盘古开天辟地等中外神话.doc

1 盘古开天辟地Pangu Separates the Sky from the earthThe sky and the earth were at first one blurred entity like an egg. Pangu was born into it. The separation of the sky and the earth took eighteen thousand years- the yang which was light and pure rose to become the sky, and the yin which was heavy and murky sank to form the earth. Between them was Pangu, who went through nine changes every day, his wisdom greater than that of the sky and his ability greater than that of the earth. Every day the sky rose ten feet higher, the earth became ten feet thicker, and Pangu grew ten feet taller. Another eighteen thousand years passed, and there was an extremely high sky, an extremely thick earth, and an extremely tall Pangu. Then came the Three Emperors.So these numbers came into existence and evolve like this. The number begins with one, becomes established at three, is completed at five, prospers at seven, and ends in nine. So the sky is nine thousand li from the earth. 2 盘古化生万物 Pangu Turns into a Myriad of ThingsPangu, who was born before anything else, underwent great bodily changes when he was dying. His breath became winds and clouds, his voice thunder, his left eye the sun and right eye the moon; his arms and legs the four poles of the earth and the five parts of his body the five mountains; his blood formed the rivers and his veins the roads; his flesh and skin became the soil of the fields and his hair and moustache the stars; the fine hair on his skin turned into grass and trees, his teeth and bones metals and rocks; his marrow changed to pearls and jade, and his sweat fell as rain that nourished all things; the insects on his body, caressed by the winds, took the shape of men and women.3 女娲造人 Nüwa Makes MenIt is said that there were no men when the sky and the earth were separated. It was Nüwa who made men by moulding yellow clay. The work was so taxing that her strength was not equal to it. So she dipped a rope into the mud and then lifted it. The mud that dripped from the rope also became men. Those made by moulding yellow clay were rich and noble, while those made lifting the rope were poor and low. 4 女娲补天 Nüwa Mends the SkyIn ancient times, the four corners of the sky collapsed and the world with its nine regions split open. The sky could not cover all the things under it, nor could the earth carry the things on it. A great fire raged and could not be checked. Savage beasts devoured innocent people; vicious birds preyed on the weak and old. Then Nüwa melted rocks of five colors and used them to mend the cracks in the sky. She supported the four corners of the sky with the legs she had cut off from a giant turtle. She killed the black dragon to save the people of Jizhou, and blocked the flood with the ashes of reeds.Thus the sky was mended, its four corners lifted, the flood tamed, Jizhou pacified, and harmful birds and beasts killed, and the innocent people were able to live on the square earth under the dome of the sky. It was a time when birds, beasts, insects and snakes no longer used their claws or teeth or poisonous stings, for they did not want to catch or eat weaker things.精卫填海 Jingwei Determines to Fill up the SeaOn Fujiu Hill grew a lot of mulberry trees. Among them lived a bird which looked like a crow, but had a colorful head, a white bill and two red claws. Its call sounded like its name: Jingwei. The bird was said to be Emperor Yandis youngest daughter, Nüwa, who, while playing on the East Sea, had been drowned and never returned. She had turned into Jingwei, and the bird would often carry bits of twigs and stones all the way from the west mountains to the East Sea to fill it up.