第一章 Myth-The Origin of the world：Mythology has played an integral part in every civilization throughout the world. This class begins with the origin of the word mythology in Greek and lists the suggested categories of myths. We might be interested in the similarities and differences between the myths in China and the West; still, we are more intrigued to take a close look at the influential factors that have come to form kinds of myths the way they are. The mythology of Greece and Rome is one of the most influential and inspiring cultural system to the world civilization. In this class we will juxtapose it with another equally old and well-developed mythological system—the Chinese mythology. Each of them can be seen as representative of the spirit and character of the nation which is initially presented and recorded in myth, and which is of great significance to the understanding of eastern and western culture.1.1Introduction:Mythology has played an integral part in every civilization throughout the world. It is convenient for us to group myths into three types and study them independently. We might be interested in the similarities and differences between the myths in China and the West; still, we are more intrigued to take a close look at the influential factors that have come to form kinds of myths the way they are.[单选题]In Greek myths, why was Prometheus punished by Zeus?
1.2The Origin of Myth:Mythology has recorded some metaphorical and symbolic features of a culture which is of central importance to it.Mythology helps to explain the origin and development of certain social customs or cultural practices. Many mythical tales have vanished during long passage of time, while the others survived mainly because they fall into the three categories.
1.3The Similarities:Despite all the differences in narration, depiction, recording and most importantly the worldview underlying, Chinese mythology and western mythology do share many similarities in many aspects, two of which will be focused on in this part: 1. Both mythologies hold in awe and veneration towards the nature, however, eagerness for a better life endorses humans courage and confidence to challenge the nature. 2. Hero worship is deep-rooted in both mythologies.
1.4The differences:In this part, differences between Chinese myths and western myths are worth our attention in terms of geographic features, economic factors, as well as political discrepancies, each of which has taken a decisive role in shaping the two mythological systems to be what they are now.
1.5Distinctive Mythological Values:This part deals with the different values reflected in Chinese and Greek mythology and how they have come to be formed.The important point that usually draws our attention is the images and status of gods in myths, and it is interesting to find that there is a sharp contrast between the images of gods and supernatural beings in Chinese and Greek mythology, and how people from the two cultures respond to the heavenly ones they worship respectively.
1.6The creation mythology:Among all kinds of mythologies, creation mythology is usually given great importance to, regarded as the “cultural genes” of a nation. As a whole, the Chinese creation mythology features authoritativeness, iconolatry and exemplariness. In the Greek and Roman mythology, the creation deities are, in many cases, adventurers, predators and the conquerors.
1.7Summary:This is a summary of this chapter.
1.1Introduction:Mythology has played an integral part in every civilization throughout the world. It is convenient for us to group myths into three types and study them independently. We might be interested in the similarities and differences between the myths in China and the West; still, we are more intrigued to take a close look at the influential factors that have come to form kinds of myths the way they are.
1.2The Origin of Myth:Mythology has recorded some metaphorical and symbolic features of a culture which is of central importance to it.Mythology helps to explain the origin and development of certain social customs or cultural practices. Many mythical tales have vanished during long passage of time, while the others survived mainly because they fall into the three categories.
1.3The Similarities:Despite all the differences in narration, depiction, recording and most importantly the worldview underlying, Chinese mythology and western mythology do share many similarities in many aspects, two of which will be focused on in this part: 1. Both mythologies hold in awe and veneration towards the nature, however, eagerness for a better life endorses humans courage and confidence to challenge the nature. 2. Hero worship is deep-rooted in both mythologies.
1.4The differences:In this part, differences between Chinese myths and western myths are worth our attention in terms of geographic features, economic factors, as well as political discrepancies, each of which has taken a decisive role in shaping the two mythological systems to be what they are now.
1.5Distinctive Mythological Values:This part deals with the different values reflected in Chinese and Greek mythology and how they have come to be formed.The important point that usually draws our attention is the images and status of gods in myths, and it is interesting to find that there is a sharp contrast between the images of gods and supernatural beings in Chinese and Greek mythology, and how people from the two cultures respond to the heavenly ones they worship respectively.
1.6The creation mythology:Among all kinds of mythologies, creation mythology is usually given great importance to, regarded as the “cultural genes” of a nation. As a whole, the Chinese creation mythology features authoritativeness, iconolatry and exemplariness. In the Greek and Roman mythology, the creation deities are, in many cases, adventurers, predators and the conquerors.
1.7Summary:This is a summary of this chapter.
Because he did not respect Zeus.
Because he wanted to be the ruler of heaven.
Because he had an affair with Hera.
Because he stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humans.
答案：Because he stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humans.
[多选题]What is the image of “Yan Di” in Chinese myths?
He has a bull’s head.
He has a human’s body.
He has a horse’s body.
He has a human’s body.000
答案：He has a bull’s head.He has a human’s body.
thrift
conservativeness
boldness
adventurousness
答案：boldnessadventurousness
Monkey King
Houtu
Shennong
Nezha
答案：ShennongHoutu
错
对
答案：错
对
错
答案：错
