8 Legendary Reasons We Have Music 音乐起源的八个传说

迈克尔·范杜伊森 卢屹

Music is as integral to the human experience as anything else， perhaps even predating language itself. Mythology has been similarly ubiquitous throughout human history. As such， myths have built up to explain various aspects of music， including its very creation. Here are eight of them.

8 Tezcatlipoca And Quetzalcoatl

Culture： Aztec

Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl， the sky god and wind god， respectively， are two of the more widely known of the Aztec deities. Quetzalcoatl， colloquially known as the “Feathered Serpent，” was also the god of wisdom， and he and Tezcatlipoca had a love-hate relationship. One day， while Quetzalcoatl was busy making hurricanes， Tezcatlipoca noticed a distinct lack of singing or music on the part of the humans. He developed a plan which would resolve the problem： have his brother take music from the Sun.

After an arduous journey， Quetzalcoatl finally made it to the House of the Sun， guided there by the lovely sound of music carried through the air. Face-to-face with the god of the wind， the Sun commanded the singers and musicians to be quiet， for fear they would be taken down to Earth. After displaying the frightful majesty of his powers， Quetzalcoatl convinced them to come with him. As he neared Earth， fruits began to ripen， flowers began to bloom， and it appeared as if the whole planet had awakened from a deep slumber. Happy with what they had accomplished， Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl basked in the harmonious glow of the music which has existed ever since.

7 Various

Culture： Greek

Better known as the herald1 for the rest of the Olympian gods， Hermes was also the god of thieves， merchants， and literature. As a baby of sorts， he escaped his swaddling bands and ran off to where his brother Apollo grazed his cattle. Hermes caught a tortoise， killed it， and hollowed out its shell. Using some entrails from one of Apollos cows， he crafted the first lyre. Later， while under interrogation for stealing the cattle， he played the lyre so beautifully that Apollo traded the cattle for the lyre. Hermes is credited with inventing the flute and the panpipes as well.

Another character heavily involved with the creation of music in Greek mythology is Orpheus， who was said to have played so beautifully that animals， trees， and rocks would dance around him. After his death， his lyre was placed among the heavens as a constellation， playing its sweet music for the rest of eternity.

6 Heavens Angels

Culture： Christianity

Saint Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch， an early Christian position allegedly founded by the apostle Saint Peter. To him is attributed the practice of antiphonal singing （by two choirs） during church services. He had seen a vision of the angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God， and divided his church choir to follow this example.

5 Apollo

Culture： Roman

Apollo was venerated as the god of the Sun， truth， healing， and music. He received his lyre from the infant thief Hermes， future father of the sylvan god Pan and learned to play the most beautiful music ever heard by man or god.

The god Pan thought he could beat Apollo with a double flute. Playing in front of the legendary King Midas， Pan was judged to be the winner. Angry that Midas had chosen Pan and his double flute， Apollo turned the kings ears into those of a donkey.

4 Uzume

Culture： Japanese

Otherwise known as Amenouzume No Mikoto， Uzume is the Japanese Shinto goddess of joy and happiness. With a nickname like “Heavens Forthright Female，” she is also seen as the embodiment of the perfect female.

As for the musical side of her nature， Uzume expressed it most beautifully in a story involving Amaterasu， the Sun goddess. Amaterasu had hidden herself in a cave， driven there out of anger at the storm god Susanoo. Unfortunately， this covered the world in darkness， leaving nothing able to grow anymore. While all of the gods tried in vain to convince Amaterasu to leave the cave， Uzume covered herself with moss and leaves and began singing and dancing wildly， leading Amaterasu to leave the cave in curiosity.

The Shinto religious music and dancing， known as kagura， is said to be modeled after Uzumes singing and dancing.

3 Jubal

Culture： Judaism

The son of Lamech， himself said to be the most ancient poet of the world before the Flood2， Jubal is said to have invented various stringed and wind instruments， chief among them being the harp.

Rabbinical writings take note that the music he introduced to the world can have a deleterious effect， often when used in an act of seduction. Later Christian and Muslim writers associated music with Satan himself， believing it had a pseudo-magical influence over human beings.

2 Odin/Bragi

Culture： Norse

In Norse mythology， there was a legendary drink known as the Mead of Poetry， which had been created by the dwarves. Depending on the version of the myth， it either turned one into a poet or granted one the ability to speak with wisdom. For ages， it was guarded with secrecy until the giant Suttung came and stole it， hiding it in a mountain cave under the protection of his daughter. The great Norse god Odin believed that being a good poet was as crucial as being a good warrior， so after an arduous journey， he managed to convince Suttungs daughter to allow him to drink the mead. He later escaped， turning into an eagle， and poured the mead over the whole world.

1 Ling Lun

Culture： Chinese

Though some myths attribute the creation of music to a mythical beast named Kui， more sources cite Ling Lun as the legendary founder of music for ancient China. The Yellow Emperor， a deity in Chinese religion， is said to have ordered Ling Lun to create music. Ling Luns first attempt was a flute made out of bamboo， which was said to be unpleasant. In fact， when the Yellow Emperor was passing by on his horse， the noise startled the animal， and the emperor was thrown to the ground.

When he arose， Ling Lun fell to his knees， embarrassed and ready to accept death. However， the Yellow Emperor was astounded the flute made any noise at all and told him to continue his efforts. Eventually， Ling Lun ended up at Mount Phoenix， named after the mythical birds which frequented the area. The males and females each sang six distinct tones， and he carved his flute to match their pitches.

音乐对于人类经历而言是不可或缺的，它甚至比语言本身还要早。神话在人类历史上也同样是普遍存在的。由此，解释音乐方方面面（包括其源起）的神话传说应运而生了。本文介绍其中八个。

8泰兹卡特里波卡和克查尔科亚特尔

文化源起：阿兹特克

泰兹卡特里波卡和克查尔科亚特尔分别是天空神和风神，是阿兹特克文化中较为出名的两位神祇。克查尔科亚特尔俗称“羽蛇神”，也是智慧神，他和泰兹卡特里波卡有着相爱相杀的关系。一天，正当克查尔科亚特尔忙着制造狂风时，泰兹卡特里波卡发现人类显然缺少了歌唱和音乐。他想出一条妙计来解决这个问题：让他的兄弟去太阳那里求取音乐。

经过了一段艰苦的旅程，循着空中传来的优美乐声，克查尔科亚特尔终于到达了太阳的居所。太阳与风神正面对峙，生怕歌者、乐者被带去人间，命令他们收声。在克查尔科亚特尔展现出慑人的神武之威后，他们心悦诚服地与他同行。当他快到地球时，果实逐渐成熟，花朵逐渐绽放，整个地球仿佛从酣睡中苏醒了。泰兹卡特里波卡和克查尔科亚特尔对自己的成就很满意，陶醉在曼妙的音乐氛围里，而音乐自此诞生了。

7 各显神通

文化源起：希腊

以众神使者著称的赫尔墨斯也是小偷、商人的保护神，还司管文学。尚在婴儿之时，他就挣脱襁褓，跑到哥哥阿波罗的放牛地。赫尔墨斯抓住一只乌龟并且杀死了它，把龟壳掏空。……