1、Greek & Roman MythologyLecture 1Introduction Course objectives Grades & Reference book Definition of terms Development of Greek and Roman Mythology Theories of interpreting mythsI. Course Objectives(课程目标课程目标) Learn the stories (myths) about Greek & Roman gods, goddesses, and heroes Develop the abili
2、ty to read critically and explore the meaning behind the myths. Know more about the social life, customs, religion and history of ancient Greece; understand people in primitive society and western cultureI. Course Objectives(课程目标课程目标) (Con.) Gain an understanding of how Greek & Roman myths have infl
3、uenced later literature, art, language, film, etc. Develop the power to express ideas in written form.II. Grades & Reference Book Class Performance (30%), which includes: Attendance and class participation(15%), Quizzes(15%) Paper Writing (20%) Final Examination (50%) II. Grades & Reference Book 古希腊
4、罗马神话传说古希腊罗马神话传说(The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome) III. Mythology (definitions) 定义定义 “Study of myth” What is myth? What do you think of when you hear the word “myth”? “Thats just a myth.” Myth (Mythos) in Greek means “story”III. Mythology (definitions) 定义定义 Different types of STORY Sa
5、ga Legend Folktale 民间故事 Folklore 民间传说 Epic 史诗 Fable 寓言，童话 Fairytale 童话What is a myth? Myth Greek mythos “a traditional story with collective importance.” Myths are “traditional” tales. Lat. trado, “hand over.” Handed over orally and transmit a cultures sense of itself: past wisdom, memories, and mod
6、els Hence a myth has “collective importance.”What is a myth? A myth has no identifiable author. A myth that is written down in a literary form uses a story that preceded it. e.g. Sophocless Oedipus plays.What is a myth? Oral transmission will create constant changes in the myth. Various ways of emph
7、asizing motives and meaning: Variants in the narrative elements: Oedipus in Sophocles and Homer A “myth” is the complex of all variants. Myth is a traditional story with collective importance. Oral No identifiable author Many variants of the same myth possible Culturally important to the people who
8、told them and listened to themTypes of MythCan be distinguished by the nature of the main characters and the meaning they had for the listeners.Divine MythSupernatural beings are the main actorsLegend (Saga)Main actors are human heroesFolktalesMain actors are ordinary people or animalsDivine MythsTr
9、ue Myths or Myths ProperTypes of Myth: Divine Myth Gods are beings that are vastly superior, more powerful, and more splendid than human beings. Control forces of nature and can cause cosmic disasters. Their divine myths take place in a time when the world was different from the way it is now. Befor
10、e time and space functioned as it does now.Types of Myth: Divine Myth Divine myth often provide the grand explanations for why the cosmos is the way it is. Its overall structure Its rhythms Humankinds place in it and its duties and roles.Types of Myth: Divine Myth Divine myth and modern theoretical
11、science both tell of the origins of the fundamental arrangement of the cosmos as we experience it Divine myth attributes the causes to the acts of Gods Theoretical science refers to impersonal and general lawsTypes of MythLegendLegend As divine myth is analogous 相似的 to theoretical science, so legend
12、 is analogous to history. “What happened in the human past?” Central characters are great human heroes. The gods play a role, but they are not at center stage. Apollo orders Orestes to kill his mother, but Orestes is the main character.Legend These are not the acts of ordinary human beings, but they
13、 are still human. Legends took place on earth in the remote past and were thought by the Greeks to be real human events.Legend The archaeological discovery reveals that these legends contain elements of historical accuracy. Eg., TroyFolktale Primary purpose is to entertain. May also explain or justi
14、fy traditional forms of society and beliefs. Good eventually wins out Family structures and order Many popular films, TV programs, and novels are analogous to folktales.Myth (definitions) Myth proper (正统神话) “Traditional (i.e. passed on by generations) story about the gods and humankinds relationship
15、 to the gods” Saga/Legend (传奇) “traditional story which has its origins in historical event”, concerned with heroes Folktale (民间故事) “traditional story told mainly for the sake of entertainment”, concerned with common peopleMyth (other terms, cont) Text in this course mainly organized around 2 catego
16、ries: 1) myth (i.e. stories about the gods) 2) saga (i.e. stories with origins in historical events)Some Myths to Categorize Jason and the Golden Fleece Birth of Athena1. Literature （文学）(1) Works of two influential Greek writers 1) Iliad ilid 伊里亚特 Odyssey disi 奥德赛 by Homer 荷马 (around 800 BCE) 2) The
17、ogony i:gni 神谱 Works and Days 工作与时日 by Hesiod hi:sid (approx. active between 750-650 BC) （赫西奥德）IV. Sources of Greek and Roman Mythology (2) the dramatic works of Aeschylus eskls (埃斯库罗斯 approx. 600-500 BC）, Sophocles skli: （索福克勒斯approx. 5 cen. BC ）, Euripides juripidi: （欧里庇得斯 approx. 5 cen. BC ） and
18、Aristophanes risti: （阿里斯托芬approx. 500-400 BC ）(3) Work of important Roman writer Ovid(奥维德) Metamorphoses 7metm:fuz 变形记(approx. 8 AD)2. The work of historians, like Herodotus hirts (希罗多德, 被称为西方历史之父, approx. 5 cen. BC ) V. Theories of Interpretation: Outline Introduction Historical Etiological（原因说） Al
19、legorical Charter Ritual Psychological Theories Structuralist Feminist and Gender Studies ConclusionTheories of Interpretation: IntroductionMany attempt to come up with ONE theory to explain the origin of ALL myths.Greek myths too varied for any one interpretation to work for all myths.Each theory d
20、oes work for some myths. Euhemerism ju:hemerzm (神话即历史论), which claims that the gods were originally historical heroes who were later deified. People are still looking for historical truths hidden behind myths with the help of archeology. Eg. The historical site of Troy, in northwestern Asia Minor1.
