Prometheus' message

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brief introduction

In Greek mythology, human beings were created by Prometheus. He also served as a teacher for human beings, teaching them all useful things that can make them satisfied and happy. Similarly, people thanked him and rewarded him with love and loyalty. But Zeus, the highest god, asked human beings to worship him, so human beings must give him the best things. Prometheus offended Zeus, the defender of mankind.

As his punishment, Zeus refused to give people the last thing they needed to complete their civilization-fire. But Prometheus thought of a way to steal the fire with a long reed branch when the burning solar car passed by and bring it to mankind.

So Zeus was furious and ordered Vulcan to give Prometheus the severest punishment. Take him to Caucasus Mountain and tie him to a steep cliff with a chain that he will never earn, so that he can never sleep, his tired knees can't bend, and a diamond nail is nailed to his undulating chest. He endured hunger, wind and sun.

But Vulcan admired Prometheus and whispered to him, "As long as you apologize to Zeus and return the fire, I will definitely ask Zeus to forgive you."

Prometheus shook his head and said firmly, "What's wrong with benefiting mankind?" ! I can endure all kinds of pain, but I will never admit my mistake, let alone return the fire. "

Vulcan had to take Prometheus to Caucasus Mountain and tie him to a steep cliff with a chain that never stopped making money, so that he could never sleep, his tired knees could not bend, and a diamond nail was nailed to his undulating chest. He endured hunger, wind and sun.

In addition, Zeus sent an eagle to peck Prometheus' liver every day, but the eaten liver grew back. Nevertheless, he didn't give in. In this way, day after day, year after year. Until a hero named Hercules saved him, he endured this indescribable pain and torture.

Now we often compare Prometheus to a man who would rather sacrifice himself.

1936, an exciting torch relay ceremony was held for the first time in Olympic history. The torch passed through seven countries, namely Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Germany, with a total distance of 3,050 kilometers, and * * * 33 1 person participated in the torch relay. All the cities through which the torch passed held grand welcoming ceremonies and set up special altars to light the torch. This massive torch relay was a great success, which not only aroused the enthusiasm of the whole world for the Olympics and spread the Olympic spirit, but also set an example for the subsequent Olympic Games.

The flame originated from ancient Greek myths and legends. According to legend, Prometheus, the ancient Greek god, stole fire from Zeus and brought it to the world to save the hungry and cold mankind. In ancient Greece, before every Olympic Games, people would light the flame in front of the temple of Hera. After the founding of the modern Olympic Games, this tradition was not followed at first. Until the 7th Antwerp Olympic Games in 1920, in order to mourn the people who died in World War I, the organizers lit the torch symbolizing peace in the main venue, but neither the torch relay nor the fire was collected from ancient Olympia. 1934, the international Olympic Committee decided that during the Olympic Games, from the opening to the closing, the main venue.

To burn the Olympic flame, it is necessary to collect the flame from Olympia, the ancient Olympic site in Greece, and deliver it to the host city in the form of torch relay. Since then, the torch relay has become an essential ceremony for every Olympic Games.

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Prometheus

Prometheus is one of the titans. In the war between Zeus and the giant, he sided with the new Olympus God. He made the first man from clay. Athena endowed this man with soul and sacred life. Prometheus also spent a lot of time and energy to create fire and gave it to mankind. Fire makes man the spirit of all things. After that, the first joint meeting of God and Man was held. This meeting will decide which part of roasted animals should be given to God and which part should be given to human beings. Prometheus cut a cow and divided it into two parts: he put the meat under the skin and the bone under the fat. Because he knew that selfish Zeus loved to eat fat. Zeus saw through his trick. Prometheus favored human beings, which made Zeus very unhappy. Therefore, he arbitrarily took fire away from human beings. However, Prometheus managed to steal the skyfire and secretly brought it to mankind. Zeus was very angry at his reckless disobedience. He asked other mountain gods to lock Prometheus on a rock in Caucasus Mountain. A hungry eagle pecks at his liver every day, and his liver always grows back. His pain will last for 30 thousand years And he resolutely faced suffering and never lost courage in front of Zeus. Finally, Hercules restored the friendship between Prometheus and Zeus, found the golden apple and killed the eagle, thus saving the old friend of mankind.

Prometheus hymn

who is it? Let the long night jump the flame of hope?

who is it? Let the wild times bathe in the dawn of civilization?

who is it? Willing to break the dogma and save mankind in from the mire?

who is it? Tortured with no regrets?

Ah! Giant, you have brought fire to mankind.

