Renewal and Peril

Myths and legends often employ the duality of day and night to convey the idea of life's cyclicity, where light represents vitality, renewal, and hope, while darkness signifies dangers, treacherous forces of fate, and the inevitable trials accompanying human existence. These images serve as symbols of transitional states, where the onset of night signifies not only the departure of the day but also the beginning of a new, often somber phase filled with uncertainty and threats that demand courage and steadfastness from the hero.

For example, in one source, A. Blok and A. Bely describe how "revolution is not the sunrise, not the dawn, not the beginning of a new day, but the sunset, twilight, the end of the old day. We are entering a period of historical wandering..." (source: link txt, page: 22). This quote emphasizes that the coming of night symbolizes the demise of the old order and the uncertainty of tomorrow, highlighting dangers, the deceit of fate, and the disintegration of former structures.

Another source demonstrates how the nocturnal landscape transforms: "The same forest looks completely different at night. The trees acquire ominous and fantastic outlines, [...] everything is imbued with a secret threat and hostility..." (source: link txt, page: 121-123). Here, night emerges as a time when the familiar and friendly images of the day morph into something frightening and dangerous, symbolizing the unpredictability of destiny and the potential for sudden perils.

Moreover, myths frequently utilize the transition between day and night to illustrate the cosmic order and the inevitability of life's cycle, where the arrival of night foretells trials and even death, while dawn represents renewal and liberation from darkness. In several sources (for instance, in descriptions of day and night changes within religious contexts), this metaphor underscores that behind the apparent threat of night lies profound wisdom and preparation for a new phase of life. Thus, the imagery of day and night stands as a potent symbol, conveying both the energy of renewal and a cautionary sign of inevitable hazards and the treachery of fate.

Supporting citation(s):
"He was the precursor of the nocturnal historical epoch, its seer. The poet of the impending night was also A. Blok. 'Wild passions are unbound under the yoke of a defective moon.' He did not see 'dawn' as A. Bely imagines him and himself, but rather the coming twilight of night. Both of them did not fully understand their premonitions and offered false symbolism for the forthcoming 'revolution.' Revolution is not the sunrise, not the dawn, not the start of a new day, but the sunset, twilight, the end of the old day. We are entering a period of historical wandering, which might be described as 'we are sailing, surrounded on all sides by a blazing abyss'; 'the tide is rising and swiftly carries us away into the immensity of dark waves.' And recall Michelangelo’s exaltation of night in his 'Day and Night.' The day may isolate, the order of day may tire, the energy of day may be exhausted, and the coverings of day may decay." (source: link txt, page: 22)

"The same forest looks completely different at night. The trees acquire ominous and fantastic outlines, the calls of night birds resemble plaintive moans, every rustle frightens and necessitates vigilance, everything is permeated by a secret threat and hostility, and the lifeless light of the moon at times lends this scene a tinge akin to the vision of delirium or a nightmare. Nature, which is so harmonious and friendly in sunlight, suddenly appears to rise against man, ready to exact revenge, akin to an ancient monster whose enchantment has been lifted. This contrast could symbolize the transformation that occurred in the worldview of our distant ancestors at the dawn of humanity." (source: link txt, page: 121-123)