21、Historical2. Aetiological Myths invented to give a cause or explanation for something in real world. E.g. Why the seasons vary (Persephone and Demeter) Icarian aikrin Sea (伊卡洛斯海）or the island of Icaria (P371, P246)The Abduction of Persephone2. Aetiological Icarian aikrin Sea (伊卡洛斯海）got its name from
22、 Icarus aikrs & his father Daedalus di:dls (代达罗斯)who escaped from Crete (克里特) by making wings held together with wax Icarus flew too close to sun & wax melted He fell into sea which took its name from himIcarian， 过分冒险的; 胆大妄为的The Lament for IcarusDaedalus and Icarus Map of Greece Myths are allegorica
23、l(寓言的) statements about natural phenomena like sun, moon, wind, rain, etc. E.g. Zeus sends rain & has lightning bolt as his weapon E.g. myth of Helios hi:lis(赫利俄斯) (sun god) riding across the sky in a golden chariot from E. to W. & returning by river Oceanus3. Allegorical4. Charter myth explains and
24、 justifies social, economic, political, as well as religious practices of a society E.g. myth about the origin of humankinds sacrifices to Greek gods Custom for humans to get meat from sacrifices while gods only get bones Goes back to long time ago when men & gods were at a banquet & Prometheus tric
25、ked Zeusmeat hidden inside an oxs stomach and bones wrapped in fat. i.e. this myth states precedent for why things are done in this way for sacrifice; its charter myth for sacrificial practices5. Ritual Myths come from religious rituals Myths are stories invented to explain rituals and ceremonies Ri
26、tual of Dionysus dainaiss: tearing apart living animal and eating its flesh Euripides, Bacchae bki: Pentheus torn apart by his mother & women of Thebesi:bz (底比斯) under inspiration of Dionysus Psychological Theories Freud frid (弗洛伊德) Jung ju (荣格)Psychological Theories: 1. Freud(1) myth is the express
27、ion not of social forces but of the inner mechanisms of the soul. (2) psychosexual development(3) the theory of the unconscious(4) the interpretation of dreams(5) the Oedipus edips Complex (俄狄浦斯情结)Psychological Theories: 1. Freud(1)Myths could be explained psychologically as wish-fulfillment fantasi
28、es (愿望实现) E.g. myth (or saga) of Oedipus edips : Freuds Oedipus complex “every males 1st lust is directed towards his mother & his 1st jealousy & hatred is directed towards his father.” Electras complex by Jung(2)Dreams and myths are similar in how they work Freud saw dreams as the expression of rep
29、ressed or concealed desires. Myths may have been formulated in relation to problems in everyday life Symbols used in myths as device to relieve anxiety by hiding true significancePsychological Theories: 2. Jung Like Freud, Jung saw relationship between dreams & myth Dreams are revelations of “collec
30、tive unconscious” Archetypes or images in dreams & myths Earth-mother Supreme sky god Wise old man jealous wife Jung maintains that these archetypes recur again and again in myths & dreams Used by mind to release one from anxietyStructuralist- Claude Levi-Strauss Myth as mode of communication in whi
31、ch the structure or interrelationships between the parts, rather than the individual elements alone, establish meaning. Human behavior is patterned and the human mind has a binary structure, such as raw/cooked, life/death, hunter/hunted, nature/culture, male/female. The meaning of a myth is “coded”
32、in its structure. One of the principal aims of myth is to negotiate between pairs of opposites and to resolve them.Feminist and Gender Studies of Myth Approach myth from perspective of women, especially by looking at myth from perspective of female characters in myth, centered on the treatment and p
33、osition of women. Role of women in Greek society patriarchal society majority of literature written by men & has a strong male bias some early literature has misogynistic tone women were citizens but didnt have a role to play in civic life. They didnt have the right to vote. double standard in sexua
34、l behaviour The role of women in religious rituals was fundamental; and they participated in many festivals of their own, from which men were excluded. Feminist Interpretations of Myth Theme of rape theme of rape very common in Greek myth usually male god pursuing a mortal woman Zeus & Apollo are mo
35、st frequent rapists e.g. Leda & Swan Apollo & Daphne dfni Leda and the SwanLeda and the SwanApollo and Daphne in most cases women didnt want to have sexual relations with these gods but they have no choice probably a reflection of a society in which sexual violence against women was commonplace Godd
36、esses dont behave in such a promiscuous fashion (Aphrodite an exception) which reflects womens role in society Theme of Homosexuality E.g. Zeus and GanymedeZeus and Ganymede gnimi:d盖尼米得盖尼米得Ganymede, A Trojan boy of great beauty whom Zeus carried away to be cupbearer to the gods on OlympusConclusion No one theory or approach will work on all myths, but each theory may be of value in understanding particular myths or groups of myths. As course proceeds well apply some of the theories of interpretation to some myths
