Greek mythology and legends

Author: Schwab
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: World Literature Collection. The beauty and charm of Greek mythology are world-renowned. Ancient Greece was one of the cradles of world civilization. The activities of the ancient Greeks mainly included the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, the western coastal areas of Western Anatolia, and the eastern islands of the Mediterranean. In addition, they early interacted with the residents along the Black Sea coast and migrated to the southern coastal areas of the Italian Peninsula and Sicily, with their presence extending as far as the western Mediterranean and North Africa. During their survival and development, the ancient Greeks created a splendid and diverse culture, leaving behind a rich heritage, one of which is mythology. The beauty and charm of Greek mythology are world-renowned. Ancient Greece was one of the cradles of world civilization. The activities of the ancient Greeks mainly included the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, the western coastal areas of Western Anatolia, and the eastern islands of the Mediterranean. In addition, they early interacted with the residents along the Black Sea coast and migrated to the southern coastal areas of the Italian Peninsula and Sicily, with their presence extending as far as the western Mediterranean and North Africa. During their survival and development, the ancient Greeks created a splendid and diverse culture, leaving behind a rich heritage, one of which is mythology.
The origins of ancient mythology are ancient, as it was a product of early humans, with low levels of productive development, using imagination to conquer natural forces. Therefore, ancient mythology necessarily includes stories of gods and the relationships and conflicts between humans and gods, that is, heroic legends. The stories of gods more clearly reflect the rich imagination of ancient humans in personifying powerful natural phenomena, while heroic legends mainly focus on the worship and idealization of legendary figures and related events that may have had some historical basis, reflecting the survival activities and the tenacious struggle of early humans against nature. Greek mythology also includes these two aspects.
The formation period of Greek mythology stories was very early, being the crystallization of collective creation by generations of ancient people. Mythology was initially passed down orally and later recorded in written form. The earliest surviving written documents of mythology are the epics of Homer. In addition to the main story, the epics mention many other myths, which were clearly widely circulated and commonly known at the time. Shortly after Homer, the Greek poet Hesiod wrote the long poem Theogony, which concisely records many myths and attempts to systematize them. The themes of ancient Greek tragedies were mostly derived from mythology, reflecting the playwrights' realistic interpretations of these mythological stories.
After the 3rd century BC, during the Hellenistic period, scholars in Alexandria made significant contributions to the collection and preservation of Greek mythology through the collection and annotation of classical works. Some poets, guided by academic principles, unearthed many lesser-known mythological allusions. Roman mythology, influenced by animism, lacked imaginative thinking about deities, resulting in scarce mythological stories. Heroic legends were also primarily presented as historical stories, with characters possessing more realism than superhuman qualities. Upon encountering Greek mythology, the Romans were quickly captivated by its enchanting tales and widely absorbed the images and stories of Greek gods, leading to the unique fusion of Greek and Roman mythological traditions.
The Greek nation underwent several transformations during its development, and their mythological concepts also evolved in this process. The fundamental characteristic of this change was a shift from nature worship to human worship. The Greek mythology of this period, familiar to many, is characterized by the creation of gods in human form, endowing them with human appearance, personality, and even social relationships. The basic difference between gods and humans lies in the fact that gods are powerful, immortal, and live a leisurely and joyful life, while humans are weak, mortal, face difficult survival, and must often seek help from deities, but also frequently curse them for their misdeeds. The ancient Greeks revered gods while also praising humans, admiring their courage and pioneering spirit. They criticized human weaknesses such as arrogance, cruelty, vanity, greed, brutality, and stubbornness, believing that these very weaknesses often lead to tragic lives. The ancient Greeks revered gods but did not grant them excessive sanctity or use them as a standard for moral judgment. Instead, they regarded gods as reflections of human life.
Greek mythology, with its humanistic spirit, compelling stories, and profound philosophical depth, has long attracted a wide readership, exerting a captivating charm that makes it endlessly fascinating and serving as a rich source of inspiration for later literary and artistic creations. The Greek mythological collections passed down to posterity were compiled based on ancient materials. Among these collections, the work of the German poet Schwab is considered one of the best, with rich, comprehensive content, and reliable plots. It is believed that this new translation by Gao Zhongfu, Guan Huiwen, and Xiao Hui will further assist Chinese readers in reading and understanding Greek mythology.