新建 希腊罗马神话.docx

新建 希腊罗马神话.docx

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新建希腊罗马神话

GreekMythology

GreekMythologyisagroupoftraditionaltalestoldbytheancientGreeksaboutthedeeds

ofgodsandheroesandtheirrelationswithordinaryhumanbeings.

TheancientGreeksworshipedmanygods.EachGreekcity-statehaditsownparticulargodsorgoddessesandbuilttemplesinhonorofthem.Thetemplegenerallyhousedastatueofthegodorgods.Storiesaboutthegodsweredifferent.Agodmighthaveonesetofcharacteristicsinonecityorregionandquitedifferentcharacteristicselsewhere.Soeachmythmayhaveanumberofversions.

Greekgodscanbedividedintoseveralgroups.TheearliestgroupwastheTitans,ledbyCronus.ThemostpowerfulgroupwastheOlympians.~TheGreekgodsandgoddessesresembledhumanbeingsintheirform,butthisformwasstronglyidealized.Theyalsoresembledhumanbeingsintheiremotionsandexperiencedjealousy,loveandgrief.Theysharedwithhumansadesiretoasserttheirownauthorityandtopunishanyonewhodeniedit.

Theirsociety,likehumansociety,consistedofmemberswithdifferentlevelsofauthorityandpower.Theirfamiliesandrelationshipsweresimilartothoseofhumanbeings.Zeusandwerehusbandandwife,ApolloandArtemiswerebrotherandsister,andthegodsonMountOlympusresembledaquarrelsomefamily,withZeusasitshead.Thegodscouldtemporarilyenterthehumanworld.Theymight,forexample,fallinlovewithahumanbeing,asAphroditedidwithAdonis...~andZeuswithAlcmeneandDanae.Ortheymightdestroyamortalwhodispleasedthem.However,therearesomeimportantdifferencesbetweengodsandhumanbeings.

Humansdied,andgodswereimmortal;godswereextraordinarilypowerful,andtheycouldchangeinform;gods'emotionsweremuchstrongerthanthoseofhumanbeings.

TherewereseveralgroupsofminorgodsinGreekmythology.Nymphswereminorgoddessesorspiritsofnature,livinginoceans,lakes,rivers,mountainsandtrees.ThreegoddessescalledFatescontrolledthedestinyofeveryman.TheMuses,ninedaughtersofZeus,weregoddessesofliterature,musicanddance.TheHoraeweregoddesseswhocontrolledtheseasons.TheFurieswereterriblegoddesseswhopursuedthosewhohadmurderedtheirfriendsorrelatives.

NotallGreekgodslookedlikehumanbeings.Theycouldalsolookverystrangeandhorrible,unlikeanynaturalcreaturesonearth.Forexample,Medusahadhundredsofsnakesinherhair,andaglaringstarethatturnedhervictimstostone.TheGraeaeweregray-hairedfrombirth,withbutasingletoothandasingleeyebetweenthem.

GreekheroeswerealmostasimportantasthegodsinGreekmythology.Heroeswerebig-

ger,braver,andmorebeautifulthanordinarymenandwomen.Inmostcasestheirfathersorgrandfathersweregods,buttheirmothersweremortals,sotheywereoftencalledhalf-gods.（calledHerculesinRomanmythology）probablythemostimportanthalf-god.Hewasthesymbolofstrengthandphysicalendurance.Anotherdemigod,Orpheus,becameknownforhisbeautifulsinging.Heroeswerefavouredbythegods,andworshipedaftertheir

'&'ath~owe~esdidnotalwaysactheroicallyinthemodernsense.

TheGreeksnotonlyretoldtheirmythsorally,butalsopreservedtheminliteraryandartisticworks.ScholarshavereconstructedGreekmythologybydrawingmaterialfromwrittentexts,sculpture,andpicturespaintedonpottery.Homer'sepics,theIliadandtheOdyssey,areoneofthemajorsourcesofourknowledgeofGreekmythology.TheIliadisabouttheTrojanWarandthequarrelbetweenAgamemnonandAchilles,twooftheleadingGreekwarriors.TheOdysseyisabouttheadventuresoftheGreekheroOdysseus,who,aftertheTrojanWar,sailsbacktohishomeontheislandofIthaca.AnotherimportantsourceisHesiod'sTheogony,writteninthe8thcenturyB.C.ataboutthesametimeasHomer'sepics.Itdescribesthebeginningoftheworldandthehistoryofthefamilyofthegods.Besides,theancientGreekpoetPindarandthethreegreatestdramatists--Aeschylus,SophoclesandEuripi-desalsotellusalotaboutGreekgodsandheroesintheirworks.Greekartists,too,portrayedmythology.wenowcanstillseesomestatuesofgodsinsideGreektemples,andreliefsculpturesofscenesfrommythologyoutsidethem.Amongthebest-knownexamplesaretheElginMarblesfromtheParthenoninAthens.WecanalsoseemythologicalimagerypaintedonGreekvases.

1.TheOriginoftheGods

AccordingtoGreekmyths,thegodChaoswasthesourceofallthings.FromChaoscame

Gaea,theEarth.GaeaimmediatelygavebirthtoUranus,whobecamekingofthesky.GaeamatedwithUranus,producingchildrenwhowerecalledtheTitans.TheTitanswerestrongandlarge.TheyoungestandmostimportantTitanwasCronus（SaturninRomanMyth）.

