新标准大学英语三-Unit8

Urban myths or urban legends?

1 London has the most extensive network of underground tunnels in the world. But for some inhabitants, the tunnels are more than just convenient – they live in them. The London Subterraneans are a race of people who live beneath the streets. They're human, but they don't speak English, and they have their own customs. Occasionally, a few of them come to the surface. They only appear at night through the drains in a dark backstreet, and if they hear footsteps, they hide in a dark alleyway and only come out when it's quiet again. And before sunrise, they go back under ground. Very few Londoners have seen them, but the friend of a friend has seen them several times.

2 True story? Probably not. It's a classic example of what's called in many languages an "urban myth". An urban myth is a story you hear by word of mouth. It usually describes something which might have happened, an apocryphal, second-hand story told as if it were true, just about plausible enough to be credible, about some event which has supposedly happened to a real person. Factual or not, it's likely to rely on expert storytelling and on a trustworthy source, such as "It happened to my brother's friend's mother".

3 However, some academics claim that urban myths are not really myths. According to them, a myth is a story which held some religious or spiritual significance for those who told it or listened in the past to it, and which contributed to the expression of shared beliefs and values. However improbable a myth might be, it's always true for those who belong to that culture from which the myth comes.

4 So should we use the term "urban myths"? Let's look at one of the most durable of urban myths, The Vanishing Hitchhiker. The basic story is that of a driver alone at night on a dark, country road, who sees a young woman hitchhiking. The driver stops and offers her a lift. Soon the driver drops the hitchhiker off at her destination, and they say goodbye. But it's only when the driver stops later that he realizes the young woman has left behind a coat with her wallet, or sometimes an old envelope in the pocket. He then goes to the address to return the coat. An old woman opens the door of the house, and the driver explains what has happened. It turns out that the coat does belong to the old woman's daughter, but she was killed several years before on the same stretch of road where the driver picked her up. That day was the anniversary of the accident.

5 In fact, like many myths, this story can be traced back to some time before the cars and roads of the 20th or 21st century, and to other countries or regions such as Sweden or East Africa. It also has other features common to the myth in its traditional sense. As we have already seen, it's a story for those people who want to believe in it, and who share the same cultural values. It has been told and retold many times over the years, gathering embellishments which are specific to the culture in which it's set. Finally, it's enjoyable, exciting and captivating to the listeners.

6 Another well-known urban myth is about the baby alligators which parents on their return from Florida bring home to their children in New York. As the alligators grow in size, they are no longer cute and the parents have to dispose of them down the toilet. But some of them survive, and as a result there are full-grown alligators living under the streets of Manhattan.

7 This is also a myth in that it describes something of the geography of a city or a region, warning of possible dangers. In Greek mythology, Odysseus sails between Scylla and Charybdis, the narrow and dangerous channel between mainland Italy and the island of Sicily. In the same way, the story of the alligators warns New Yorkers of the dangers which they may face when they use the subway.

8 Urban myths can also be a morality or "cautionary" tale. One of the best-known is the story of the man sitting in a hotel bar. Another person offers to buy him a drink. The next thing the man knows is that he's sitting in his hotel bath, with his body submerged in ice. On the wall is a note telling him not to move, but to call 911. The operator, who is familiar with the situation, tells him to move very slowly, and to feel his lower back. If there's a tube protruding from it, it means that the man's kidney has been removed and sold to be transplanted. The moral of the story is: Be careful of anyone who offers to buy you a drink!

9 Similarly, traditional myths show people how to behave appropriately in their societies. Gods act in such a way as to set the people a good example. Human beings behave nobly and courageously. Sometimes a human hero may be based on a real person, but may become a god because of his noble actions.

10 In recent years, we have seen the rise of the urban myths which are not circulated orally, but by email, in the form of messages, usually about a virus which can wipe out your hard drive. It's usually recognizable by the warnings of dire consequences if you don't pass on the message to others, and by the use of CAPITAL LETTERS and exclamation marks!!! There are also web rumours which are based on the merest minor fact or speculation, and which passed around the Web, gathering further fictitious evidence to support them.