Emit light and heat,

Send a new era to mankind!

Even if god deliberately opposes you-

The mountain is steep, and the chain is added.

The hot sun is like fire, and the rainstorm is like a note-

But heavy chains can only lock your body,

But how can you lock that open and selfless heart!

Is it just a matter of kindling?

No, you gave it to us.

It is an endless spiritual fire!

Brave, strong, caring and selfless.

This is you-Prometheus!

The goddess of wisdom finally betrayed Prometheus.

The specific content of myth

The prophet Prometheus came to the land of the sea under the blue sky.

At that time, the ground was covered with flowers and weeds, and all kinds of animals were scattered all over the floor. Birds build nests in trees and sing in the air. It's just that there are no humans who rule the earth yet. Prometheus wants to awaken the seeds of human life buried in the soil, so that they can make the earth more full of vitality.

So, with a smile on his face, he walked thoughtfully to a river, grabbed a mass of mud from the river bank, poured some water on it with his hand, turned it into mud with suitable hardness, and then made a man out of mud in the image of God. The little clay figurine was very popular with him, so he was very happy to make many similar clay figurines. After rubbing, he looked at these lifeless bodies and fell into a long meditation. How can we bring them back to life?

Prometheus is a god who is good at creation and invention. He absorbed good or evil characteristics from all kinds of animals, such as lion's bravery, dog's loyalty and intelligence, horse's diligence, eagle's foresight, bear's strength, pigeon's meekness, fox's cunning, rabbit's timidity and wolf's greed, and then integrated these characteristics and injected his own part into everyone's chest. In this way, they can move like animals However, they are only half-life, because they still lack the aura of the God who created them.

Among the gods, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, is a friend of Prometheus. She was surprised to see what Prometheus had done on Mount Olympus. When she found Prometheus looking helplessly at his creation, she hurried down from Olympus and blew the energetic breath of God into their mouths. Therefore, they gain wisdom and reason, which makes them become real people.

This is how people are created. They got up from the ground and ran around like children, looking at trees, weeds, flowers and animals in surprise. Like children, I don't know how to think. They see these objects, but they don't know how to identify them. They hear the sound of running water and blowing wind, the howling of wild animals and the singing of birds, but they can't understand all this. They don't know how to use their hands and strength. They live in dark caves because they don't know how to make tools or how to build houses with fallen trees and stones. They don't know how to explain the movement of the stars, nor how to divide the four seasons according to the laws of nature and make use of them. They don't know how to farm and harvest. Like children, they need help with everything.

Prometheus was very willing to help them. He acted as their teacher. They learned to count and write from him. Under his guidance, they observed the movements of the sun, the moon and the stars, built houses and cultivated fields with cows and horses. Through hard-working hands, they built sailing boats sailing on the sea. He showed them the underground treasure, and they found gold, silver, copper and iron. According to his guidance, they tried to make all kinds of drugs, using oil and wine to treat diseases and wounds. Finally, Prometheus also taught human beings to predict the future and interpret dreams, and divined according to the flight of birds and the internal organs of animals. In short, he taught them everything that is useful to human beings and can make them satisfied and happy. People also thanked him and rewarded him with love and loyalty.

Zeus and other gods who live on Mount Olympus are the masters of the universe. They soon noticed the human beings created by Prometheus. They demand that human beings worship them and obey them. In exchange, they can protect human beings and their property and wish them a bumper harvest in their work. In a gathering of gods and men, they discussed the obligations and rights of both sides. Prometheus, as a defender of mankind, also attended the party. He wants to protect mankind and prevent the gods from asking too much for their help and increasing the burden on mankind. Finally, the two sides reached an agreement on their respective obligations. However, human beings should give the best things to the gods. This time, Prometheus slaughtered a strong bull on behalf of mankind to worship the gods. In order to test the god's omniscient ability, he came up with a plan to chop the cow into pieces and divide it into two piles: pile the meat, viscera and fat into a pile and cover it with cowhide; Pile the bones into another pile and skillfully wrap them in sheep fat. This pile looks bigger. Then, he asked Zeus to choose the one he liked from the two piles.

