Ways of Interpreting Myth Ohio Wesleyan University解读神话的途径俄亥俄卫斯理大学.pptVIP

 Ways of Interpreting Myth  Modified by RL Elias from a presentation by T. Sienkewicz, Monmouth College Ancient Ways of Viewing Myth Archaic 750-480 B.C. Classical 480-323 B.C. Hellenistic 323-146 B.C. Xenophanes Heraclitus Aeschylus Euripides Socrates Plato Euhemerus Diodorus Myth as Venerable Tradition Questioning of Myths (Rationality) Myths as Allegory Myths as Instructive Models Myths as Inaccurate Myths of Questionable Morality Myths as Dangerous Gods as Deified Heroes and Kings Xenophanes of Colophonc.570 B.C. Questioned the Anthropomorphism of the Gods #170 But mortals consider that the gods are born, and that they have clothes and speech and bodies like their own. #171 The Ethiopians say that their gods are snub- nosed and black, the Thracians that theirs have light blue eyes and red hair. #172 But if cattle and horses or lions had hands, or were able to draw with their hands and do the works that men can do, horses would draw the forms of gods like horses, and cattle like cattle, and they would make their bodies such as they each had themselves. Myths as Allegory Theagenes of Rhegium (525 B.C.) Gods as symbols of human qualities; e.g., Athena = wisdom Anaxagoras of Clazomenae (c.500-428 B.C.) The misdeeds of the gods are intended to illustrate evil and teach virtue. Myths as Instructive Models Orestes at trial with Apollo, Athena, and the Erinyes The Erinyes of Clytaemnestra pursue Orestes. Beside Athena, who presides the court, sits Apollo.  Aeschylus (c.525-456 B.C.) used myth to teach Athenians about the gods and the their role in the civic life of Athens. Myths as DangerousPlato Banishes Poetry (=Myths) from his Ideal Republic The poets pretend to know all sorts of things, but they really know nothing at all. The things they deal with cannot be known: they are images, far removed from what is most real. By presenting scenes so far removed from the truth poets, pervert souls, turning them away from the most real toward