11 But is this a myth? No, not in the traditional sense. In fact, a more accurate word for it would be a hoax, something which appears true but turns out to be false and deliberately misleading. True myths are always benign in their intentions.

12 Urban myths have the characteristics common to all myths: They often record events, people believe in them, they have been passed on by word of mouth and exaggerated, they often contain a moral or warn of possible dangers in particular situations or contexts, and they advise people what to do or how to behave. In their way, for listeners in the 21st century, they are just as real as the myths of the Greeks, Romans, Celts, Vikings, Mesopotamians and Chinese from years gone by.

13 But the one difference is that true myths always feature gods or heroic near-gods, or stories about the creation of the world and its natural phenomena, such as lightning or sacred mountains.

14 In contrast, urban myths are more mundane. The London Subterraneans are far from god-like, neither the hitchhiker nor the driver is heroic, the New York alligators don't symbolize natural phenomena, and while the story of the hapless businessman may be a cautionary tale, it hardly acts as a model for heroic behaviour.

15 So in conclusion, the urban myth is not a myth at all, but a legend, which is a story about the more recent past, and is based on historical events and human heroes, or fairies, witches or other fictitious characters. The urban myth is only a myth in the secondary sense of the word: something which turns out to be untrue.

X

都市神话还是都市传奇？

1 伦敦有着世界上最为庞大的地下隧道网络。 但是对某些伦敦居民来说，隧道不仅仅给他们的生活提供了便利——他们还以此为家。 伦敦地下人是生活在街道下面的一族。 他们属于人类，却不会说英语，他们有自己的风俗习惯。他们中的几个偶尔也会到地面上来。 他们只有在晚上才会从一条黑魆魆的偏僻街道的下水道里钻出来，到地面上活动，而且一听到脚步声，他们就会躲到黑暗的小巷子里，直到没有了动静才出来。 日出之前，他们又会回到地下。 没有几个伦敦人真正见过他们，但是某人的朋友的朋友曾经见过他们好几次。

2 这是真事吗？ 很可能不是。 这是在很多语言中被称为都市神话的一个典型例子。 都市神话是你通过口口相传听来的故事，讲述的是可能发生过的事情，杜撰的、从别处听来的被当作真事讲的故事，听起来挺可信的，某些可能发生在真实存在的人身上。 不论是真是假，都市神话依赖的是讲故事的技巧以及来源的可靠性，比如“这件事发生在我弟弟的朋友的母亲身上。”

3 但是，有一些学者认为都市神话并非真正的神话。 在他们看来，神话故事对于讲故事和过去听过这个故事的人来说都有某种宗教或精神层面的意义，而且神话帮助人们表达共同的信仰和价值观。 不管一个神话看上去是多么匪夷所思，对于那些从属于这些文化的人来说，它们永远是真实可信的。

4 那么我们该不该用“都市神话”这个说法呢？ 让我们来看一下经久不衰的都市神话之一：“消失的搭车客”。 故事的大概是：一个司机独自开车行驶在漆黑的乡村公路上，他看到一位年轻女子在路边要搭车。 司机停下来，让她上了车。 很快司机就把她送到了目的地，他们相互道别。 可直到后来停车时司机才发现，这个年轻女子落了一件外套在车上，兜里还装着一个钱包，有的故事是兜里装着个旧信封。 于是他回到那个地址去还外套。 一位老妇人开了门，司机向她讲述了事情的经过。 原来，这件外套是老妇人的女儿的，但老妇人的女儿已经在几年前的车祸中去世了，车祸的地点正是司机让她上车的那个地方。 那一天也正是车祸的周年纪念日。

