A Study Of Disaster In Ancient Greek Mythology

There are many disasters in ancient Greek mythology,but few scholars have systematically studied them.Disaster refers to an event caused by external destructive forces that causes human beings to suffer large-scale damage.Ancient Greek mythology reflects the Greek nation’s understanding of the relationship between man,God and disaster by describing the types,emergence,development and end of disasters.Therefore,the study of disasters in ancient Greek mythology plays an irreplaceable role in understanding the disaster view of the Greek nation.Disasters in ancient Greek mythology include three types:social disasters,biological disasters and natural disasters,which cover nearly 20 disaster situations,such as earthquakes,volcanic eruptions,storm surges,floods,droughts,wars,famines and plagues.This is a mythical reflection of the realistic environment of frequent disasters in ancient Greece.In ancient Greek mythology,disasters are imagined as the punishment of gods or the revelation of divine power,and there is often a corresponding relationship between specific gods and specific types of disasters;The reason why gods cause disasters is that myths give three explanations:human blasphemy,human evil and discord among gods.The ancient Greeks’strong understanding of gods and the limited understanding of human beings are the conceptual basis for the formation of the above disaster causes.It is mainly manifested in the following three aspects:heroes who cannot transcend the boundaries of human beings,aliens who are very vulnerable to disasters,and gods who manipulate human beings at will;The ancient Greek nation constructed the connection between the occurrence of disasters and gods,and the interpretation of disasters became possible because of the construction of this connection,that is,the Greeks could eliminate disasters with the help of the imagination of supernatural forces.Disaster is essentially caused by the destruction of the unequal relationship between God and man.Therefore,what we need to do is to repair the unbalanced relationship between God and man.The disaster paths involved in mythology include three kinds:the disaster ceremony held by human beings,human self punishment and the reconciliation between gods.Among them,the ritual of disaster relief that directly acts on God is the most effective,because the occurrence,development and end of disasters are determined by God,and weak human beings can only accept and submit passively.The relationship between God and man and its changes in the disaster myth of ancient Greece are compatible with the disaster ethics system of the nation.The Greek nation turned the belief and awe of gods into the guiding principles of their daily life,and reflected on the internal relationship between human behavior and disasters.The piety to God and the consciousness of self reflection are intertwined in the disaster myth.Therefore,the ancient Greek disaster myth has obtained a special cultural thickness and social educational significance.