重访凯尔特神话历史——以爱尔兰为例

作为一个充满传奇色彩的族群,凯尔特人的神话传说并没有随着他们的辉煌时代一起归于沉寂,而是从口头传统进入书写系统。在爱尔兰文化传统中,曾经为文学艺术提供不竭灵感,成为民族运动的旗帜,甚至被打造为成功的商业符号,在流传变化的过程中受到各种力量的挤压和重构,构成了一部特色鲜明的神话历史。从凯尔特神话历史可以看出神话支配着一个族群的自我想像和认同,同时也根据当下需要不断经受修正和改写,最终成为政治、民族、宗教甚至商业等各种力量塑造的版本。

A Review of Celtic Mythistory ——Taking Ireland as an Example

As a legendary ethnic group,Celtic mythology did not disappear with their splendid ages,but entered into the written system from the oral tradition.In the tradition of Irish culture,it has provide an inexhaustible inspiration for literature and arts,and has become a flag of national movement,and has been even built as a successful commercial symbol,while in the process of spreading and changing,it has been squeezed and reconstructed by various forces.Thus it constitutes a distinctive mythistory.It can been seen from the Celtic mythistory that myth plays a dominant role in self-imagination and self-identity,and at the same time,after being constantly amended and rewritten in accordance with concrete situations,it finally becomes versions created by various forces such as politics,nation,religion,and even commerce.