A Comparison between Ancient China Myths and Ancient Greek Myths

Characteristics of Ancient Myths in China

As a country with a long history and civilization, China is rich in myths in ancient times, but compared with other ancient civilizations, it has its own characteristics. To sum up, China ancient myths have the following characteristics:

1, rich, short and not strong in story.

China is rich in ancient myths, and it can be seen from Qu Yuan's Tian Wen that he raised more than 170 questions in one breath, and many of them are mythological questions. However, there is no special book record, mainly found in pre-Qin philosophers (such as Zhuangzi and Han Feizi), as well as Chu Ci, Shan Hai Jing and Huai Nan Zi. The ancient myths in China explain the formation of heaven and earth, the appearance of human beings, the existence of the sun, the moon and the stars, mountains, rivers and natural celestial bodies.

For example, Taiping Yulan, Volume II, Explanation of the Origin of the Universe and the Formation of Heaven and Earth, quoted Xú Zhēng's "The Three Kingdoms, May 35 Calendar" as a cloud:

Heaven and earth are chaotic like chickens, in which Pangu was born, at the age of eight thousand. Heaven and earth expand, sunny is the sky, cloudy is the ground. Pangu is among them, changing nine times a day. God is in heaven and saint is on earth. The sky is ten feet high, the earth is ten feet thick, and Pangu is ten feet; So eight thousand years old, the number of days is extremely high, the number of places is extremely deep, and Pangu is extremely long. Then Huang San.

In addition, the volume Deduction History leads to the whole "Five-Movement Calendar" cloud:

The first born Pangu is a dying incarnation, full of breath and thunder, with the sun in his left eye and the moon in his right eye. The five limbs are four poles and five mountains, the blood flow is rivers, the vein is geography, the muscles are fields, the hair is stars, the fur is vegetation, the teeth are precious stones, the essence is beads, the sweat is rain, and the insects in the body are Li Meng due to weathering.

Another example is the exploration of the origin of mankind. Seventy-eight times of "Taiping Magnolia" are quoted from Ying Shao's "Custom Yi Tong" in Han Dynasty;

Heaven and earth opened, and there was no one. Nu Wa is human. The audience sitting there was at a loss, but he introduced the rope into the mud and lifted it like a man. Therefore, rich people are also loess people; The poor and the ordinary are also people.

This myth says that wealth and poverty are predestined, which was set by Nu Wa when she created human beings, and obviously infiltrated the class social consciousness, but the previous part is undoubtedly the primitive people's understanding of the origin of human beings.

Another example is the myth's explanation of the setting sun, moon and stars in the west and the low terrain in the east of China. "Huainan Tian Zi Xun" said:

In the past, * * * workers and Zhuan Xu fought for the emperor, and in a rage, they touched a bad mountain. Tianzhu closed, the ground was cut off, the sky tilted to the northwest, and the sun, the moon and the stars moved; The land is not satisfied with the southeast, the water is flowing and the dust is returning.

In addition, qu yuan's JIU ge:

Kang Hui-feng is angry. Why does the land tilt to the southeast? (Press: Kang Hui is working.)

Another example is the myth about saving the flood, Shan Hai Jing Hai Nei Jing:

The flood was so terrible that Gun stole the emperor's land to cover it up. Before the emperor gave the order, the emperor ordered Zhu Rong to kill the gun in the feather suburb. Gun resurrected Yu, and the emperor ordered Yu to pave the soil for Kyushu.

In a word, China's ancient myths are rich. However, as can be seen from the above, the length of ancient myths in China is very short, the records of the deeds of God are very brief, and the story is not strong, and there is no lengthy and huge system and tortuous and vivid plot like ancient Greek myths.

Magic, fantasy.

The impossible in reality.

It is the shadow of history.

