A Study Of Animal Images In Ancient Greek Mythology

There are 8 kinds and 60 species of animal images in ancient Greek mythology,which are abundant and numerous,carrying a lot of cultural information of ancient Greece from Crete to the Archaic period.At present,the study of animal images in ancient Greek mythology is limited to animal metaphors and single animal,which lacks more systematic and comprehensive research.Therefore,this paper has certain academic significance to analyze the function,significance and source of animal images in ancient Greek mythology.In addition to the introduction,the paper is composed of four parts: the species of ancient Greek mythical animals,the narrative function of ancient Greek mythological animals,the symbolic meaning of ancient Greek mythological animals and the conclusion.The first part explains eight kinds of mythical animals in the biology,and the real and fictional situation of animal images.The animal images of ancient Greek mythology are the intersection of reality and fiction.The authenticity of mythical animals shown in the fact that their shapes and practical functions are basically the same as those of real animals.The fictionality of mythical animals shows that the ancient Greeks exaggerate and sanctify the animal images based on the mythological function of displaying cultural concept and ideology.The second part discusses the three narrative functions of ancient Greek mythical animals,which are used as formulas,metaphors and promoting the development of story plots.Narrative function emphasizes the literariness of animal images.Mythical animals,as a way of mythical narration,are used to construct the images of foreign lands,gods and heroes by means of formulas,metaphors and instrumental roles to portray the main images of gods and heroes.They show the prototypes of gods and animals,the concepts of heroes,colonial ideology and prehistoric mythology of ancient Greece.It can be seen that the animal images are not only literary images,but also cultural images.The third part discusses the four symbolic meanings of ancient Greek mythological animals,which are respectively as the symbol of royalty,death,natureand wealth.Symbolic meaning emphasizes the symbolic metaphor of animal images.Animals,as the symbols of kingship,death,nature and wealth,respectively represent the ideology of ancient Greek kingship,the view of death,nature and wealth.The conclusion summarizes the whole paper and thinks that the animal images of ancient Greek mythology has the characteristics of originating from prehistoric mythology and containing political ideology.To explore the source of ancient Greek cultural concept,we need to resort to the historical context of ancient Greek society and the myth concept from prehistory to the beginning of civilization,and to reveal the prototype coding process of ancient Greek myth to prehistoric animal myth concept.The animal images of ancient Greek mythology retain some of the sacred animal images of Minoan civilization,which is the transformation and replacement of the animal mythology concept of prehistoric goddess civilization.The ancient Greeks' view of animals as practical tools,symbols and sacred objects has some ecological implications for the way people get along with animals.