夸父逐日 Kuafu Chases the Sun Kuafu was chasing after the sun when he came too close to it. He became very thirsty. Therefore, he drank from Yellow River and the Wei River, but there was not enough water in them. So he turned north, intending to drink from the Daze, but he died of thirst before he reached the place. The walking stick he threw away turned into a forest of peach trees.牛郎织女 The Cowherd and the Girl WeaverOn the east bank of the heavenly River lived a girl weaver, daughter of the Emperor of Heaven. She worked hard year in and year out, weaving colorful clothes for gods and goddesses.Since she lived all alone, the emperor took pity on her and allowed her to marry the cowherd on the west bank of the river. However, she stopped weaving after she was married. Greatly outraged, the emperor forced the girl back across the river and allowed her to join her husband only once a year. On the seventh day of each autumn, magpies would suddenly become bald=-headed for no obvious reasons at all. According to legend, that the cowherd and the weaver met on the east bank of the river, and magpies were made to form a bridge for them. And for t his reason the down on their heads was worn out.希 腊 神 话在希腊神话里，诸神都住在奥林匹斯山里（MtOlympuc），其首领是宙斯（Zeus），他用雷电维持着天地的秩序。他的妻子赫拉（Hera）是婚姻和家庭女神。他的兄弟波赛冬（Poseidon）是主管海洋的海神，另一个兄弟哈得斯（Hades）是主管死亡之国的冥王。他的女儿雅典娜（Athena）是智慧女神，为雅典娜神庙的保护神，象征着文明和艺术。他的儿子阿波罗（Apollo）是太阳神，是主管真理、光明和医药之神。阿波罗的孪生妹妹阿尔忒密斯（Artemis）是月亮和狩猎女神，阿芙罗狄蒂（Aphrodite）为爱和美的女神。赫菲斯托斯（Hephaestus）是破腿锻冶之神，锻造了宙斯的雷电。宙斯的另一个儿子赫尔墨斯（Hermes）是宙斯的使者和仆人，也是商人和小偷之神。狄俄尼索斯（Dionysus）是酒神，代表狂喜原则，也主管戏剧，和阿波罗的智力原则正好相反。宙斯的妹妹赫斯提（Hestia）是灶神和家室之神。阿瑞斯（Aris）也是宙斯的儿子，是战神。还有些小神，如五谷之神得米特（Demeter）、爱神厄洛斯（Eros）（丘比特）、森林之神潘（Pan）、复仇女神厄里倪厄斯（Eriunes）、青春女神赫柏（Hebe）、学问和艺术女神九缨斯（Mousai），她们分别主管历史、天文、悲剧、喜剧、舞蹈、史诗、情诗、圣诗、抒情诗等。 在众多的希腊神话和传说当中最有名的是下面几个：特洛伊战争的起源和经过，阿特柔斯家族，底比斯缔造者卡德摩斯家族，金羊毛的故事，赫拉克勒斯和忒修斯的传说，俄迪普斯的故事，七英雄远征底比斯，奥得赛的故事等。这些神话基本上以家族为中心，具有不同的系统，但都反映了当时普通人民避恶扬善、追求美好生活的愿望，歌颂了富于幻想、英勇豪迈的气质。例如传说赫拉克勒斯力大无比，褪褓之中便扼杀了一条蛇，成人之后杀死过九头毒蛇和女妖美杜萨，甚至击败了冥王哈得斯，救回了被囚禁的忒修斯，让他们夫妻得以团圆。金羊毛的故事更带有些浪漫色彩。希腊塞萨利的古国约尔科斯国王埃宋遭其异母兄弟匹里阿斯的谋害，王位也遭其篡夺。匹里阿斯夺位后派埃宋之子伊阿宋去寻找金羊毛，声称如能找到羊毛就将王位还他。出于安全原因伊阿宋带领一班人乘坐阿尔格号船出发，历经千辛万苦，终于在其妻美狄亚的帮助下如愿以偿得到了金羊毛。返回后美狄亚设计杀死了匹里阿斯，但不久却遭伊阿宋的遗弃，美狄亚悲愤交加，杀死了她和伊阿宋的几个孩子。这个故事以后成了希腊剧作家欧里庇得斯创作的悲剧美狄亚的主要素材。 希腊神话是构成希腊宗教的重要基础，也显示了它的重要特性。罗 马 神 话 早期罗马宗教的神祗没有人形，只是些神灵，其仪式简单、机械，缺少思想内容，不能对一般人生活和道德产生什么影响，而只是一般性地称颂神的恩惠，主要集中在田野生活和个人家庭上。他们相信的家庭神包括保护神（即家庭的监护者）、阴间诸神（即祖先的精灵）。家神即保护家庭财产者，如维斯太为管理家灶者，两面神伊阿诺斯是门神，农业诸神包括：拉瑞斯农业和田野神，刻瑞斯为主管谷物的神，波莫拿为主管果园的神，法乌诺斯为主管动物的神等。罗马人对这些神灵采取了一种非常恭敬、虔诚的态度，一家之父的职责就是充当家庭祭师，主持抚慰众多守护神的仪式。这些仪式包括日常祈祷、烧香以及饮奠酒，但到忙时则只要念念诸神的名字以示崇拜就行了。 随着罗马势力的扩展和巩固，国家采取措施对神灵的设置进行了整顿，将分散和设置上带有一定任意性的诸多神灵统一到l3个神上。他们分别是朱庇特（Jupiter）、朱诺（Juno）和密涅瓦（Minerva）。朱庇特是主神；朱诺是他的妻子，主管工艺和智慧的女神；密涅瓦相当于希腊神话的雅典娜，为守护和保卫手艺、医术、乐师和诗人的女神。后来罗马神话又引进了些其他的神，主要有玛尔斯（Mars）相当于希腊神话中的战神阿瑞斯（Ares），墨丘利（Mercury）相当于希腊神话中的赫尔墨斯（Hermes）以及畜牧之神。 罗马宗教还从东方宗教当中吸收了营养，例如埃及神话里的生殖女神伊希斯（Isis)，冥神奥西里斯（Osiris)，波斯的光明之神密特拉（Mithras），小亚西亚古国弗里吉亚的萨巴神（Sabazius）和叙利亚的阿塔伽神（Atargatis）都先后传到了罗马，受到许多人的喜爱。特别是密特拉神在一段时间里曾经风靡一时，为以后的个人崇拜打下了基础。没过多少时间，凯撒在遭到暗杀以后成为人们心目中的英雄，受到了神一般的崇拜。屋大维上台以后也利用人们崇拜神的心理，极力宣传他自己，一时间屋大维在许多人的心目当中成为神一般的人物，个人崇拜达到了登峰造极的地步。 罗马官方宗教由祭司团主持，其功能包含宗教事务的记录和管理，监管祭品的焚烧，通过观察飞鸟和检查祭品动物内脏的方法来占卜未来等。每到神祗纪念日，通常都有丰富多彩的节日安排。 随着时间的推移，希腊文化越来越多地融合到罗马文化里。在希腊文化的影响下，罗马宗教逐渐完善起来。朱庇特和宙斯、朱诺同赫拉、密涅瓦同雅典娜的地位和作用开始等同。这些神尽管带有些官方性质，却并不是强制的，每个人可以根据自己的喜好而确定他信仰什么。或许由于这个原因，罗马宗教虽然看上去比较混乱，但它却提供了一种稳定和安全感。每当一个人碰到了困难或危险，他就会到神抵那里找到精神安慰。然而伴随着一系列征服的胜利，罗马的物质财富不断增多，道德观念却每况愈下。虽然屋大维上台后试图改变这一局面，大力推动对他本人的崇拜，想通过此举来恢复罗马人的道德活力，却收效甚微。只是从那以后罗马社会对英雄的崇拜渐渐成为一种风气，每年都不惜花费大量的感情和精力去称颂一位征服者或领袖，而不再循从宗教仪式，逐渐开创了西方独裁统治的先河。