China myth:

China's ancient mythology has a very distinct spirit of Suntech, which is more prominent when compared with western mythology, especially Greek mythology. The great gods in China's ancient mythology all have the godhead characteristics of not eating human fireworks and not giving birth to mortal lust; Myths are full of eulogies and praises for the dedication of ancient heroes and emperors, as well as the work requirements for mythical figures to protect and help the people. This part is the inherent feature of congenital myth, and the other part is due to acquired transformation. For thousands of years, Suntech's spirit has been influencing people's evaluation of historical figures and expectations of realistic figures, and even influencing the trend of modern civilization in China since the 20th century.

Open the ancient myth of China, and a world of sages will come to us. Although the myth has no complete plot and the mythical characters have no systematic genealogy of gods, it has distinct oriental cultural characteristics, especially the spirit of Suntech. This spirit of Suntech is more prominent when compared with western myths, especially Greek myths. On the one hand, the spirit of Suntech in China's ancient mythology stems from the inherent characteristics of the original mythology, and on the other hand, it is also the most proud stroke of later mythological reformers. In western mythology, especially in Greek mythology, wisdom and strength are the criteria for judging gods, while in ancient China mythology, morality is the criterion for judging gods. This way of thinking has deeply injected China's cultural psychology. For thousands of years, this spirit of Suntech in China's ancient mythology has influenced people's evaluation of historical figures and expectations of realistic figures, determined the content and purpose of social education for people, and even influenced the trend of modern civilization in China since the 20th century.

one

"No earthly fireworks, no mortal lust" is an important feature of the divinity of the major gods in ancient China mythology. In many classics of China, the main gods in ancient China, such as Fuxi, Nuwa, Huangdi, Zhuan Xu, Yao, Shun and Yu, are noble and sacred. They are unsmiling, never make fun of human beings, nor are they jealous of hurting human beings. In their personal lives, they have always been very self-disciplined, pay great attention to details, pay attention to the cultivation of conduct and morality, and respect talents and abilities. Almost every god king has no "affair" or "sowing seeds of love". In them, there are only sacred aura, pure character and noble sentiment. Humans used to look at them, only looking up and worshiping, without any disrespect.

In the myth world of our country, let alone the myth transformed by later generations, it is an ancient primitive myth, and we can't see the description of the love life of the great gods or the details of their lives in this respect. Because there is little content about love in ancient myths in China, the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon's myth and the legend of the witch mountain goddess are very beautiful in the mythological world of China, and the scenery here is also very unique.

On the contrary, in ancient Greek mythology, all the gods we saw were secular and full of fireworks: Zeus, the king of the gods, was bohemian and made love with people, leaving a lot of romantic debts between the gods and the world. More seriously, he acted arbitrarily and unprincipled, full of jealousy and personal hobbies; Hera, the queen of God, is a model of gods and a goddess on earth, but she often loses her nature because of jealousy and hatred, and makes some cruel and godless stupid things, showing no respect for human beings. The Lord God is like this, and their gods have very similar characteristics. In the war between the Greek army and Troy, Achilles asked Agamemnon to return the captured female prisoner Chris to his father Apollo's priest, so Apollo was destroying the Greek army with plague because his priest's daughter was robbed. Agamemnon thought he was insulted and forced Chris, a female prisoner, to stay with him. Achilles was furious and led the troops out of the battle, so that the Trojan general hector quickly killed the Greek army that did not die of the plague. The Greeks were defeated only because of a woman. This result is beyond China's comprehension and forgiveness, and it is also forbidden by Suntech spirit in China mythology. Another example is that Apollo failed to play the flute in a match with Marsh, so he cruelly skinned Marsh and hung it on a tree. Another example is the brother and sister of Luna and Apollo. Because Ninobo laughed at their mother Titan Leto for giving birth to only one son and one daughter, and forbade Thebes women to offer sacrifices to Leto, they shot and killed many Ninobo children. And so on. It can be seen that in Greek mythology, apart from the difference in strength, God and man are emotionally consistent. The gods took off their coats and became secular mortals.

two

"Advocating and praising God's dedication" is another important embodiment of Suntech spirit in ancient China mythology. This spirit of sacrifice is first manifested in ancient creation myths. China's creation myth is to complete the creation of the universe at the expense of the creator's body. Thus, Pangu, a great pioneer in ancient China, turned his eyes into the sun and the moon, his limbs and head into five mountains, his blood into the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, his hair into mountains and vegetation, his muscles into soil, his bones and muscles into stones, and his parasites into people. Nu Wa, another pioneer goddess, has turned her body into everything after completing the great cause of mending heaven and creating man. Therefore, in Shan Hai Jing, there are ten gods on the cloud, which are made from the intestines of Nu Wa. Today, although we can't fully understand the details of Nuwa's products, this myth has revealed this information to us more or less.

