Cultural Symbols of the Rain雨的文化意象

Can you remember the smell of petrichor that permeates the air just before twirling and dancing under the rain？ Enjoying the act and under the same breath chanting diligently “Rain rain go away...” But later being scolded by your parents for fear of getting sick？

你还记得在雨中又转又跳之前，空气中弥漫的泥土气息吗？一边尽情舞蹈，一边孜孜不倦地唱道，“雨！雨！快走开……”。之后父母担心你淋雨生病，责备了你一番。

Even now as an adult when rem-iniscing， you look at the younger ones flaunting their childlike innocence and spirit as they freely dance away under the rain.

即使现在你早已成年，但每每陷入回忆，便不由自主地凝视那些年轻些的孩子们在雨中自由起舞，挥洒着童真和童心。

We never know why but it turns out that there is something about the rain that gets us all worked up positively. One can even form a playlist of rain-inspired songs of different genres and eras， which perhaps can be termed “rain songs” if need be.

我们从不知道为何如此，但关于雨的某些东西确能使人精神振奋、心情积极。人们甚至可以把不同类型和时代被雨启发而创作的歌曲集合成一份歌单，也许可以称之为“雨之歌”——如果需要的话。

Perhaps the rain appeal might be linked to the attainment of success they had， earning them the right to be called hits. These songs have embedded in the emotions the rain brings， the beliefs and perceptions of rain and its usage figuratively all tuned out in crescendo. Hence mythology is driven based on the dictates of society fuelling its sustenance in modern society.

雨之歌的成功与雨的魅力息息相关，它们能够争得热门歌曲，雨功不可没。这些歌融入了雨所带来的情感，对雨的信念、感知和比喻用法，调和成渐强的旋律。因此，神话的诞生是受到社会需求驱动的，社会需求也为神话在现代社会中延续提供动力。

Away from sentimentality， what is the religious correlation in significance between this natural phenomenon “rain” and the symbolism of other characteristics like thunder， lightning， and rainbow？ In most cultures， there is the existence of belief in the metaphysical power the rain proffers.

除去感伤情调，“雨”这种自然现象同雷、电、彩虹等其他相关现象的象征意义间又有什么宗教联系呢？在多数文化中，都存在对雨带来的超自然力量的信仰。

What role do you think myths and legends have in the understanding of the cosmos and how a man gets to communicate with it？

你认为在人类理解宇宙、与宇宙交流时，神话和传说扮演着什么样的角色？

Varying mythologies from different cultures have diverse tales to understand how things on earth came to be and man’s part on earth. This is therefore the spirituality behind the rain including different gods that hold the power to permit rain to fall or keep the rain away from humans resulting in famine.

不同文化所形成的不同神话体系，用各种故事来解读地球上万事万物如何诞生，以及人类在地球上的角色。因而这是雨背后的精神力量，也包括不同的神，他们拥有的权力能允许降雨，也能让人类无雨而导致饥荒。

With the reliance in some cultures and society on agriculture this setting is to be expected to placate the sacredness of the rain. So rain is appreciated as a gift from the god of rain， hence it is seen for its benevolence as the giver of life since it rejuvenates the earth and human life.

一些文明和社会依赖农业生产，这样的背景下人们期盼安抚神圣的雨水。所以雨被视作来自雨神的礼物，它令大地休养生息，让人类安居乐业，又凭其仁爱被视作生命的赐予者。

Thus this is seen as the belief of rain gods. Probably as a natural marvel， supernatural powers are as a result attributed to it for this reason from different cultures. The myth creation stories behind these beliefs are quite universal with no restrictions to a particular region.

因此，这可以理解为对雨神的信仰。或许是作为一种自然的奇迹，使得不同文化都将超自然力量归因于它。这些信仰背后神秘的创世故事非常普遍，并不限于特定的区域。

Given that myths are the foundation of the belief system of many with different cultural attitudes to the world and all in it.

许多人的信仰体系都建立在神话的基础上，他们对这个世界及世界上一切事物有着不同的文化态度。

In Greek mythology， Zeus the ruler of the Greek pantheon of gods stands as the god of rain and is known for his symbolic dart/thunderbolt sign.

在希腊神话中，宙斯是希腊众神的统治者，也是雨之神明，以象征性的飞矢也就是雷电标志闻名。

While in Nigeria together with its vast ethnicity， the gods of rain are different from one ethnicity to another. In Yoruba legend， the god of rain is the powerful couple Oya and her husband Sango， who， according to folklore， got his gifts from his wife Oya.

而在尼日利亚，因其民族多样，不同民族的雨神也有所不同。约鲁巴传说中的雨神是一对有权势的夫妻，妻子叫奥亚，丈夫叫桑戈，根据民间传说，桑戈是从妻子奥亚处获得了力量。

For the Hausas Gajjimare begins the etymology of Hausa rain gods. While in Igbo land， Amadioha stands ensign as the ruler of the sky wielding his power as he may and speaks through thunder， which is no different from the aforementioned gods. Though these oral traditions have different stories， these gods have typically the same role to discharge to earthlings.

对豪萨人而言，Gajjimare一词开启了豪萨雨神词源。而在伊博人的土地上，阿玛迪奥哈身如旗标，作为天空的统治者施展神力，以雷声传递神诏，这点与上述诸神并无不同。虽然这些口口相传的神话故事多种多样，但显然这些神明在凡人心中扮演的角色如出一辙。

Again， the rain like two sides of a coin is reflected in the perceptions of belief systems of cultures with juxtaposing world views. For instance， the foreshadowing of storms in some cultures connotes something ominous and this is further reflected in movies and phrases like “after the storm comes the calm” pushes forth such notions.

再者，雨也像硬币有正反两面，这反映在并置文化信仰体系的观念上。举例来说，一些文化中人们认为暴风雨前的征兆意味着不祥，在一些电影中，这点进一步体现出来，而“暴风雨后的平静”之类的短语更推动了这种观念。

For instance， rain falling in some cultures at weddings is not a sign of good beginnings while for another it is a blessing that washes away the past， setting you up for a brighter day.

再比如，一些文化认为婚礼上降雨不是好的开始的标志，但也有一些文化觉得这是一种祝福，可以洗尽过往，给人以更光明的未来。

Briefly， symbolic to showers of the rain is the beauty of the rainbow that accompanies the rainy weather. It is one phenomenon that has put scientists on their toes and is most desired for the beauty it graces the sky with.