Zeus, who knows everything, saw through his scam at a glance, but pretended not to know. He has long been dissatisfied with Prometheus' behavior and always wants to find fault with him to punish him. So he stretched out his hands to get the pile. When he opened the white sheep fat and saw the stripped bones, it seemed that he had been cheated, and he flew into a rage: "Well, you evil god, you have made such a deception!" " You will be punished for this! "

Say that finish, Zeus and his entourage, driving the thunder and lightning, angrily returned to Olympus. As the first punishment for Prometheus' mischief, Zeus refused to give mankind the last thing they needed to complete their civilization-fire. But the witty Prometheus immediately thought of a remedy. He broke off a long fennel branch and lifted it into the sky. When the sun god drove a burning solar car through the air, Prometheus put fennel branches into the flame and guided them, and then quickly landed on the earth with this burning flame. There, he lit the first pile of firewood with kindling, and the fire went up into the sky.

Zeus saw flames rising from the ground in the sky. The fire lit up the earth and people danced around it. He knew that Skyfire had been stolen, and his heart ached. In order to offset the benefits of fire to mankind, he came up with a more vicious way to harm all mankind. He ordered his son hephaestus, who is famous for his cleverness, to create a beautiful girl. The beauty of this girl is incomparable, which makes all the gods marvel. Athena gradually lost her affection for Prometheus because she was jealous of him. She personally dressed the girl in a beautiful white dress, hung a veil to cover her face, put on a corolla made of flowers and tied a golden hair band; Hermes, an angel of God, presented this charming girl with confusing language skills. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, endowed her with infinite charm. This beautiful girl is called Pandora, which means "the woman who is given everything".

Zeus handed Pandora a box in which every god gave her a gift that was harmful to mankind. Then Zeus asked Hermes to take her to a place where man and god were in harmony. They were very surprised to see this beautiful girl, because human beings have never seen such a woman. Pandora took the box to look for Prometheus' younger brother, the stupid Epimetheus, and gave him a gift from Zeus. Prometheus once warned his brother not to accept gifts from the ruler of the holy mountain of Olympus, in case he waited for revenge. But as soon as Epimetheus saw Pandora, she was fascinated by her beautiful appearance and beautiful language and forgot her brother's warning. Without warning, he stretched out his hands and prepared to pick up the box. At this moment, Pandora suddenly opened the lid of the box, and a large group of disasters hidden inside flew out at once. They are silent and invisible, and cover the whole earth in a blink of an eye.

Since then, various diseases and disasters such as fever, plague and sudden death have wandered around the earth day and night. They came quietly because Zeus didn't give them a sound. Prometheus, the rescuer and doctor of mankind, saw that his creation was attacked by disaster and tortured by disease, and suddenly died for no reason. He was so sad that he almost fainted.

However, Zeus, the ruler of Olympus, refused to stop there. He also wants to get back at the creator of mankind and kill him. He gave Prometheus to hephaestus and his two servants, Kratos (strong) and Biya (violent). They took him to Caucasus Mountain and tied him firmly to the cliff of Caucasus Mountain with a chain that would never stop making money. In fact, hephaestus didn't want to carry out his father's orders because he liked and respected Prometheus very much. While performing his cruel executioner's task, he murmured sympathy and asked Prometheus to forgive him. However, his two servants who jumped out of hell laughed at him for being soft-hearted because they hated Prometheus, the son of light.

Unfortunately, Prometheus was tied to a steep cliff and hung straight there, never sleeping again. His tired knees could not bend because his hands, arms, shoulders and legs were firmly bound by chains, and a diamond nail was nailed to his undulating chest. He endured hunger, thirst, heat and cold. Except for the wind and rain, Zeus sent his eagle to peck the liver of the bound person every day. But the eaten liver will grow back soon. In this way, day after day, year after year, Prometheus endured indescribable pain and suffering for the sake of human happiness for a long time.

Thirty years later, a hero named Hercules came here to look for golden apples. Seeing the descendants of God tied to the cliff, a giant eagle was pecking at his liver, and the archer who shot the evil eagle with his bow and arrow immediately put down the bag. Then he opened the chain and rescued Prometheus. Zeus flew into a rage when he learned that. In order to appease Zeus' anger, Hercules turned Long Xing Centauri into Prometheus' body double. Kay Long Xing was accidentally injured by Hercules' poisoned arrow, and the wound never healed. The pain was unbearable, but he was willing to sacrifice himself and give his eternal rights to Prometheus.

However, Zeus still wanted Prometheus to wear an iron ring on his wrist forever with a Caucasian stone attached to it. In this way, Zeus can boast that his enemy is still tied to the mountain.

Another translation: Prometheus brothers (former translation)

Also known as Heraclos.

Three knowable endings of Prometheus:

I, Hercules, untied the chain and took Prometheus away.

Kay Long Xing voluntarily gave up immortality, not Prometheus.

