The Deep Structure of Roman/Greek Mythology

希臘羅馬神話故事的深層結構:社會,文化,心理



The Deep Structure of Roman/Greek Mythology in Social, Cultural, and Psychological Spheres


A lecture outline by  Vinia




1. 象徵大自然力量的神力呼應人類社會權力結構
The Olympian gods and goddesses embody natural forces and their power structure runs parallel to that of human society.










a. Patriarchy: father and son


b. Centralized “I” and marginalized “Other”


c. Gender and sex


d. The fatal and the uncontrollable: temptations


e. God and man


f. Life and death


g. Crime and punishment














2. 象徵大自然力量的神力應人類文明的結構與分工
 The power embodied in each god/goddess and his/her role in the Olympian community can find its counterpart in human social structure.










a. A city and its patron god/goddess


b. A profession and its guardian god/goddess


c. Social role and responsibilities


d. Cooperation and competition


e. Community and alienation


f. Generation after generation










3. 眾神與人類英雄的偉大功績呼應人類種族的生存奮鬥
The great deeds of god/goddesses and human heroes reveal the hardship and ordeal of human survival.










a. Tasks that require physical prowess


b. Adventures that need intellectual wits


c. Development that falls out of control


d. Love that transcends life and death














4. 眾神與人類英雄荒腔走調的行徑表現出人類心靈的暗影
The off/tracking behaviors of god/goddesses and human heroes can be seen as the expressions of the unconsciousness or the dark shadow of human psyche.










a. Sexual violence


b. Insanity


c. Cultural and social taboos


d. Guilt


e. Transgression and excess


f. Uncanny transformations














5. 不知名的怪物奇獸與其不可思議的奇幻力量象徵人類文明所可能遭遇到的困境與挑戰
Those fantastic creatures and animals carry with them supernatural powers, which can be interpreted as the symbols of great challenges and crises posed to humanity, especially in the future.










a. From the inside


b. From the outside


c. From nowhere


d. From the future