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Home , Finnish mythology, Milky Way (mythology)

Research on Chinese and Western Cultural Differences from

the Mythology ----

Author’s Name: Li Huihui

Affiliation:XinlianCollege, Henan Normal University

E-mail: [email protected]

Research on Chinese and Western Cultural Differences from

the Mythology ----Milky Way

Abstract:Mythology plays a major part in the culture , different mythology reflects different culture.This thesis is briefly introducing and comparing the mythology of

Western Milky Way and Chinese Silver River . Through the two different original stories about the galaxy we can learn that mythology is the chief source of culture.

Key words: Mythology; Chinese and Western culture; Western Milky Way; Chinese

Silvery River;Comparison;Differences

Introduction:The Western Milky Way is equal to Chinese Silvery River (the galaxy),but the same galaxy has different mythologies and has different influence on culture.

Chapter one

The Western Milky Way

There exists so many different versions about the Milky Way in Western

Mythologies.

The version of Greek

In the Writing of the Greeks, is pictured in two very different ways. He is represented as the of justice and mercy,who protected the weak , and punished the wicked.At the same time, he is described as having many love affairs with and mortal women.

The story of Milky Way is related to his love affairs with a mortal woman

Alcmene who was the daughter of the King Mycenae ,to some extent.

Zeus fell in love with at first sight, however, Alcmene had married a general.Then, during her husband’s absence on a military expedition,Zeus visited her in the form of her husband, and she gave birth to two twin sons:, the son of

Zeus, and Iphicles, the son of the general.

Zeus loved his son ,Heracles,so much that he wanted his son to live forever.And it is said that his wife ,the Queen ,’s milk can make a person live forever.Then

Zeus let his son to drink her milk when she slept soundly.However,when Hera woke up and found a baby was drinking her milk, she flew into a rage and pushed the baby away.Meanwhile, her milk sprayed into the sky and it became the galaxy.Therefore, people call the galaxy as the Milky Way in Western countries.

The version of Finnish

In the , the galaxy was called as flyway.It was said that migratory birds could not find their way ,particularly as they flew at dark night, so the galaxy was used as guidepost by birds.And, in the Finnish opinion,this migratory birds lengthen the galaxy ,and the end of the bright galaxy was the home of birds.Nowadays,Finnish also use the word”Linnunrata”to refer to the galaxy. And this word also implies hope.

The version of Armenian

There also exists an interesting story about galaxy in Armenia.One day, a god drove a truck ,which was made by wood,through the heaven ,where he found that there had a heap of wheat-straw.And at the same time , he remembered that he had no wheat-straw to cook.So he stole some.But he was very fear to be arrested ,when he drove his truck through the heaven,the wheat-straw fell from his truck,and those wheat-straw became the bright stars. So, nowadays, the Armenian call the galaxy as

“wheat-straw way”.

It can be said without exaggeration that every country has its own mythology about the origin of the galaxy, the thesis here just list three representative mythologies about the galaxy.

Trough the version of Milky Way Western countries,it is difficult to see that ,in

Western mythology ,especially in in spite of the mighty power the god had .They were jealous ,dissolute ,cruel and always envied the mankind and did damage to the mankind. All in all , they were emotionally as bad as mankind .This is why the version of Milky Way is so popular .

Although there are so many versions about the galaxy in mythology, the version of “milky way”is very popular in Western countries.

Chapter two

The Chinese Silver River

In China, when asked about the galaxy, Chinese will imagine a tragic love story.Alt hough,the love story is very mournful,it has a close relationship to the beautiful Silver

River.

Long ago, there was a boy, clever, diligent and honest. Orphaned at an early age, he

was very poor. However, he adopted an abandoned old buffalo, which proved to be v ery loyal and relieved him a lot from the hard labor in the fields. The two enjoyed a ve ry good relationship, being seen together all the time. Villagers from far and near cam e to know him by the name of the Cowherd.

At the same time, the youngest of the seven celestial princesses had grown tired of t he privileged but secluded life in the heavenly palace. She longed for a mundane life she often saw down beneath her. That was a very pervert idea to cherish in heaven. Ye t, determined to pursue what she deemed to be her own happiness, she sneaked out an d descended onto the earth and to the sudden happiness of the Cowherd with whom sh e had secretly fallen in love all along in heaven.

They married and had a lovely boy and a girl. While the Cowherd worked in the fie lds with his old pal the buffalo, the heavenly princess weaved at home to help support the family. Villagers all admired her excellent weaving skill and started learning from her. She was now well-known as the Weaving Girl. The family lived moderately but peacefully and happily until the girl's celestial roy al family found her missing and traced her to the village. By the way, it is popularly b elieved that a day in heaven accounts for years on the earth. The years she had spent with the Cowherd was but a day or so by the celestial calendar.

The Celestial Empress was in such a wrath that she gave her daughter only two cho ices: to go back home or see her husband and child She wanted to separate the family forever and destroyed. She had but to leave.

The old buffalo suddenly began to speak to the bereaved and now astonished young

man, saying that he was dying in no time and asking him to use his hide as a vehicle t o catch up with his wife. And off he sailed to heaven taking his young son and daught er in two baskets carried by a shoulder pole.

Fearing that the young man would catch up, t he empress took out her hair spin and drew a b ig river across the sky, known to the Chinese a s the Silvery River (the Milky Road in the Wes t). However, all the magpies in the world, deep ly touched by the story, came to their rescue. E ach year, on the seventh day of the seventh nth, they would flock together to form a bridge so that the family may enjoy a brief reunion. From the origin of the galaxy in Chinese, we can see that all the and goddesses are forbidden to marry with ordinary people. Above all we can find the different cultural phenomenon originated from the different mythology. The government carried out asceticism and encouraged agriculture rather than trade in anc ient China ,and the supreme governor ---emper or claimed that they were the gods .From this a spect ,conservatism is Chinese characteristic , t he civilians convinced themselves that the emp eror was a god.Even now , the overwhelming majority of Chinese believe in all authorities bl indly . In the West,especially in Greece , humanis m and commercialism are the main ways peopl e lived in ancient Greek . The authorities enco uraged people to do business. Therefore ,the c ivilians were open-minded compared to Chine se . The mythology reflects democracy and fre edom now in Western countries . The ancient China mythology and the ancie nt Greek mythology are the miracles of the my riad folks. Exactly, our society, our culture con sists of this interesting mythologies. Above all, it is not difficult to draw a sound conclusion .If a Chinese want to know about th e Western culture,custom or even social etique tte,he must know some about the original cultu re---mythology. Mythology is the spiritual mother of national cultures. Nowadays, the mo dern civilization had great effect on cultures, n o matter Chinese or Western. It is necessary fo r people to go back the home of culture to obta in the eternal wisdom.

Reference:

1.CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY AND WEST ERN LEGENDS.

---- FEB.2ND ,2007

2.DISCUSING SIMPLY THE SAMENESS A ND DIFFERENCE OF THE ANCIENT CHINA MYT

HOLOGY AND THE ANCIENT GREEK MYTHOLOGY.

----JOUNRAL OF HUNAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. JU

NE 2005