An Analysis on Cultural Comparison between Chinese and Western Myths

姚佩紅

1. Introduction

Mythology， also known as myth， is a word originating from ancient Greek， which refers to stories and legends about gods， goddesses and heroes based on popular beliefs. Every country has its own myths and tries to use myths to illustrate some natural but magic， unexplainable phenomena. As is known， China is the birthplace of orient civilization and culture， while Greek plays the same role in western civilization and culture. Chinese civilization and western civilization existed in different ages and areas， and they two were also formed and deduced in different ways. That explains the cultural differences in Chinese and western cultures and myths. By all means， Chinese myths and western ones are definitely different from each other， and in turns， cultural differences between Chinese and Western myths exist with no doubt.

2. The Comparison between Chinese and Western Myths

From the very beginning of Chinese and western civilizational history， there existed many myths in China and western countries about how the world and the universe came into being， where people came from and what life was like in other places where human beings can not be reached. For example， in China， there are myths about Pan Gu， Nv Wa， Chang Er， the Cowboy and the Weaver Girl and so on， while in western countries Chaos， Prometheus， gods in the Trojan War and Aurora and Tithonus are also well-known and play the same role as the gods and the goddesses did in Chinese myths.

2.1 Similarities between Chinese and Western Myths

After reading so many Chinese and Western myths， it has no difficulty in realizing that there are many similarities between these Chinese and western myths. For example， in both Ancient China and western countries， people had no knowledge about how the universe and mankind came into being. Besides， at the age when scientific technologies still havent existed， people could not give a reasonable explanation about some strange and weird natural phenomena. In order to account for this kind of things， they just made up comparatively acceptable myths， in which their fear to the unknown world could be sensed.

2.2 Differences between Chinese and Western Myths

Although there are many common themes between Chinese and western myths， meanwhile there are even more differences between them two. For example， the gods and goddesses in Chinese myths turned out to be distinctive from the humble human beings. They stood high above the messes and it was not so easy for common human beings to reach them. As to the gods and goddesses in western myths， they behaved just the same as human race did. Often moved by human feelings and desires， they cast their anger and rage now and then. And at the same time they enjoyed and appreciated friendships and love with human beings as well. Like mankind， these gods and goddesses had emotions， feelings， worries， likes and dislikes. The major difference between them and human beings was that they were immortal and had great power to control human beings lives. Based on this， Chinese and western myths were so different from each other.endprint

2.3 Influence of the Myths on Culture

Myths of each nation influenced its people at many aspects to a large extent. In the myths， national spirits were represented. As is mentioned above， similarities and differences existed between Chinese and western myths. And these similarities and differences cast great influence on the culture of the countries and make people in different countries have different notions of value， morality and different understandings of the world. By summarizing the similarities and comparing the differences between Chines and western myths， cultural characteristics between China and western countries can be shown， which can not only help us maintain our own wonderful national characteristics and throw away backward ones， but also understand foreign countries better than before. In this way， intercultural communication would be much easier to go on with.

3. Conclusion

In conclusion， through the contrast and comparison， it is plain that both in China and western countries， myths were produced to illustrate how the world and the universe came into being before they could totally understand them， which reflected the bravery of human beings to fight against fierce nature and wisdom of mankind to overthrown the dominion of cruel monarch. Gods and goddesses sometimes are archetypes of perfect human beings in imagination. Thus， myths can be regarded as the embodiments of each nations essence， spirits and culture accumulation. Chinese and western myths share a lot of similarities at many aspects. Meanwhile， differences can be also found between them two. Generally speaking， deities in Chinese myths had a strong notion of morality while the gods and goddesses turned to be more open-minded. In turn， these similarities and differences greatly influenced cultures of each nation and peoples attitudes towards life in modern society.endprint