Supernatural and Human Love
By Toni Soto
In the Western literary tradition, there is almost no mention of a supernatural being marrying a human, while in the Chinese literary tradition, the match may be star-crossed, but marriage entirely possible. In the Western literary tradition, love between a supernatural being and a mortal being is most often doomed or one-sided. A specific example is in the myth of Apollo and Daphne. In some versions of the story, Daphne is, herself, a supernatural being, while in others, she is a human being. In all versions, however, she vehemently rejects the advances of the Grecian sun god’s, Apollo’s, advances, and is pursued relentlessly by the love-struck god. Taking pity on the young beauty, the Grecian goddess of wisdom, Athena, transforms Daphne into a tree, so that the sun god cannot have her. Quite clearly, the love of a supernatural being is not only unwanted, but dangerous, ending only when the mortal being is turned into a tree. In contrast, in the Chinese tale of the Weaving Girl and the Cowherd, the love they share is equal and intense, and both share a desire to wed. It is only because the weaving girl’s mother disapproves of the marriage that the two are separated, however, they are still able to see each other once a year, when magpies create a bridge between the two worlds, allowing their love to be possible. The main differences between the two are quite obvious: in the tale of Daphne and Apollo, the love Apollo feels towards Daphne is rejected, and therefore, there is no love between them at all. In the tale of the weaving girl and the cowherd, their love is true and deep, reciprocated by both. The endings of both tales are quite different, the Grecian myth ending in Daphne’s transformation, while the Chinese tale of weaving girl and cowherd ends somewhat happily, if a bit bittersweet. In the Western literary tradition, it is impossible for a supernatural being to marry a human, for something will always go wrong, while in the Chinese literary tradition, there appears to be a way to bridge the gap between two worlds, and make such extraordinary love possible.
Supernatural and Human Love
Supernatural and Human Love
By Toni Soto
In the Western literary tradition, there is almost no mention of a supernatural being marrying a human, while in the Chinese literary tradition, the match may be star-crossed, but marriage entirely possible. In the Western literary tradition, love between a supernatural being and a mortal being is most often doomed or one-sided. A specific example is in the myth of Apollo and Daphne. In some versions of the story, Daphne is, herself, a supernatural being, while in others, she is a human being. In all versions, however, she vehemently rejects the advances of the Grecian sun god’s, Apollo’s, advances, and is pursued relentlessly by the love-struck god. Taking pity on the young beauty, the Grecian goddess of wisdom, Athena, transforms Daphne into a tree, so that the sun god cannot have her. Quite clearly, the love of a supernatural being is not only unwanted, but dangerous, ending only when the mortal being is turned into a tree. In contrast, in the Chinese tale of the Weaving Girl and the Cowherd, the love they share is equal and intense, and both share a desire to wed. It is only because the weaving girl’s mother disapproves of the marriage that the two are separated, however, they are still able to see each other once a year, when magpies create a bridge between the two worlds, allowing their love to be possible. The main differences between the two are quite obvious: in the tale of Daphne and Apollo, the love Apollo feels towards Daphne is rejected, and therefore, there is no love between them at all. In the tale of the weaving girl and the cowherd, their love is true and deep, reciprocated by both. The endings of both tales are quite different, the Grecian myth ending in Daphne’s transformation, while the Chinese tale of weaving girl and cowherd ends somewhat happily, if a bit bittersweet. In the Western literary tradition, it is impossible for a supernatural being to marry a human, for something will always go wrong, while in the Chinese literary tradition, there appears to be a way to bridge the gap between two worlds, and make such extraordinary love possible.
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