5 事实上，和许多别的神话一样，这个故事可以追溯到20世纪或是21世纪的汽车和公路出现之前，或是其他国家和地区，比如瑞典和东非。 这个故事还具有传统神话所共有的其他一些特征。 正如我们所看到的，这个故事是讲给那些愿意相信它并持有相同的文化价值观的人听的。 多年以来，这个故事被人们讲了又讲，在不同的地方还被添加了专属于各地文化的一些元素。 最后，这个故事变得好玩、刺激，引人入胜。

6 另外一个很出名的都市神话是关于佛罗里达小短吻鳄的故事，大人们去佛罗里达度假，回纽约的时候会给孩子们带几条小鳄鱼。 后来短吻鳄越长越大，不像小时候那么可爱了。大人们只好把它们扔进抽水马桶里冲掉。 但是其中一些短吻鳄活了下来，所以现在有一些成年短吻鳄在纽约曼哈顿街区下面游荡。

7 这也是一个神话，因为它描绘了一个城市或地区的地理状况，提醒人们注意某些潜在的危险。 在希腊神话中，奥德修斯在意大利大陆和西西里岛之间狭窄而危险的海峡里航行，前有女海妖斯库拉，后有海妖卡律布狄斯。 短吻鳄的故事也同样是要提醒纽约人，坐地铁的时候要注意安全。

8 都市神话也可以是道德故事或是“警示”故事。 这其中最有名的是，一个男子坐在旅馆的酒吧间喝酒，有一个人请他喝了一杯。 等他醒来的时候，发现自己躺在房间的浴缸里，身子被埋在冰块下面。 墙上贴了一张纸条告诉他不要乱动，立刻打911。 接线员遇到过很多这样的情况，让他去摸一下后背下部，动作一定要缓慢。 如果脊部插着一根管子，那就说明他的肾被人摘走了，卖掉供人移植了。 这个故事的寓意是：如果有人请你喝酒，你一定要提高警惕。

9 同样，传统神话也告诉人们在各自的社会中应该如何恰当地为人处世。 在神话中，神之所以如此行事，是要为人类树立一个好榜样。 神话中人的行为高尚且勇敢。 有时候神话中的人类英雄在历史上可能确有其人，但可能正因为他们的高尚行为而变成了神。

10 近年来，越来越多的都市神话不是通过口口相传，而是通过电子邮件的形式广为流传的，这些邮件通常是告诉大家要小心某一种病毒，它会毁掉你的硬盘。 通常只要看到那种“如果不把这封信转发给别人，就会有灾难性的后果”的警告，而且用了很多大写字母和惊叹号，你就知道这是一个都市神话。 还有很多网络传言，它们对一些微不足道的小细节添油加醋，或者是捕风捉影，在流传过程中加入了越来越多的虚假证据，以证明它们的真实性。

11 但这是神话吗？ 不是，不是传统意义上的神话。 事实上，有一个更为准确的词“骗局”，就是一些看上去是真的，而最终发现是假的，并且是用来故意误导人的东西。 真正的神话其动机总是善意的。

12 都市神话具有所有神话所共有的一些特征：它们通常记录了一些事件，人们相信它们的真实性，它们以口头形式代代相传，并且被逐渐夸大，它们通常包含一个道德寓意，或是警示某种特定情形或情况下可能存在的危险，它们告诉人们应该做什么、怎么做。 从形式上看，对于21世纪的听众来说，它们和以往的希腊、罗马、凯尔特、维京、美索不达米亚以及中国的神话一样真实可信。

13 但不同的是，真正的神话里总是有神或者接近神的英雄人物，有的神话讲述了创造世界和世界上的一些自然现象，如雷电、圣山之类的。

14 与之相反，都市神话更为世俗化。 伦敦的地下人和神灵没有半点关系，那个搭车客和司机也不是什么英雄，纽约的短吻鳄不代表什么自然现象，那个倒霉的商人的故事虽然是警示性的，但也绝对说不上是为英雄行为树立榜样。

