Author(s)

Aiqi Yan ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Basis International School Guangzhou, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510663, China

Corresponding Author

Aiqi Yan

ABSTRACT

This article will focus on illustrating how two extremely similar mythical figures were produced under such differentiated Eastern and Western cultures, and how they manifested the social structures and spiritual systems of the two civilizations, and analyzes the parallels and distinctions between Meng Jiangnv and Orpheus as archetypes through the lenses of textual analysis and ritual performance. In the lens of textual analyzation, Meng Jiangnv and Orpheus face similar obstacles in their journeys to the afterworld, representing the unbroken boundaries between the realms of the living and the dead. Meng Jiangnv and Orpheus, reflecting their own civilizations, communicate with the afterlife through music. Although it crosses borders, music still has limitations.Through recognizing the identity and shared traits of the two characters, together with their diverse cultural interpretations and historical contexts, the implications of social, political, and cultural frameworks become apparent. Cultural disparities in perspectives on marriage, family, and the afterlife are demonstrated by two stories. Meng Jiangnv stands for filial devotion and sacrifice that embedded in Chinese ideologies; whereas in Greek mythology, Orpheus represents artistic expression and independence, setting the foundation for future Western ideas, representing opposing ideals and gender roles. A legacy of Meng Jiangnv has evolved according to region and time, while Orpheus has transitioned into literature but has almost been forgotten in modern society.

KEYWORDS

Orpheus; Meng Jiangnv; Greek Mythology; Chinese Traditional Thoughts

CITE THIS PAPER

Aiqi Yan, Comparison of Meng Jiangnv and Orpheus in Mythologies through Lens of Cultures, Divine Identity, and Transformation. Journal of Sociology and Ethnology (2024) Vol. 6: 95-104. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/jsoce.2024.060215.

REFERENCES

[1] Xu, Hongtu. Collection of Chinese Nuo Opera Scripts 20: Shaoxing Meng Jiangnu Saving the Mother Record. Shanghai University Press, 2017.
[2] Gu Jigang. A Study on the Story of Meng Jiangnu and Other Works. BEIJING BOOK CO. INC., 2017.
[3] Tomasz Mojsik. Orpheus in Macedonia. Bloomsbury Publishing, 17 Nov. 2022.
[4] Roach, Joseph. "Performance: The Blunders of Orpheus." PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, vol. 125, no. 4, Oct. 2010, pp. 1078–1086, https://doi.org/10.1632/pmla.2010.125.4.1078.
[5] McClay, Mark F. "Rethinking Orphic "Bookishness": Text and Performance in Classical Mystery Religion." Archiv Für Religionsgeschichte, vol. 21-22, no. 1, 2 Dec. 2020, pp. 201–217, https://doi.org/10.1515/arege-2020-0010. Accessed 20 Aug. 2022.
[6] Mojsik, Tomasz. "The "Double Orpheus": Between Myth and Cult." Mythos, no. 14, 28 Dec. 2020, https://doi. org/ 10.4000/mythos.1674. Accessed 11 Sept. 2021.
[7] Ovid. Metamorphoses. Turtleback Books, 1960.
[8] Hardie, Philip. Georgics. Routledge, 1999.
[9] Schliephake, Christopher. "Orpheus in Black: Classicism and Cultural Ecology in Marcel Camus, Samuel R. Delany, and Reginald Shepherd" Anglia, vol. 134, no. 1, 2016, pp. 113-135. 
[10] Lee, M. Owen. "Orpheus and Eurydice: Some Modern Versions." The Classical Journal, vol. 56, no. 7, 1961, pp. 307–13. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3294869. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Journal of Language Testing & Assessment
  
  
• Information and Knowledge Management
  
  
• Military and Armament Science
  
  
• Media and Communication Research
  
  
• Journal of Human Movement Science
  
  
• Art and Performance Letters
  
  
• Lecture Notes on History
  
  
• Lecture Notes on Language and Literature
  
  
• Philosophy Journal
  
  
• Science of Law Journal
  
  
• Journal of Political Science Research
  
  
• Advances in Broadcasting