英语神话故事：普罗米修斯

Prometheus was a Titan. In the war be tween Zeus and the giants he had stood on the side of the new Olympian gods. Out of the clay， he made the first man，to whom Athena gave soul and holy breath. Prometheus spent a lot of time and energy in creating the gift of fire， and fire raised man above all animals. Later，there held a joint meeting of gods and men. The meeting was to decide what part of burnt animals should be given to gods and what to men. Prometheus cut up an ox and divided it into two parts： under the skin he placed the fresh，and under the fat he put the bones，for he knew the selfish Zeus love fat. Zeus saw through the trick and felt displeased at the Prometheus’ favor towards men. So in a masterful way he took away the gift of fire from mankind. However，Prometheus managed to steal fire from heaven and secretly brought it down to men. Flying into an anger at this unjustified act of rebellion， Zeus let the other gods chain Prometheus to a rock on mountain Caucasus， where a hungry eagle ever tore at his liver which ever grew again. His period of pain was to be thirty-thousand years. Prometheus faced his bitter fate firmly and never lost courage before Zeus. At last Heracles made Prometheus and Zeus restore to friendship，when Heracles came over in search of the golden apple and killed the eagle and set the friend of mankind free.

普罗米修斯是泰坦巨人之一。在宙斯与巨人的战争中，他站在新的奥林波斯山神一边。他用黏土造出了第一个男人。雅典娜赋予了这个男人灵魂和神圣的生命。普罗米修斯还花费了很多时间和精力创造了火，并将之赠予人类。火使人成为万物之灵。在这之后，举行了第一次神与人的联席会议。这个会议将决定烧烤过的动物的哪一部分该分给神，哪一部分该分给人类。普罗米修斯切开一头牛，把它分成两部分：他把肉放在皮下，将骨头放在肥肉下。因为他知道自私的宙斯爱吃肥肉。宙斯看穿了他的把戏。普罗米修斯偏袒人类，这使宙斯感到不快。因此，他专横地把火从人类手中夺走。然而，普罗米修斯设法窃走了天火，偷偷地把它带给人类。宙斯对他这种肆无忌惮的违抗行为大发雷霆。他令其他的山神把普罗米修斯用锁链缚在高加索山脉的一块岩石上。一只饥饿的老鹰天天来啄食他的肝脏，而他的肝脏又总是重新长出来。他的痛苦要持续三万年。而他坚定地面对苦难，从来不在宙斯面前丧失勇气。最后，海格立斯使普罗米修斯与宙斯恢复了他们的友谊，找到了金苹果，杀死了老鹰，因而解救了人类的老朋友。