15 总之，都市神话根本就不是神话，它是一种传奇，讲述一些新近发生的事情，故事是依据历史事件和人类英雄或者仙女、女巫及其他的虚构人物来编排的。 “都市神话”中的“神话”这个词我们只能从它的次要意项——一些并非真实的东西——去理解。

Echo and Narcissus

1 Echo was a beautiful nymph, fond of the woods and hills, where she devoted herself to woodland sports. She was a favourite of Diana, and attended her in the chase. But Echo had one failing: She was fond of talking, and whether in chat or argument, would have the last word. One day Juno was seeking her husband, who, she had reason to fear, was amusing himself among the nymphs. Echo by her talk contrived to detain the goddess till the nymphs made their escape. When Juno discovered it, she passed sentence upon Echo in these words: "You shall forfeit the use of that tongue with which you have cheated me, except for that one purpose you are so fond of – reply. You shall still have the last word, but no power to speak first."

2 This nymph saw Narcissus, a beautiful youth, as he pursued the chase upon the mountains. She loved him and followed his footsteps. Oh, how she longed to address him in the softest accents, and win him to converse! But it was not in her power. She waited with impatience for him to speak first, and had her answer ready. One day the youth, being separated from his companions, shouted aloud, "Who's here?" Echo replied, "Here." Narcissus looked around, but seeing no one, called out, "Come." Echo answered, "Come." As no one came, Narcissus called again, "Why do you shun me?" Echo asked the same question. "Let us join one another," said the youth. The maid answered with all her heart in the same words, and hastened to the spot, ready to throw her arms about his neck. He started back, exclaiming, "Hands off! I would rather die than you should have me!" "Have me," said she; but it was all in vain. He left her, and she went to hide her blushes in the recesses of the woods. From that time forth she lived in caves and among mountain cliffs. Her form faded with grief, till at last all her flesh shrank away. Her bones were changed into rocks, and there was nothing left of her but her voice. With that she is still ready to reply to anyone who calls her, and keeps up her old habit of having the last word.

3 Narcissus' cruelty in this case was not the only instance. He shunned all the rest of the nymphs, as he had done poor Echo. One day a maiden, who had in vain endeavoured to attract him, uttered a prayer that he might sometime or other feel what it was to love and meet no return of affection. The avenging goddess heard and granted the prayer.

4 There was a clear fountain, with water like silver, to which the shepherds never drove their flocks, nor the mountain goats resorted, nor any of the beasts of the forest; neither was it defaced with fallen leaves or branches; but the grass grew fresh around it, and the rocks sheltered it from the sun. Hither came one day the youth fatigued with hunting, heated and thirsty. He stooped down to drink, and saw his own image in the water; he thought it was some beautiful water-spirit living in the fountain. He stood gazing with admiration at those bright eyes, these locks curled like the locks of Bacchus or Apollo, the rounded cheeks, the ivory neck, the parted lips and the glow of health and exercise over all. He fell in love with himself. He brought his lips near to take a kiss; he plunged his arms in to embrace the beloved object. It fled at the touch, but returned again after a moment and renewed the fascination. He could not tear himself away; he lost all thought of food or rest, while he hovered over the brink of the fountain gazing upon his own image. He talked with the supposed spirit: "Why, beautiful being, do you shun me? Surely, my face is not one to repel you. The nymphs love me, and you yourself look not indifferent upon me. When I stretch forth my arms you do the same; and you smile upon me and answer my beckonings with the like." His tears fell into the water and disturbed the image. As he saw it depart, he exclaimed, "Stay, I entreat you! Let me at least gaze upon you, if I may not touch you." With this, and much more of the same kind, he cherished the flame that consumed him, so that by degrees he lost his colour, his vigour, and the beauty which formerly had so charmed the nymph Echo. She kept near him, however, and when he exclaimed, "Alas! Alas!"she answered him with the same words. He pined away and died; and when his shade passed the Stygian river, it leaned over the boat to catch a look of itself in the waters. The nymphs mourned for him, especially the water-nymphs; and when they smote their breasts, Echo smote hers also. They prepared a funeral pile, and would have burned the body, but it was nowhere to be found; but in its place a flower, purple within, and surrounded with white leaves, which bears the name and preserves the memory of Narcissus.