Later, the ancestor God inherited the tradition of the creator God and carried it forward, creating an epic achievement for the Chinese nation. Suiren invented fire and went through all the hardships; In order to invent agricultural cultivation and herbs, Emperor Yan tasted all kinds of herbs and lived and died several times. Therefore, "Huai Nan Zi Xiu Wu Xun" said that Shennong "tasted the taste of a hundred herbs, and the sweetness and bitterness of the water spring made the people know what to do. At this time, it suffered seventy poisons in one day "; According to the history books of pre-Qin Dynasty, after ten years of water control, Dayu did not enter the house for three times, resulting in "no hair on his shin, too dry illness and different steps" ("Xunzi Flying" leads to the corpse).

Not only the creator god and the ancestor god, but also the stories and legends of China ancient mythical heroes and their eulogies all embody a spirit of advocating dedication and sacrifice. In these myths, most heroes who died for social progress and human happiness are praised by people; On the contrary, those sacred figures who are not conducive to social progress and hinder human happiness will be spurned and criticized. Therefore, Kuafu, who died day by day, Hou Yi, who shot at the sun to kill insects, and Dayu, who saved the people from floods, all occupy a lofty position in people's hearts. After being drowned by the flood, he became a bird. He kept filling the sea with wood and stones and was respected by people for generations. And those villains who harm human beings like snakes will be destroyed by history and culture if they are not destroyed by heroes.

The spirit of dedication generally embodied by the ancient gods in China is not possessed by the mythical heroes of other nationalities in the world. In Greek mythology, its pioneering myth is full of blood: Kaya, the most prosperous and broad-minded mother in the universe, Tal talos, the god of hell, and eros, the god of love. Keos gave birth to Nyx, the god of night, and Eribo, the god of darkness. Aluminum ode? Dip in the bucket and carry 8 ether theft? Song? Deng Geng, blink? 4. midges! ⒏⒏ ① ① ① ①? Deng Gou Flash Crisp Zhu Peptide Cover Lipid Ether Wall Mince? Xin Cai embarrassed: What? Hey? Hey? Deng Gonghuan? Yong Temple, Deng Shaoshuo, pardon? Temple, Denggua, Sister Meng, wall, string mining? Aluminum boss? Xin? I'm close to plutonium. Does Dengsi buy ε filter? Muqiao? Product? Lie to me? A gift? Hey? What is drought? Discharge discipline? Professional master again? Little Theodore. Why did you steal from your father? Green silk to death? Brown? Pie? Aluminum brittle stem? What is the best choice? Now ruthenium products? Shuogaizhuo Temple, Deng Geng? Jump? Is Lu Juanshuo in charge of the aluminum company? ⒘ á á á á á á á á á á á á á á á á? Is it difficult to catch larvae in the ditch? Jurisdiction? (2) You are unlucky now, you are young and naive. Hey?