In order to maintain the verdict, Zeus made Prometheus wear an iron ring forever.

Three knowable identities of Prometheus:

Descendants of my older generation of gods.

Ⅱ Athena's friend.

Three. Defenders of mankind.

Three knowable languages of Prometheus:

The gods should not make mankind bear too heavy an obligation because they have the responsibility to protect.

II Noble Zeus, the greatest of the eternal gods, please choose your favorite!

Don't accept Zeus's gift on Mount Olympus, lest mankind suffer disaster.

Prometheus said:

"As long as a person is aware of the inevitable and irresistible forces, he will certainly endure everything that is doomed."

Prometheus predicted:

"The new marriage will corrupt and destroy the masters of the gods."

Prometheus bondage

Aeschylus is one of the three great tragic writers in ancient Greece. Around 525 BC, he was born into a noble family in the west of Attica. His boyhood was a period of fierce struggle between the aristocrats and civilians in Athens, and a period of transition from aristocratic rule to democracy in Athens, which had an impact on the formation of his world outlook. The Persian War broke out in 492 BC, and Aeschylus actively participated in the war against Persia, including Marathon (490 BC) and Salamis (480 BC). In 472 BC, Aeschylus staged the tragedy "Persians", describing the downfall of the Persian navy in the Battle of Salamis, full of strong patriotism and praising the democratic system in Athens. Around 470 BC, Aeschylus was invited to Sicily to write the tragedy Etna Woman to commemorate the establishment of the city. In 468 BC, Aeschylus lost to the young Sophocles in the drama competition, which made him very angry and thought that Kemon, the leader of oligarchy, opposed him. In 476 BC, Aeschylus staged the trilogy of the tragedy Oedipus and won the first prize. In 458 BC, Aeschylus returned to Sicily and died two years later in the city of Kira in the south of the island. There are different opinions about the reasons why Iku Ross left Athens in his later years. It may be political, and it was the victory of democratic forces and the weakening of aristocratic power that made it difficult for him to accept. Aeschylus took part in the drama competition for the first time in 499 BC, and wrote about 70 plays in his life (about 90 in a word). He won the 13 award before his death, and seven plays were handed down from generation to generation. They are beggars (about 490 BC, about 463 BC), Persians (about 472 BC, the first prize), and. ?

At the beginning of the play, the gods of power and violence took Prometheus to the remote and desolate Caucasus, where craftsmen followed them with hammers and chains and nailed Prometheus to a cliff for punishment. The craftsman couldn't bear to do this, but he didn't dare to disobey Zeus' orders. At the same time, forced by powerful gods and violent gods, he barely completed his mission. After they left, Prometheus could not help sighing, because he loved human beings and attracted Zeus' cruel punishment. The daughters of Changhe God (who formed a choir in the play) heard the sound, saw this terrible scene, blamed Zeus for his violence, and questioned why Zeus punished Prometheus. Prometheus explained the reason to them. It turned out that Prometheus helped Zeus win when Zeus seized his father kronos's power to rule the world. However, after Zeus came to power, he committed the common fault of cruelty and despotism and distrust of his friends. Zeus wanted to destroy mankind, but Prometheus dared to go against Zeus' wishes and save mankind from death. He gave hope to mankind and made people stop worrying about death; He gave people fire so that they could learn all kinds of skills. He claimed that he did it voluntarily, and he accused Zeus of being overbearing. ?

At this time, the river god came to persuade Prometheus to follow his example and yield to Zeus. He was willing to plead with Zeus on behalf of Prometheus. Prometheus despised the weakness of Changhe God, refused his request, and Changhe God left sadly. Prometheus told the daughters of Changhe God that he gave human wisdom, gained ideas, invented characters and letters for human beings, taught human beings to domesticate livestock, sail, use drugs, know how to predict and use mineral resources, and made human beings live a comfortable life. At this time, Io, which was turned into a cow and became crazy, floated to them. At the request of the daughters of Changhe, IO told her own suffering experience. It turned out that Zeus fell in love with her and often appeared in her dreams. The father of the river god kicked her out of the house according to God's instructions. Her image has changed, she has horns on her head, she has been turned into a cow, and she has started a wandering career. Argos, the 100-eyed monster, closely guards her. After the death of the 100-eyed monster, another gadfly continued to sting her and carried her around to Gogasso Mountain. Prometheus told Io that she must continue to wander and endure countless hardships. She will walk through the vast wasteland, through the places where nomadic tribes and barbarians live, across the storm river, over the mountains, across the strait (the sea is called Oxford from now on), and finally reach the Nile, the end of suffering. IO will live there, Zeus will make her change of heart, touch her gently with his hand, and give birth to a son, who will return to Greece later. Prometheus himself can't get rid of suffering for a while, unless Zeus gets married, it will overthrow Zeus himself, because he will have a son stronger than himself. Prometheus also told Io that Heracles, her thirteenth descendant, would come to help him out of his misery. At this time, the gadfly came to sting Io again, causing her to fall into a frenzy. Io left in a hurry to continue his destiny. ?