X

厄科和那喀索斯

1 厄科是一位美丽的仙女，她喜欢流连于森林和山峦之中，在那儿尽情地游戏。 她最得狄安娜的宠爱，在追猎时一直侍奉其左右。 但是厄科有一个缺点，她喜欢说个不停，不管是闲聊还是争论，她总要说最后一个字（得由她说了算）才肯罢休。 有一天，朱诺正四处寻找她的丈夫，怕他又在仙女中寻花问柳，她的担忧并非没有道理。 厄科上去和朱诺搭话，设法拖住这位女神，让仙女们得以脱身。 后来朱诺得知了事情的真相，她对厄科施加了惩罚，她说：“你用你的舌头欺骗了我，以后你再也不能用它说话了，除了一种情况——回答——这也是你最喜欢的。你可以说出最后一个字，但是你永远没有办法先开口。”

2 仙子厄科看见了那喀索斯，一位英俊的青年，当时他正在山上打猎。 她深深地爱上了他，并一直跟着他。 哦，她多么渴望用最温柔的话语对他倾诉衷肠，让他和自己交谈。 但是她没有这个能力。 她急不可耐地等着他先开口，并且想好了该如何回答。 有一天，这位青年和他的伙伴们走散了，他高声呼喊：“谁在这里？” “这里，”厄科回答说。 那喀索斯环顾四周，没见到半个人影。于是又喊道：“出来吧。” 厄科回答：“出来吧。” 看没人出来，那喀索斯又大声喊：“你为什么躲着我？” 厄科也问了同样的问题。 “让我们见个面吧，”青年说。 厄科全心全意地用相同的话回答，然后飞速奔向那喀索斯，准备紧紧地搂住他的脖子。 他惊得连忙后退，大叫：“放手！我宁死也不想让你抱我。” “抱我，” 她说，但是没有用。 那喀索斯走了，厄科羞愧难当，跑进树林深处躲了起来。 从那时起，她就生活在洞穴里和山崖间。 因为悲伤她日渐消瘦，到最后所有的血肉都萎缩了。 她的骨头变成了岩石，整个人只剩下了声音。 任何人叫她，她都回答，而且就和以前一样，只说最后那句话。

3 那喀索斯不是只对厄科一个人无情。 他像躲着厄科一样，对所有的仙女避之不及。 有一天，一位少女竭力想吸引他，但没有成功，她祈祷让那喀索斯尝到付出了爱却得不到回应的滋味。 复仇女神听到了这个祷告，应允了她的祈求。

