A comparative analysis on Greek and Roman mythology.docx

A comparative analysis on Greek and Roman mythology.docx

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AcomparativeanalysisonGreekandRomanmythology

Abstract

GreekandRomanmythologyisofgreatacademicvalueconcerningtheoriginofwesternculture.However,itisoftenveryhardtodifferGreekmythologyfromRomanmythologysincethemodernscholarsusuallystudythemasawhole.Thepaperwillmakeacomparasionbetweenthetwosystemofmythsformthreeaspects,includingtheviewofworldconstruction,thenatureofgodsandthevaluesreflectedfromtheheroiclegends.

Keywords:

Greekmythology;Romanmythology;worldconstruction;value

摘要

希腊罗马神话在探究西方文化起源方面具有重要的学术价值。

然而，现代的研究通常都是不加区分的将他们作为整体研究，因而人们通常都很难将两者区分开来。

论文将主要从三个方面对这两个神话系统进行对比，即世界结构观，神的神性以及英雄传说中体现的价值观。

关键词：

希腊神话；罗马神话；世界结构；价值观

AcomparativeanalysisonGreekandRomanmythology

Introduction

GreekmythologyandRomanmythologytogetherconsistanimportantpartofthewesternculture.Theyareusuallymentionedundifferentiatedlyinacademicstudiessoastothatpeoplecannotdistinguishedthem.Veryoften,peoplecannottellthegodsfromthesetwomythsapartsinceRomanmythologyhasintroducedmanygodsfromGreekmythology.AlargenumberofthegodsorgoddessinRomanmythologyhasoriginatedfromGreekmythology.ItseemsthatRomanmythologyisjustadifferentversionofGreekmythology.However,RomanmythologyhasitsownmeaningwhichisfarfromjustbeingaduplicateoftheGreekmythology.ItisnecessarytomakeacomparativestudybetweentheminordertoseethedifferencesandtheuniquenessinRomanmythology.RomanmythologydiffersfromGreekmythologyinmanyperspectivessuchastheconstructionoftheworld,thenatureofgodsandthevaluehiddenintheheroiclegends.

I.AnintroductiontoGreekandRomanmythology

A.Greekmythology

GreeceandRomearethecradleofwesternculture.Greekandromanmythology,asthesymbolofGreeceandRome,arethereforeofgreatsignificancetothewesternculture.

GreekmythologyisabodyofmythsandlegendsbelongingtotheancientGreeks.Itisacollectionofstoriesconcerningmany"godsandheroes,thenatureoftheworld,andtheoriginsandsignificanceoftheirownculturalandritualpractices".Themanystoriesofgodstrystoexplaintheoriginsoftheworld,anddetailsthelivesinancientGreece.TheywereapartofreligioninancientGreeceandarepartofreligioninmodernGreece.ModernstudiesofthemythstendtothrowlightonthereligiousandpoliticalinstitutionsofAncientGreece,itscivilization,andtogainunderstandingofthenatureofmythitself.

.TheGreekmythologyweknowtodayisasystemwhichismadeofstoriesfromvarioussourcesincludingliterarysources,archeologicalfindings.TheoldestknownGreekliterarysources,theepicpoemsIliadandOdyssey,focusoneventssurroundingtheTrojanWar.TwopoemsbyHomer'snearcontemporaryHesiod,theTheogonyandtheWorksandDays,containaccountsofthegenesisoftheworld,thesuccessionofdivinerulers,thesuccessionofhumanages,theoriginofhumanwoes,andtheoriginofsacrificialpractices.ArchaeologicalfindingsalsoprovideaprincipalsourceforGreekmythology,withgodsandheroesinthedecorationofmanyartifactsorpotteries.

Asavastsystem,Greekmythologyhasanextensiveinfluenceonthearts,andtheliteratureandthelanguageofWesterncivilizations.PoetsandartistsfromancienttimestothepresenthavederivedinspirationfromGreekmythology.Also,GreekmythologyhadaninfluenceonthecultureofmanycommentarycountriessuchasRome.TheGreekinfluenceonRomewasexplicitlyexhibitedintheRomanmythology.

B.Romanmythology

LikeGreekmythology,Romanmythologyisthebodyoftraditionalstoriesofgodsandheroes,concerningwithancientRome'slegendaryoriginsandreligioussystem.asrepresentedintheliteratureandvisualartsoftheRomans.

TheRomansusuallytreatedtheirtraditionalnarrativesashistorical,evenwhenthesehavemiraculousorsupernaturalelements.Thestoriesareoftenconcernedwithpoliticsandmorality,andhowanindividual'spersonalintegrityrelatestohisorherresponsibilitytothecommunityorRomanstate.Heroismisanimportanttheme.WhenthestoriesilluminateRomanreligiouspractices,theyaremoreconcernedwithritual,augury,andinstitutionsthanwiththeologyorcosmogony.

RomanmythologyhasgreatlyinfluencedbyGreekmythologywithrespecttothereinterpretationofGreekmythswithaRomanversioninRomanmythology.DuringRome'sprotohistory,GreekreligionhadaninfluencedonthewholeItalianpeninsula.Inthattime,GreekmythologyhadintroducedintoRome.Inlatertime,therehadbeenapopularperiodartisticimitationofGreekliterarymodelsbyRomanauthors.ThesefactorsresultsinRomans'eagertoidentifytheirowngodswiththoseoftheGreeks,andreinterpretationofthestoriesaboutGreekdeitiesunderthenamesoftheirRomancounterparts.Rome'searlymythsandlegendsalsohaveadynamicrelationshipwithEtruscanreligion,lessdocumentedthanthatoftheGreeks.

