Chinese mythology origin of the world. Legends and myths of China

Ancient Chinese mythology is reconstructed from fragments of ancient historical and philosophical works (“Shujing”, the oldest parts of the 14th-11th centuries BC; “Yijing”, the oldest parts of the 8th-7th centuries BC; “Zhuanzi”, 4th-3rd centuries BC ; "Lezi", "Huainanzi").

The greatest amount of information on mythology is contained in the ancient treatise “Shan Hai Jing” (“Book of Mountains and Seas”, 4-2 centuries BC), as well as in the poetry of Qu Yuan (4th century BC). One of distinctive features ancient Chinese mythology historicization (euhemerization) of mythical characters, who, under the influence of the rationalistic Confucian worldview, very early began to be interpreted as real figures of ancient times. Main characters turned into rulers and emperors, and minor characters- into dignitaries, officials, etc. Totemistic ideas played an important role.

Thus, the Yin tribes considered the swallow to be their totem, and the Xia tribes considered the snake to be their totem. Gradually, the snake transformed into a dragon (lun), commanding rain, thunderstorms, the water element and simultaneously associated with underground forces, and the bird, probably, into a fenghuang - a mythical bird - a symbol of the empress (the dragon became a symbol of the empress). The myth of chaos (Huntun), which was a formless mass, apparently is one of the most ancient (judging by the outline of the hieroglyphs Hun and Tun, this image is based on the idea of water chaos). According to the treatise "Huainanzi", when there was neither heaven nor earth and formless images wandered in pitch darkness, two deities emerged from chaos. The idea of primordial chaos and darkness was also reflected in the term “kaypi” (literally “separation” - “the beginning of the world”, which was understood as the separation of heaven from earth).

The myth of Pangu testifies to the presence in China of the likening of the cosmos to the human body, characteristic of a number of ancient cosmogonic systems, and, accordingly, the unity of the macro- and microcosm (in late antiquity and the Middle Ages, these mythological ideas were also entrenched in other areas of knowledge related to man: medicine, physiognomy , portrait theories, etc.). More archaic in terms of stages should be recognized, apparently, as the reconstructed cycle of myths about the ancestor Nuiva, who was presented in the form of a half-man, half-snake, and was considered the creator of all things and people. According to one myth, she sculpted people from loess and clay. Later versions of the myth also associate the establishment of a marriage ritual with it.

If Pangu does not create the world, but itself develops along with the separation of heaven from earth (only medieval engravings they depict him with a chisel and a hammer in his hands, separating heaven from earth), then Nuiva also appears as a kind of demiurge. She repairs the collapsed part of the sky, cuts off the legs of a giant turtle and props them up with the four limits of the sky, collects reed ash and blocks the path of the flood of waters (“Huainanzi”). It can be assumed that Pangu and Nüwa were originally part of various tribal mythological systems; the image of Nüwa arose either in the southeastern regions of ancient Chinese lands (German researcher W. Muencke) or in the area of the Ba culture in the southwestern province of Sichuan (American scientist W. Eberhard), and the image of Pangu - in the southern Chinese regions.

Legends about the cultural hero Fusi, apparently the ancestor of the tribes (Eastern China, lower reaches of the Yellow River), who was credited with the invention of fishing nets and divinatory trigrams, were more widespread. God Fusi taught people hunting, fishing, and cooking food (meat) over fire. Being originally a cultural hero of tribes whose totem was a bird, Fusi may have been represented as a bird-man. Subsequently, most likely by the turn of our era, in the process of the formation of the general Chinese mythological system, he began to appear in tandem with Nüwa. On grave reliefs of the first centuries AD. e. in the provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Fusi and Nuwa are depicted as a pair of similar creatures with human torsos and intertwined tails of a snake (dragon), which symbolizes marital intimacy.

According to the myths about Fuxi and Nuwa, recorded in the early 60s of the 20th century in oral history among the Sichuan Chinese, they are brother and sister who escaped the flood and then married to revive lost humanity. IN written monuments There are only fragmentary references to the fact that Nüwa was Fusi’s sister (from the 2nd century AD); she was first named as his wife only by the 9th century poet Lu Tun. The myth of the flood was recorded in literature earlier than other myths (“Shujing”, “Shijing”, 11-7 centuries BC).