Prometheus continued to condemn Zeus, hoping that Zeus would be overthrown by a new god stronger than himself because of that marriage. The daughters of Changhe God told Prometheus to be careful what he said, and suggested that Prometheus beg mercy from the god of punishment. Prometheus thought Zeus was insignificant. At this time, God sent Hermes to ask Prometheus what kind of marriage would make Zeus lose power. The arrogant Hermes was laughed at by Prometheus. Prometheus claimed that he hated all gods. They owe him, but they are unfair to him. He also claimed that no matter what torture or tricks Zeus used, he could not be forced to reveal the secret unless Zeus first released him from the shackles. Hermes thought Prometheus was too stubborn and stupid, and asked him to think about what was good for him. He told Prometheus that if he didn't listen to persuasion and gave in to Zeus and told the secret, Zeus would split the cliff with lightning and electric fire and put him under the cliff, and it would be a long time before he could see the sun again. At this time, the bloodthirsty goshawk will peck his liver and torture him every day. Prometheus said he knew it a long time ago. Let thunder and fire strike and let the inevitable fate befall him. Hermes thought that Prometheus' brain was crazy and advised the daughters of Changhe God to leave so as not to suffer with Prometheus. The daughters of Changhe God were dissatisfied with Hermes's accusation against Prometheus. They didn't want to leave Prometheus and abandon their friends, because that was the most disgusting bad habit. ?

As soon as Hermes left, the earth began to tremble, thunder burst, lightning flashed, dust rolled, air surged, and the earth was flawless. Prometheus knew it all came from Zeus. He came up to him and shouted:

Ah, my mother? Ah, the bright atmosphere that shines on everything in the world.

Please look at what unfair abuse I have suffered! ?

The cliff collapsed and the ground cracked, and Prometheus and the choir sank into the underground abyss together in lightning. ?

Prometheus or translated Prometheus binding. It is generally considered to be the first part of Prometheus Trilogy, and the second part is Prometheus Released, in which Zeus reconciled with Prometheus and Hercules released Prometheus. The third part is Prometheus with Fire. The Athenians worship Prometheus and hold a torch parade. ?

Prometheus has a simple plot and uncomplicated structure, but it has always been valued by people and regarded as a classic, mainly because it has created a glorious image of Prometheus who loves human beings and does not succumb to violence. Prometheus, as one of the Titan gods, originally stood on the opposite side of Zeus in a new power struggle in heaven. However, seeing that the Titan gods could not change their violent nature, stood on their own feet, and refused to listen to Prometheus' advice, it was inevitable to fail, so they turned to Zeus' side and helped Zeus defeat the gods of the older generation headed by his father kronos and win the power to rule the world. After Zeus seized power, he soon became bossy and cruel. He doesn't want to repay kindness. Seeing that Prometheus violated his will and protected mankind from extinction, he severely punished Prometheus. Prometheus is strong and unyielding in the face of painful torture. He holds the secret of Zeus' fate. Only Zeus gave in to him first, and he would never ask Zeus for mercy. His glorious and lofty spirit of enduring suffering for mankind is admired and admired by people. Marx praised Prometheus as "the highest saint and martyr in the philosophical calendar". Zeus did not appear in the play, but he was everywhere, because the whole tragedy was the result of Zeus' indiscriminate violence. Aeschylus actually described Zeus as a tyrant, which reflected the poet's democratic spirit. The fate of Io in the play further embodies the cruelty of Zeus and makes Prometheus hate Zeus even more. Other gods are also described in the play, such as the ferocity of the powerful god, the cowardice of the long river god, the vulgarity of the god, and the obedience of the craftsman god. They are like beings around tyrants.

There are not many dramatic actions in this play, but there are many dramatic conflicts in the play because of fierce conceptual contradictions. The script is magnificent and unique, and it is still one of the performances on the stage of classical drama. The story of Prometheus and the play were introduced to readers in China long ago, and there are many versions of the play so far.