4 林中有一口清泉，泉水清亮如银，牧羊人不曾把羊群赶到这里，山羊从不在此驻足，林中的百兽也不在这儿逗留，泉水上没有落叶残枝，但水边芳草萋萋，还有岩石替它遮蔽烈日。 有一天，那喀索斯打猎之后筋疲力尽，汗流浃背，口干舌燥，于是他来到泉边。 正当他俯身饮泉水时，他看见了水中自己的倒影，以为那是一个住在水中的美丽水精灵。 他满怀爱意地注视着水中那双明亮的眼眸，那像巴克斯和阿波罗一样卷曲的秀发，圆润的面颊，象牙般的雪白脖颈，微启的双唇，还有全身散发出的健康与活力。 他爱上了自己，俯身去吻水中的影子；他把双臂伸入水中去拥抱这个心爱之物。 那影子一碰就立刻消失得无影无踪，但过一会又出现了，再一次让他心驰神迷。 他不舍得离开，茶饭不思，徘徊在泉边凝视着自己的倒影。 他对着那所谓的水精灵说：“为什么，美丽的精灵，你要避开我？你不会讨厌我的容貌，仙女们都喜欢我，而你注视我的眼神也并非冷漠无情。我伸出双臂，你也伸出双臂；我向你微笑招手，你也向我微笑招手。” 他的泪水落入泉水中，打散了水中的影子。 看到水精灵离他而去，他呼喊道：“留下来吧！我求你了，如果我不能触摸你的话，至少让我注视着你。” 他还说了好多类似的甜言蜜语，珍爱着这团可以“烧毁”他的“火焰”。渐渐地，他那曾经让厄科心醉神迷的气色、活力以及美貌都逝去了。 厄科一直陪伴在他的身边，当他呼喊：“天哪！天哪！”的时候，她也以同样的话语回应。 他日渐憔悴，最终死去了；当他的幽灵经过冥河时，他斜倚着探出身子，要再看一眼水中自己的影子。 仙女们为他伤心垂泪，尤其是水中的那些仙女；她们捶胸，厄科也捶胸。 她们为他准备了火葬的柴堆，准备火化他的遗体，但是哪里也找不着他的尸体；在他的遗体躺过的地方，仙女找到了一枝花，紫色的花朵外面裹着白色的叶子。这种花就叫那喀索斯，它让人们永远记住了那喀索斯。

Crow brings the daylight: a story from the far north

Long ago, before the dawn of history, the Inuit lived far away from the rest of humanity in the darkness of the north. They had never seen the light of day. But one day Crow arrived. He had travelled from the south and brought news of the daylight.

At first people did not believe him. But they were fascinated by his stories of the light, and they began to think about how life would be different if they had light. They would be able to hunt better, and to see the polar bear before it attacked. So they asked Crow to return to the south and bring light back to them.

Crow complained that he was too old and tired. But in the end he agreed, and began the long flight south. After many miles he saw a pale line on the horizon. Suddenly the whole world burst into light, and Crow came to rest on a tree. Below him there was a snow-covered village. He saw a young girl carrying a box which glowed at the edges. From inside the box she took out a ball of light which was tied to a string, and held it out for her brother to play with. Crow decided to act. He swooped down low, took the string in his beak, and soared back up into the sky, the ball of light trailing behind him as he flapped his wings northwards.

From their icy homeland the Inuit saw a tiny spark of light approaching. Gradually it grew bigger and bigger, and they saw Crow pulling it behind him. Crow dropped the ball, and it shattered on the ground, releasing a flood of light which lit up the dark places and chased away the shadows, causing everyone to gasp with delight. The mountains took on colour, and the ice and snow sparkled.

The people were overjoyed and thanked Crow for what he had done. But Crow told them that the light would not last forever. After six months it would disappear, but it would come back again after another six months. The Inuit, however, didn’t mind. “We’ve lived all our lives in darkness‚” they said, “and now we have half a year of light. Half a year of light is better than a year of darkness.” And to this day they are always kind to Crow.

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乌鸦带来日光：来自遥远北方的传说

在很久以前的史前时代，伊努伊特人生活在黑暗笼罩的北方，远离其他人类。他们从来没有见过白昼的亮光。但是有一天，乌鸦飞到了他们居住的地方。它从南方飞来，告诉他们那儿有日光。

一开始人们并不相信它的话。但是人们都被它所讲述的光的故事迷住了。他们开始想，如果有光的话，那生活就大不一样了。他们可以打到更多的猎物，在北极熊发动袭击之前就看见它们。所以他们请乌鸦飞到南方，把光带回来给他们。

一开始，乌鸦悲叹说自己年事已高，飞不动了。但最后它还是答应了这个请求，踏上南飞的漫漫旅途。飞了很长一段路后，乌鸦看到地平线上有一丝苍白的亮光。突然整个世界一片光明。乌鸦落到一棵树上休息。它的身下是一个冰雪覆盖的村庄。它看到一个年轻女子，拎着一个四周发光的盒子，那个女子从盒子里拿出一个光球，光球拴在一根线上，她拿着光球让她弟弟玩。乌鸦决定采取行动。它猛扑下去，一口叼住那根线，接着又飞向高空。它拍着翅膀向北飞去，那个光球一直拖在它的身后。

