中国神话与希腊神话之比较.ppt

1、A Comparison between Chinese and Greek Mythology,Definition of mythology Religious Ideology Root Plot and System Archetypes of Gods Spreading Ways and Influence Conclusion,Definition,Mythology is sedimentary deposits(积淀） of primitive society ideology, which is also a heritage of national culture. My

2、thology, which is cultural accumulation (文化积累)of a nation over a long period of time, reflects early peoples imagination and interpretation of the natural and social phenomenon that cannot be demonstrated in those days. Mythology represents some eternal truth (永恒真理)which belongs to the moral or aest

3、hetic category. This kind of representation has intercultural impacts. Religion and literature have the similar social functions, that is, to spread the eternal truth by telling stories. By studying mythology, we will be able to know how the primordial people lived and how they viewed themselves and

4、 the world and also the great impact that mythology has had on literature and arts.,Religious Ideology Root,In Chinese traditional creation mythology(创世神话), the naissance（人类诞生） is owing to Nv Wa (the Goddess of Sky-patching). As is recorded in Shuo Wen（说文）: “Nv Wa，the goddess in ancient time, who cr

5、eated human beings.” After Pan Gu creating the sky and earth, although there were mountains and lakes, flowers and birds, there was no trace of human beings, Nv Wa kneaded human beings by yellow clay(用黄泥捏造人类) from a model of herself in the water, endowed them with lives, and taught them weaving, plo

6、ugh and other knowledge of existence. As a female god, Nv Wa loved this world; however, she loved her children more deeply. So, when the sky was going to collapse and human beings were facing extinction, she smelt multicolored stones to repair the sky（炼五彩石补天）, and emancipated people from the catastr

7、ophe. In Chinese peoples mind, Nv Wa is kindly and amiable, she is the Goddess that having created and guarding human beings, and boasts the excellent quality of great females.,Nv wa,Prometheus,In Greece, people treat Prometheus as the primogenitor(始祖)of human beings. It is said that he created huma

8、n beings by imitating the image of God. As a male God, he also loved his children, who even steal fire from the heaven and taught technologies to people. Because of these, he peeved（惹怒） Zeus and was locked on Caucasia Mountain, suffered from the pain of pecking by eagle. In Greek peoples mind, Prome

9、theus benefits human beings and dares to resist power, who boasts the excellent quality of great males.,Difference,As a country with an ancient civilization, the primitive religion and early mythology in china came into being about in the middle of matriarchal society(母系社会）, private ownership system

10、 had not come into being in that time. Under this condition, the gods in primitive religion and mythology appeared as servicer, and were guardians of the whole society, who is acted as leaders in their society. So the primogenitor Gods of China was females. But in western society, matriarchal societ

11、y had been subsided by patrilineal society（父系社会）; female Gods no longer occupied the core place. Besides, characteristics of Ancient Greek religion has a profound impact on the Greek cultureAncient Greece is the land of PantheismThe diversity of beliefs promoted the free development of cultureThe se

12、nsationalism of Ancient Greek religion formed dynamic national spirit which promoted cultural developmentGod and the people have the same appearance and temperament. This feature not only makes ancient Greek religion become all important source of Greek culture but also make Greek culture reflect a

13、clear human consciousness,Zeus,Hera,Poseidon,Demeter,Apollo,Ares,Hestia,Hermes,Hephaestus,Aphrodite,Artemis,Athena,Wife sister,sister,brother,sister,daughter,daughter,son,daughter,Plot and System,son,son,family color,blood bond,basic skeleton,Chinese Mythology,independent,segmental,Reason：Chinese my

14、thology is primitive mythology, which is an outcome of the primitive society. China is a big country with vast land and several nations. Every nation and tribe has its own myths, legends and supreme god. In ancient China, there wasnt a tribe that was as powerful as to conquer and annex the thousands

15、 of tribes on East Asia continent and unit China, so as to make their own tribes supreme god to be the supreme god of the whole ancient China. Therefore, the mythologies in ancient China didnt form a uniform system. The system of gods also did not from.,Archetypes of Gods,Myth-archetypal criticism o

16、riginates from Frazers anthropological discoveries, Carl Jungs analytical psychology and Northrop Fryes literary theories illustrating how human social, cultural and psychological experiences collected over thousands of years are reflected in primordial mythology, religious rituals and archetypes. I

17、t also studies how literature today is related with primordial mythology，primordial rituals and archetypes From the theories of myth-archetypal criticism and literary anthropology，we can easily find that even though different peoples have the same conflicts, heroes and themes in their mythologies，th

18、e various historical，cultural and social backgrounds and unique thinking patterns of these mythologies exhibit different world views and values.,Appearance,the same with human beings,half man and half animal,strong body charming appearance,Characteristics,Except for longevity and strong power, the g

19、ods in Greek mythology are the same with human being in other aspects, they can eat, drink and play, they pursue sex, they are happy, angry , rage and jealous. It can be said that these gods are belong to the earth, they bring naturality and sociality with them. It can also be said that these anthro

20、pomorphic gods are full of humanistic color. The famous Swiss scholar Anne bonnie thinks that: “the starting point of Greek civilization and its object is man. It starts from human beings need, focusing on peoples interests and progress, in order to achieve this aim, it explores the world and human

21、being at the same time. In Greek peoples mind, man and the world is reflection of each other.” Therefore, the Greek gods are similar to human beings in many aspects. However, in Chinese mythology, the gods are perfect, authoritative and inviolable. Their sense of mission is strong, each god has to h

22、old their post and cannot have emotions. It takes a very long time for becoming a god, and the indispensable condition is unselfish, which differs greatly from the Greek gods.,Morality,Zeus: self-willed, has no principle, full of jealousy and unrestrained. He likes to chase beautiful women, left a l

23、ong list of romantic debt in the divine world and mans world. Hera: very jealous. Even though she is often spited by Zeus, she frequently tries to hurt those female who are inferior to her. Nv Wa: After mending the sky, she transformed her body into everything on the earth, kindly, amiable Da Yu: di

24、dnt step into his home when pass by it while he was bringing the water under control for three time.,Spreading Ways and Influence,Greek mythology: great influence, profound and immeasurable Homer epics Ancient Greek tragedians Greek arts and sculptures Roman writers productions Influence on British

25、and American literature Shakespeares Troilus and Cressida Miltons Paradise Lost Keats Endymion Shellys Adonis Eliots Wasteland Pounds The Cantos,Chinese mythology,However, when it comes to Chinese mythology, its impact on the aftertime is smaller. As long time has passed away and lack of systematic

26、processing and preservation, in addition to the records in Shan Hai Jing (山海经) are more concentrated, the rest are scattered. Moreover, the written down mythologies are most fragments without a complete plot. In addition, myths lost their original look in circulation, the “half man half animal” images have been obliterated. As in the mainstream of Chinese Confucian culture, it is difficult for the myths to be incorporated into the orthodox history(正史).,Conclusion,Mythology is the result of collectiv