It is believed that flood myths originated among Chinese tribes in the area of the Yellow and Zhejiang rivers, and then spread to the areas of modern Sichuan. As the American sinologist D. Bodde noted, the flood in Chinese mythology is not a punishment sent to people for their sins (as it is considered only in modern versions the myth of Fusi and Nüwa), but rather a generalized idea of a kind of water chaos. This is a story about the struggle of farmers against flooding in order to develop land and create irrigation. According to the entry in Shujing, Gun enters the fight against the flood, trying to stop the waters with the help of the wonderful self-growing land (sizhan) he stole from the supreme ruler.

Presumably, this image is based on the archaic idea of the expansion of the earth in the process of creating the cosmos, which was included in the legend about the curbing of the flood, which in myths usually marks the beginning of a new stage in the development of the world and life on earth. But his son Yu defeats the flood. He is engaged in digging canals, land management, rids the land of all evil spirits (a cleansing function characteristic of a cultural hero), and creates conditions for agriculture.

Since the ancient Chinese imagined the creation of the world as a gradual separation of heaven from earth, there are references in myths to the fact that at first it was possible to climb to heaven using special heavenly stairs.

In later times, a different interpretation of the archaic idea of the separation of heaven and earth appeared. According to this version, the supreme ruler Zhuanxu ordered his grandsons Li and Chun to cut the path between heaven and earth (the first raised the sky up, and the second pressed the earth down).

Along with the idea of celestial stairs and the path to heaven, there were also myths about Mount Kunlun (the Chinese version of the so-called world mountain), which seemed to connect earth and sky: on it was the lower capital of the supreme heavenly lord (Shangdi).

These myths are based on the idea of a certain “world axis”, which takes the form not just of a mountain, but also of a capital towering on it - a palace. Another idea of the cosmic vertical is embodied in the image of a solar tree - fusang (literally “supporting mulberry tree”), which is based on the idea of a world tree. The suns live on the fusang tree - ten golden ravens. All of them are the children of Mother Xihe, who lives across the Southeast Sea.

According to the Huainanzi, the sun first bathes in the pool, and then rises to the fusang and sets off across the sky. According to some versions, Xihe herself carries the sun across the sky in a chariot. Gradually it comes to the far west, where it lands on another sunny tree, the flowers of which illuminate the earth (presumably an image of the evening dawn). Associated with the idea of a plurality of suns is a myth about the disruption of cosmic balance as a result of the simultaneous appearance of ten suns: a terrible drought sets in. An archer sent from heaven strikes the extra nine suns with his bow. Lunar myths are clearly poorer than solar ones. If the sun was associated with a three-legged raven, then the moon was originally, apparently, associated with a toad (three-legged in later ideas) (“Huainanzi”). It was believed that he lives on the moon white hare pounding the potion of immortality in a mortar (medieval authors considered the toad as the embodiment of the light principle of yang, and the hare as the embodiment of the dark principle of yin). The earliest recorded image of a lunar hare and a toad is an image on a funeral banner (2nd century BC), found in 1971 near Changsha in Hunan.

If the solar myths are associated with the shooter Hou Yi, then the lunar ones are with his wife Chang E (or Heng E), who steals the potion of immortality from the shooter Yi and, having taken it, ascends to the moon, where she lives alone. According to another version, a certain Wu Gan lives on the moon, sent there to cut down a huge cinnamon tree, the traces of ax blows on which immediately grow back. This myth apparently developed already in the Middle Ages among Taoists, but the idea of the lunar tree was recorded in antiquity (“Huainanzi”). Important for understanding Chinese mythology are the ideas about the five star palaces (guns): middle, eastern, southern, western and northern, which correlate with the symbols of these directions: Tai Yi (“great unit”), Qinglong (“green dragon”), Zhuqiao (“red bird”), Baihu (“white tiger”) and Xuan Wu (“dark warrior”).