在冰雪家园里，伊努伊特人看到一丝微弱的亮光正逐渐靠近。慢慢地，它变得越来越大，他们看到乌鸦在前面拖着它。乌鸦把光球扔了下来，它落到地上就碎了，发出万丈光芒，光点亮了黑暗，驱走了阴暗，所有的人都高兴得说不出话来。山峦披上了美丽的色彩，冰雪开始闪闪发亮。

人们喜出望外，感谢乌鸦为他们所做的一切。但是乌鸦告诉他们，这光亮不会永远都留在这儿，六个月之后它会消失，再过六个月又会回来。可伊努伊特人并不在意，他们说：“我们一辈子都生活在黑暗中，现在我们一年中有一半的时间能看到光明。半年的光明总比一年的黑暗要好。”所以直到今日，他们一直对乌鸦非常友好。

The term "Greek mythology" refers to the collection of tales belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and their heroes, and which outline their ritual practices and view of the world. Greek mythology includes a large collection of stories, some of which explain the origins of the world, and others of which detail the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, and various mythological creatures. These accounts were initially fashioned and spread in an oral-poetic tradition, though they are known today primarily through Greek literature. Greek mythology has exercised an extensive and profound influence on the culture, arts and literature of Western civilization. Indeed, Greek mythological themes have remained continually relevant throughout Western literary history. Though the ancient Greek religions based upon these tales have long since faded into obscurity, Greek myths remain an important source for much of Western fiction, poetry, film and visual art. Greek mythology has played a pivotal role in the development of modern studies of mythology, psychology and philology, and it continues to be an important part of the cultural heritage of the global community.

“希腊神话”指的是古代希腊关于神灵和英雄的各种传说的合集，这些传说描述了他们的宗教活动和世界观。希腊神话包含了大量的故事，有些故事解释了世界的起源，有些则详细描述了各种不同的男女神灵、男女英雄和神话动物的生活及冒险奇遇。虽然现在我们主要是通过书面形式的希腊文学了解这些故事，但起初它们是以口头诗歌的形式创作并传播的。希腊神话对西方文明的文化、艺术和文学都产生了广泛、深远的影响。的确，在整个西方文学史上，希腊神话所涉及的那些主题一直具有重要的意义。虽然建立在这些神话故事之上的古希腊宗教早就湮没于历史之中，但是希腊神话依然是大量西方小说、诗歌、电影和视觉艺术的一个重要的源泉。希腊神话在现代神话、心理学和语文学研究的发展中起到了至关重要的作用，它仍将是全球文化遗产的重要组成部分。

古希腊神话的最大特点就是神和人形相同、习相近。古希腊人按照人的形象来创造神，神有人的感情欲望。而中国古代神话中的神大多距离人类生活较远。中国神话中正面形象的神多具有崇高的品格、伟大的志向以及为实现伟大理想而斗争的不屈不挠的精神。他们承担着维护宇宙秩序的崇高责任，是社会道德的楷模。可以说中国古代神话中的神多具有超凡脱俗的品格，神性多于人性。

The most important characteristic of ancient Greek mythology is that gods and humans are similar, both in physical appearance and personality. Ancient Greeks created their gods in their own image, and their gods have human emotions and desires. In Chinese mythology, however, the life of the gods is very different from that of humans. The good gods in Chinese mythology have a noble character, express great aspirations, and show perseverance in fighting for great ideals. They have the noble duty of maintaining the order of the universe; they are social and moral role models. It can be said that the gods in Chinese mythology have extraordinarily noble characters, and possess more of the qualities of gods than of humans.

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