Not only Greek mythology, Babylonian mythology and Nordic mythology have a strong smell of blood. Enuma Elish, who recorded Babylonian mythology, said that at the beginning, there were two schools of protoss: one school symbolized irregular "chaos" and was an elf born in Wang Yang; The other school symbolizes the regular "order" and is a god separated from Wang Yang. The process of creation is understood as the battle between chaos and order. Finally, order triumphed over chaos, and all things and human beings were created with the bodies of monsters in the chaotic family. According to Norse mythology, Odin killed the powerful ice giant and created everything in the world with his body.

three

The spirit of Suntech in China ancient mythology is not only reflected in the noble and great dedication of the great gods, but also in their sense of responsibility to protect and help the people. In the eyes of China people, since they are worshipped, they should do their duty to protect and help the people. Many famous gods in ancient China had the identity of ancestor gods. These ancestor gods are outstanding figures in their own tribe, and they have played a great role in the development and growth of their own nation or in major changes of their own nation. The prerequisite for them to become the ancestors of their own nation also determines their responsibilities and obligations as great gods. Especially since the Western Zhou Dynasty, due to the needs of history and politics, a hundred schools of thought contend to consciously transform mythical figures and add heroic virtues of human ideals to them. As a result of this phenomenon, the remaining wildness of ancient mythical characters completely disappeared, and some were only hypocrisy and exaggeration. So these ancient mythical heroes or ancestor gods stepped onto the historical stage with a brand-new attitude, and changed from gods to human emperors with perfect moral character. First of all, they all attach importance to the whole world, and it is their fundamental duty to rule the world and benefit mankind. Dayu is one of them. Dayu is selfless and dedicated himself to the happiness of the whole world. Others such as, Huangdi, Yao and Shun. At the same time, the ancient gods in China myths and legends did not take the world as their own, but endowed them with talents, which was called the virtue of "abdication". So Yao passed the throne to Shun when he was old, and Shun also passed the throne to Dayu. This realm is so beautiful that future generations can't even figure out whether it is a historical fact or a myth.

The myths and legends of ancient Greece show completely different cultural characteristics from those of China. In ancient Greek mythology, the gods, like human beings, also showed common feelings such as love, hate, anger, lust and jealousy. Pandora's Box is an example: when human beings were created, the protagonist Prometheus helped them observe the stars, discover minerals and master production technology. Zeus, as a heavenly father, refused to give mankind "fire" out of jealousy. Prometheus took the fire from the flame of the solar car and gave it to mankind. After Zeus found out, he locked Prometheus on the Caucasus Mountain and let the fierce hungry eagle peck at his liver. At the same time, Zeus stepped up the pace of revenge on mankind. He ordered Vulcan to create a beautiful Pandora-"a woman with all talents". The gods endowed her with tenderness, intelligence and beauty, and asked her to take a box to see Prometheus' brother Epimetheus. Epimetheus left Pandora and opened the box that brought disaster to mankind, so pain, disease, jealousy and so on flew out of the box, and the world fell into a dark abyss. Zeus was not satisfied with this. He launched a flood to exterminate mankind.

Compared with China's myths of mending the sky, filling the sea, chasing the sun, flying to the moon, shooting at the sun and controlling water, these behaviors in western mythology are completely different. If Zeus had unfortunately become the ancient God King of China, he would have fallen into the abyss of perdition.

The spirit of Suntech embodied in China's ancient myths, some of which are inherent characteristics of congenital myths, and some of which are artificially transformed the day after tomorrow. It is the result of cultural transformation and choice of civilized society. After the remolding and selection of this culture, the little "humanity" left by the ancient great gods disappeared, leaving only an idealized image far away from society and human beings, so their original divinity was weakened and they became idols worshipped by the world and models of emperors on earth. Therefore, the mythical god eventually evolved into the ancestor of the world, the worship of god became the ancestor worship, and the myth became the religious worship.

It is this spirit of Suntech that makes the requirement of "virtue" reflected everywhere in China culture. In our traditional realm of life, putting "self-cultivation" in the first place also illustrates this point. Only by "starting from scratch" can we cultivate ourselves first, then unite our families, and then rule the country and level the world. In the long civilized society the day after tomorrow, whether I abolish the monarch and replace him, or the monarch demotes me and punishes me, there are always excuses from "morality". It seems that only in this way can one "coup" or "condemnation" be justified and logical. This cultural choice can still be seen everywhere, even in today's social life, in the thinking and habits of our nation.