WhileRomanmythologymaylackabodyofdivinenarrativesasextensiveasthatfoundinGreekliterature,RomulusandRemussucklingtheshe-wolfisasfamousasanyimagefromGreekmythologyexceptfortheTrojanHorse.BecauseLatinliteraturewasmorewidelyknowninEuropethroughouttheMiddleAgesandintotheRenaissance,theinterpretationsofGreekmythsbytheRomansoftenhadthegreaterinfluenceonnarrativeandpictorialrepresentationsof"classicalmythology"thanGreeksources.Inparticular,theversionsofGreekmythsinOvid'sMetamorphoses,writtenduringthereignofAugustus,cametoberegardedascanonical.

II.ThedifferencesbetweenGreekandRomanmythology

WhenwearelearningaboutGreekandRomanmythology,wecanoftenfindthatthenamesofthegodsareconfusingsincetheyareoftentwoversionsofgods'names.Itcouldoftenhappenthatweseesamestoriesbutdifferencenamesofthecharacters.BecauseofRomanmythology'sintroductionofmanygodsfromGreekmythology.AlargenumberofthegodsorgoddessinRomanmythologyhasoriginatedfromGreekmythology.Wecouldn'tinmanycasesdistinguishthem.ItseemsthatRomanmythologyisjustadifferentversionofGreekmythology.However,RomanmythologyhasitsownmeaningwhichisfarfromjustbeingaduplicateoftheGreekmythology.Inthefollowingpart,thedifferencebetweenRomanmythologyandGreekmythologyintheperspectivesoftheconstructionoftheworld,thenatureofgodsandthevaluehiddenintheheroiclegendsarediscussed.

A.Theconstructionoftheworldinthemyths

ThereisanobviousdifferentinterpretationoftheconstructionoftheworldintheGreekmythologyandRomanmythology.InGreekmythology,theworldisinanovaluniverse.Therearefivepartintheworldwhicharehumans'land,theunknownocean,thechaosattheendoftheocean,heavenontheMountOlympuswheregodsandgoddesslive,andtheundergroundwheregiantslives.Theheaven,oceanandthechaosaregovernedrespectivelybythreemaingods,Zeus,PoseidonandHardis.Thelandwherehumanlivesisco-governedbythesethreegods.Buttheundergroundisleftasidewiththegiantskeepingintheundergroundworld.

Greekmythologyhasrecordedtheoriginoftheworldinaromanticway.ItissaidthattheoldestgodinthebeginningoftheuniverseisChaos.Hemarksthebeginningoftheworldandthemyth.Then,GaeaandTartaruswereborn.Afterthat,GaeagavebirthtotwelveOuranosmeaningtheskyandOceanusmeaningtheocean.Also,atthebottomoftheearth,Erevus,meaningdarknessandNightgavebirthtoLightandDay.Afterthat,twelveTitanswereborn.ThesetwelvetitanslaterbecametheforefathersofgodsGreekmythology.Themaingodsinthemythologywerealldescentsofthetwelvetitans.WecanseethatintheperspectiveofGreekmythology,thereisaformationprocessoftheworldfromthechaosandtheappearanceoflightgivebrightnesstotheworld.Thepersonificationofthenatureexplaintheformationprocessofthewold.Thisisaromanticimaginationoftheworldoriginandtheconstructionoftheworld.

However,inRomanmythology,weseenosuchromanticexplanationoftheworldconstructionasfoundinGreekmythology.Infact,therearenorecordoftheoriginoftheworldinRomanmyths.TheoldRomedidhaveitsowntalesabouttheearlyworldbeforethemanygods.ButtheyweremostlyrelatedtothehistoryofRome.OnlyaftertheestablishmentoftheRomanRepublic,romanpoetsstartedtomodeltheGreekmythologytowritetheirownmyths.Thus,thewell-recordedpartoftheRomanmythologylacksthedescriptionoftheworldformation.Itmostlyconcernwithitsowncountryratherthantheworld.

Seenfromtheperceptionoftheoriginoftheworld,Greekmythologyaremoreofanattempttounderstandtheexistenceoftheworldandaremoreawareoftheoutsideworld.ButRomanmythologyaremoreconcernedaboutitself,mainlydealingwithwhatisrelatedtothemselves.

B.Thenatureofgods

Thegodspalyadominantroleinthemyths.Theriseandfallofthegodsandthehierarchyinthegodsdeterminesthecreativenessofthemyths.Wecaninfurtherstepexplorethenatureofthegodsfromtheinternalrelationshipbetweenthegods.

InGreekmythology,therearemainlytwogroupsofgodswhichistheTitanprotossandOlympusprotoss.Thesetwogroupofgodsgoverntheworldinaninterchangemanner.ThemaingodsinGreekmythologyisthefatherofgods,Zeuswhoisanalmighty.Hehasandominantpoweronothergods.Heisanabsoluteauthoritywhocannotbearanyquestion.Havinganabsolutesuperior,thegiantsandtheTitanprotosscannothavethreatonitsdominantposition.Although,theOlympusprotosshave