Uranusfearedhischildrenandpreventedthemfrombeingborn.GaeacalleduponhersonCronus,theyoungestTitan,tohelp.CronusattackedUranuswithasickleandcutoffhissexualorgansandthrewthemintothesea.FromthebloodyfoamintheseaAphrodite,goddessofsexuallove,wasborn.CronusthenfreedtheTitansfrominsideGaea.Takingawayhisfather'spower,Cronusbecamekingofthesky.CronusmarriedhissisterRhea,whoborenthreedaughtersandthreesons.ButCronusmdthathe,likeUranus,wouldbeover-thrownbyhischildren.

HethereforeswallowedhisfirstfivechildrenHestia,Demeter,Hera,Hades,andPoseidonimmediatelyaftertheirbirth.However,whentheirsixthchild,Zeuswasborn,RheahandedCronusastonewrappedinbabyclothes.RheathenhidtheinfantontheislandofCrete.AfterZeusgrewup,hereturnedtochallengehisfather.Byusingatrick,hecausedCronustovomithischildren.Thechildrenhadgrownintoadultswhileinsidetheirfather.ZeusthenledhisbrothersandsistersinawaragainstCronusandtheotherTitans.Zeusandhisfollowerswonthewar.They

drovetheTitanstoTartarus,adarkregiondeepwithintheearth.ThenthegodsandgoddesseschoseZeusastheirrulerandagreedtolivewithhimonMountOlympus.ThegodsandgoddesseswholivedonOlympusbecameknownasOlympians.

2.theTitans

TheTitanswerethechildrenofUranus（Heaven）andGaea（earth）,agroupofgodsofthegenerationbeforetheOlympiangods.Theyweregodsofenormoussizeandincredibleystrong.AccordingtoHesiod,theTitansweretwelveinnumber,sixmalesandsixfemales.AmongthemtheyoungestandmostimportantwasCronus,whomarriedRhea,hissister.RheagavebirthtoZeus,wholaterbecametheleaderoftheOlympiangods.TheotherimportantTitanswereOceanus,agreatriverencirclingtheearthandthefatheroftheriversandwater-nymphs;hiswife,Tethys;Mnemosyne,thegoddessofmemory;Themis,thegoddessofdivinejustice;Hyperion,thefatherofthesun,themoon,andthedawn;Iapetus,thefatherofPrometheus.

AfterZeusgrewup,hetrickedhisfatherintovomitingupallhischildrenhehadswallowed.ZeusthenledhisbrothersandsistersinawaragainstCronus.Thewarlastedfortenyears,shakingthewholeuniverse.ZeusfinallydefeatedCronusandtheTitanswhohadsupportedhim,andimprisonedtheminTartarus,aregionintheUnderworld.

SomeofthechildrenofTitanswerealsoregardedasTitans,notablyPrometheus,whocreatedmortals,andAtlas,whocarriedtheworld（orheaven）onhisshoulders.OfalltheTitansonlyPrometheusandOceanussidedwithZeusagainstCronus.Asaresult,theywerehonoredwhiletheotherswereboundinTartams.

3PrometheusandPandora

Prometheuswasamemberoftheearliestraceofgods,calledTitans.Prometheus'fatherwasIapetus,andhismotherwaseitherThemisorClymene.Hewasthoughtofasthefriendofmankindandtheirprotectoragainstthehostilityofgods.

WhenZeus,havingnoloveformen,deprivedtheearthoffiresoastodestroythem,Prometheusstolefirefromthegodsandgaveittomen.Healsoimprovedmen'slifebyteachingthemallkindsofartsandsciences.Atameetingofgodsandmentodecidewhatpartofsacrificedanimalsshouldbegiventothegods,Prometheusarrangedtwopiles:

inoneofthesethegoodfleshwascoveredwiththeworstpartsoftheanimals,andintheother,theboneswerecoveredwithfat.Zeuschosethesecondpileandwasveryangrywhenherealizedthathehadbeencheated.Butsincehehadmadehischoicehehadtosticktoit.Totakerevenge,ZeusorderedHephaestustocreateawoman,Pandora,madeoutofclay.Godsgaveherlifeandallkindsofgiftstomakehercharming,butHermestaughtherflatteryandcunning.ZeusgavePandoratoPrometheus'brotherEpimetheus,sinceheknewPrometheuswastoocunningtoacceptsuchadangerousgift.Epimetheuswashappytohaveherforhiswife,althoughhehadbeenwarnedbyhisbrother

PrometheusnevertoacceptanythingfromZeus.Pandorabroughtwithheramysteriousboxandhercuriosityledhertoopenthebox,fromwhichflewallkindsofevilsanddiseasesthatmenhadneverknownbefore.Shewasterrifiedandtriedtoshutthebox,butonlyHope,theonegoodthingamongmanyevilstheboxhadcontained,remainedtocomfortmenintheirmisfortunes.

ZeuswasveryangryatPrometheus'actionsagainsthim.TopunishPrometheus,heorderedhimchainedtoaremotepeakintheCaucasusMountains.AneaglecametodevourPrometheus'livereveryday,andthelivergrewbackeachnight.AfterPrometheushadsufferedformanycenturies,theheroHeracleskilledtheeagleandsetPrometheusfree.

5.theOlympianGods

TheGreekcalledtheirmostimportantgodstheOlympians,becausetheybelievedthesegodslivedonMountOlympusinnorthernGreece.TheOlympiansweretwelveinnumber.Thefollowingisalistofthem,withtheirRomannamesinthebraces:

Poseidon（Neptune）:

Godofthes