Ancient Greek mythology:

Ancient Greek myths and legends are indispensable reference books for historians to study and understand ancient Greece. For writers and artists, it is one of the reference and source of creation; For us ordinary people, it is one of the signs of knowledge and accomplishment. They have strong aesthetic value and cognitive value. Reading them can not only bring us aesthetic pleasure, but also give us a better understanding of ancient Greece. Greek mythology has been dazzling and enduring in the history of human thought, culture and art. The self-esteem, justice, perseverance and order of human childhood are displayed here as a magnificent picture, which has continued to this day. ...

The beauty and moving of ancient Greek mythology are world-famous.

Ancient Greece is one of the ancient civilizations in the world. The activities of the ancient Greeks mainly included the southern Balkans, the western coastal areas of Asia Minor and the islands in the eastern Mediterranean. In addition, they have been in contact with the residents of the Black Sea coastal areas for a long time, and emigrated to the southern coastal areas of the Italian Peninsula and Sicily, with footprints as far away as the western Mediterranean and North Africa. The ancient Greeks created splendid and colorful cultures, and left a rich legacy in the process of their survival and development, among which myths and legends are one.

Ancient mythology has a long history, which is the product of ancient humans conquering natural forces with the help of imagination during the period of low productivity development. Thus, the ancient myth must include the story of God and the story of the relationship and conflict between man and God, that is, the legend of heroes. The story of God more clearly reflects the rich imagination of ancient human beings in visualizing powerful natural phenomena, while the legend of heroes mainly worships and idealizes legendary figures and related events that may have some historical significance, reflecting the survival activities of ancient human beings and their tenacious struggle with nature. Ancient Greek mythology also includes these two aspects.

Ancient Greek myths and stories were formed very early. They are the crystallization of collective creation from ancient generations. Myth was first passed down by word of mouth, and then by words. Its earliest written document handed down from generation to generation is Homer's epic. In addition to the main story, the epic also mentioned many other fairy tales, which were obviously widely circulated and known at that time. Shortly after Homer, there was the ancient Greek poet hesiod's long poem "Divine Spectrum", which briefly described many fairy tales and tried to pedigree those stories. The theme of ancient Greek tragedy is basically based on myth, which is a dramatic embodiment of the writer's realistic understanding of those fairy tales. In the Hellenistic period after the third century BC, Alexander scholars made great contributions to the collection and preservation of ancient Greek myths in the collection and annotation of classic works, while some poets excavated many little-known mythological allusions under the guidance of the principle of knowledge.

Influenced by animism, ancient Roman mythology lacked vivid thinking about gods and fairy tales. Heroic legends are also mainly reflected in historical stories, and the characters in the stories are more realistic than Superman. After being exposed to the ancient Greek mythology, the ancient Romans were quickly attracted by the Greek mythology of the passive people, thus widely absorbing the images and stories of the ancient Greek gods, and a unique fusion of ancient Greek and Roman myths and legends appeared.

The ancient Greek nation has undergone several changes in its development process, and their myths and concepts have also changed constantly in this change. The basic feature of this change is the change from nature worship to human nature worship. People are familiar with the basic characteristics of Greek mythology in this period: man created God in the image of J himself, and endowed God with human form, humanity and even human social relations. The basic difference between God and man is that God is powerful, immortal and carefree. Human beings are weak, will die and have a hard life. They often have to turn to the gods, but they often curse them for doing evil. The ancient Greeks worshipped God, but at the same time they also praised people, the courage and enterprising spirit of _ _. The ancient Greeks criticized the weaknesses of life, such as pride, cruelty, vanity, greed, violence and stubbornness, and thought that it was these weaknesses that often caused the tragedy of life. The ancient Greeks worshipped gods, but they did not give them excessive sublimity, nor did they regard them as the standard of moral measurement, but regarded them as the reflection of life. It is with this humanistic spirit, touching stories and profound ideological connotation that ancient Greek mythology has always attracted readers, exuded the power of frogman, and made people never tire of reading it, becoming rich materials for later literary and artistic creation.

History becomes legend, legend becomes myth, and myth becomes story, which shows that the credibility of myth lies between legend and story.