In the afternoon of the next day, Zhou Yu was woken up by the ringing of his cell phone.
He grabbed the phone and took a look at it a little irritably. The number on it was unfamiliar, but it was not marked as a harassing number. In order to prevent the contact from the counselor or tutor, he still pressed the answer button.
"I called three times before answering. Did you fall asleep during the day again?"
Although the voice on the other side was a little distorted due to phone communication, there was no doubt that it was Chen Wei. Zhou Yu, who was sure of this, immediately began to regret answering.
"Are you alright?"
"Ah, it's not particularly urgent..."
Hearing this, Zhou Yu was about to press the hang up button. Probably judging his intention, Chen Wei immediately said: "I have some new ideas about the story you mentioned yesterday."
"Which one are you referring to?"
"The one with goat's horns."
When talking about this topic, Zhou Yu finally gathered his energy and sat up from the bed. Since the rent had not been paid, Hongye insisted on resting on the sofa in the living room. Zhou Yu, who was in the bedroom, did not have to worry about disturbing others.
"Are you still thinking about that story?"
"Isn't that what you asked? I happen to think this story is a bit interesting... In short, I think the prototype of the devil in this story may be Pan."
"Pan?"
"You should be familiar with the word 'Capricorn', and Pan is its prototype. It is the god of fauns in Greek mythology, and is also the god of nightmares and panic. Pan looks half-human, half-goat, ugly in appearance, although he is the god of pastoral songs. , but it also had the record of protecting the Athenians, intimidating the Persians, and causing them to suffer from phobias, and was therefore regarded as the god of war and revenge. Its name is the origin of the English word 'panic'..."
"So? What do you mean by this?"
"That is to say, after the demise of ancient Greece itself, the image of Pan gradually evolved into the devil in the revealed religion. Of course, if strict research is conducted, the prototype should not only be Pan, but also include other natural god beliefs, such as the God of God in ancient Egypt. Sheep Knum... If you continue talking, you may hang up the phone. In short, during the period of the rise of apocalyptic religion, most of the gods Pan and similar personalized gods were transformed into symbols such as lustful gods and devils. Although this is different from other It’s related to the decline of civilization in the background, but from a romantic perspective, isn’t it also interesting? With the rise of the only god who symbolizes the father of mankind, the original god who represents the power of nature is also dying..."
Really not interested in listening anymore, Zhou Yu interrupted him and said, "Classmate Chen, if your purpose of calling me is to preach to me, we'd better break off our relationship immediately."
Chen Wei on the other side could only let out a burst of self-deprecating laughter.
"Oh, I didn't mean that. It was just a personal hobby that I couldn't control for a while. In short, the image of Pan has many elements that match the story you told. For example, the god Pan is regarded as a symbol of desire. He is good at singing and dancing, and is good at playing flute and panpipe. In the Dionysian festival, singers will dress up in his image to sing Dionysian hymns - this kind of song and dance performance is the source of ancient Greek tragedy."
He paused and added as if joking: "If drama really originated from witchcraft, then the Dionysian Ode may be one of the earliest spells of mankind."
"Carols..."
Although the words on the other side were unintentional, Zhou Yu remembered the inhuman and strange sound Angti sang that night.
"It is obviously a song dedicated to Dionysus, the god of wine, but the performer will pretend to be the god Pan. It is said that this is because the two are very closely related. Parent and son, adopted father and son, friends... There are versions that have been circulated. All kinds of things. The original name of the Dionysian Dionysian, which is the etymology of the modern word 'tragedy', was pronounced 'tragoidia' - which literally means 'goat song'."
"...What's the point of saying these things?"
"Well, I think the person who designed this story probably put these metaphors in deliberately. I am very curious about his thoughts and motivations. If possible, I would like to ask you to introduce me to him."
"That's really unlucky. The man has passed away."
"Is it actually the work of our ancestors?"
"No, he died a few nights ago. Because he opened a casino illegally, he was first shot in the head and then hacked to death with swords."
After listening to Zhou Yu's calm description, Chen Wei let out another burst of polite laughter.
"In that case, I won't disturb his purity. Classmate Zhou, please continue to rest."
Before he hung up the phone, Zhou Yu suddenly said: "Wait a minute."
"What's wrong? If you want to tell me the address of his grave, there's no need. I have no intention of visiting his grave."
"It has nothing to do with that guy. Since you are interested in those messy things, have you ever heard of people who eat dirt?"
"People who eat dirt? I do know a lot of them. You can see a large group of them if you go by the end of the month to the place where rice and cabbage are served in the third cafeteria of the school."
"I'm not kidding. Instead of accepting normal food, a person eats dirt. Does this behavior have any special meaning?"
"Well...if you're asking about religion, ghosts and gods, this kind of custom can be found in many places."
Chen Wei on the other side pondered for a while, and then continued: "Europe, Africa, and here too, have more or less the custom of eating soil. In the myths and legends of many ethnic groups, the land is personified and regarded as It is a symbol of motherhood. Therefore, eating soil will be understood as a return to the origin of life or a medicine to cure diseases. This is very common in medicine in early civilizations. If you look at it from the perspective of trace elements and digestive tract flora, it may not be completely nonsense. Talk."
"Don't you know how to eat dead people?"
"Are you talking about Guanyin soil? It is true that ingesting large amounts during famines can cause death, but the cause of death is not food poisoning, but indigestion. If you eat a small amount, you will be fine. In fact, the way of eating was spread in the past It's similar. Mix soil with cereals, water or eggs, make it into a cake shape, bake it and eat it. As long as the proportion is correct, you won't die from indigestion. It is said that some patients with pica have special constitutions and do not need to be supplemented with other food. Things can survive simply by eating soil.”
After hearing his last words, Zhou Yu sneered unconsciously.
"Do you believe this?"
"Although I think it's a bit exaggerated, I don't dare to say it's completely impossible. After all, I'm studying literature, and I don't know much about biology. But wouldn't it be interesting if we could survive simply by eating soil?"
"I don't find it funny."
"Don't think about it from the perspective of taste. In a broad sense, the food chain starts from the soil, and after going through layer-by-layer hunting, it reaches the humans at the top. This process is inherently wasteful. If you eat the soil directly, Doesn't it save a lot of intermediate processes? No, it should be said that even our civilization will be completely rewritten. Because the famine phenomenon in ancient times will basically not occur, many technologies will probably not be developed anymore. They will hide collectively like ants Underground, eat and build burrows until the population fills the entire land."
After he finished speaking in a joking tone, Zhou Yu fell into silence. After realizing this, he asked: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. If it's like you said, we will be at the bottom of the food chain, because the only things that can have a direct connection with the land are earthworms and microorganisms. Compared with famine, this is not a glorious thing. "
"Is being close to the land as bad as you say? Although from the perspective of eating food, we are relatively far away from the soil, but looking at it from the other side, after death, people will turn into putrid mud and reintegrate into the soil. Even if Standing on the so-called apex, as food, we are always being eaten by the land. This is the so-called cycle."
After hearing these words, Zhou Yu was speechless for a moment. So Chen Wei added: "Thinking about it this way, eating dirt is not only not uncomfortable, but also makes you feel relieved, right? It feels like taking revenge on the murderer."
Before his self-absorbed laughter ended, Zhou Yu hung up the phone expressionlessly.
