Oral poetry originated from the labor songs and folk songs of ancient working people. It is a short poem written orally by people with strong sense of rhythm and music. These poems are usually improvised and sung by people, and their contents express people's understanding and feelings about life, nature and human emotions. For example, in the Book of Songs, the pigeons that were shut off were in Hezhou. A beautiful and virtuous woman is a good spouse of a gentleman. This poem expresses people's yearning and pursuit of beautiful love with concise and lively language and beautiful rhythm.
Myths and legends are ancient people's explanations and imaginations of nature, history and the origin of human beings, which are usually handed down in the form of stories. These stories depict the images of gods, heroes and mysterious creatures, as well as their struggles and adventures.
The contents of myths and legends not only reflect the world outlook, values and beliefs of ancient people, but also have a far-reaching impact on later literary creation. For example, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are long epics based on myths and legends, which have become classics of western literature.
In ancient society, the roles played by oral poetry and myths and legends;
1. Oral poetry is an important means for ancient people to express their feelings, convey information and entertain. They are usually sung impromptu by people, with strong sense of rhythm and musicality, which can stimulate people's feelings and sense of participation. The content of oral poetry can be a description of trivial matters of life, as well as a description of historical events, heroes and myths and legends, which are important carriers of ancient cultural heritage and historical memory.
2. Myths and legends are the ancient people's explanations and imaginations of nature, history and the origin of human beings, which are usually handed down in the form of stories. These stories depict the images of gods, heroes and mysterious creatures, their struggles and adventures, and reflect the world outlook, values and beliefs of ancient people. Myths and legends are not only an important part of the cultural heritage of the ancients, but also have a far-reaching impact on the literary creation of later generations and become an important way for future generations to study and appreciate ancient culture.
3. In ancient society, oral poetry and myths and legends played an important role in education and enlightenment. They stimulate people's thinking and creativity through emotional expression, story telling and imagination, and cultivate people's cultural identity and values. At the same time, the existence and development of these two literary styles also provided valuable reference and enlightenment for later literary creation, and became an important part of human culture and historical development.