Each of these concepts was both a constellation and a symbol with a graphic image. So, on ancient reliefs the stars of the Qinglong constellation were depicted in circles and a green dragon was immediately drawn, Xuan Wu was depicted as a turtle intertwined (copulating?) with a snake. Some stars were considered the embodiment of gods, spirits or their habitat. The Big Dipper (Beidou) and the spirits inhabiting it were in charge of life and death, fate, etc. However, in mythological legends it is not these constellations that appear, but individual stars, for example Shang in the eastern part of the sky and Shen in the western part.

Among the deities of the elements and natural phenomena, the most archaic is the thunder god Leigong. Perhaps he was considered the father of the first ancestor of Fuxi. In the ancient Chinese language, the very concept of “thunderclap” (zhen) is etymologically connected with the concept of “getting pregnant,” in which one can see relics of ancient ideas, according to which the birth of the first ancestors was associated with thunder or thunderman, “thunder dragon.”

The hieroglyph zhen also meant “eldest son” in the family. At the turn of our era, there were also ideas about Leigong as a heavenly dragon. In the form of an arched dragon with heads at the ends, the Chinese also imagined a rainbow. Such images are known from Han reliefs. Judging by written sources, there was a division into rainbow-hun - a male dragon (with a predominance of light tones) and a rainbow-ni - female dragon (with a predominance of dark tones).

There were legends about the miraculous conception of the mythical sovereign Shun from the meeting of his mother with a large rainbow-hun (dragon?). Wind and rain were also personified as the wind spirit (Fengbo) and the lord of rain (Yushi). Fengbo was represented as a dog with a human face (“Shan Hai Jing”), according to other versions, he was associated with a bird, perhaps with a comet, as well as with another mythical creature Feilian, who resembled a deer with a bird’s head, a snake’s tail, spotted like a leopard (poet Jin Zhuo, 4th century AD).

The earthly world in Chinese mythology is, first of all, mountains and rivers (the medieval word jiangshan - “rivers - mountains”, meaning “country”, shanshui - “mountains - waters” - “landscape”); forests, plains, steppes or deserts play virtually no role.

The graphic representation of the concept of “earth” in ancient writing was a pictogram of “heaps of earth,” that is, it was based on the identity of earth and mountain. Mountain spirits were characterized by asymmetry (one-legged, one-eyed, three-legged), doubling of normal human characteristics (for example, two-headed), or a combination of animal and human features. The terrible appearance of most mountain spirits indicates their possible connection with the chthonic element. Indirect confirmation of this can be the ideas about Mount Taishan (modern Shandong province) as the habitat of the lord of life and death (a kind of prototype of the master of the afterlife), about the lower world underground, in deep caves, the entrance to which is on the mountain peaks.

The spirits of the waters are presented for the most part as creatures with the features of a dragon, fish, turtle. Among the river spirits there are male (the spirit of the Yellow River - Hebo) and female (the goddess of the Luo River - Luoshen, fairies of the Xiangshui River, etc.). Various drowned people were revered as river spirits; Thus, Fufei, the daughter of the mythical Fusi, who drowned in it, was considered the fairy of the Lo River.

The main characters of ancient Chinese mythology are cultural heroes - ancestors, presented in ancient historicized monuments as real rulers and dignitaries of ancient times. They act as creators of cultural goods and objects: Fuxi invented fishing nets, Suizhen - fire, Shennong - a spade, he laid the foundation for agriculture, digging the first wells, determined healing properties herbs, organized barter trade; Huangdi invented means of transportation - boats and chariots, as well as items of clothing made of cloth, and began constructing public roads. The beginning of counting years (calendar), and sometimes writing (according to another version, it was created by the four-eyed Cangjie) is also associated with his name.

All mythical ancestors were usually credited with making various clay vessels, as well as musical instruments, which was considered an extremely important cultural activity in ancient times. IN different options myth the same act is attributed different characters. This shows that the connection between a certain hero and the corresponding cultural act was not immediately determined, that different ethnic groups could attribute inventions to their heroes. In the ancient treatise “Guanzi”, fire is produced by the friction of wood against wood by Huangdi, in ancient work“He Tu” (“Plan of the River”) - Fuxi, and in the commentaries “Xiqizhuan” to the “Book of Changes” and in philosophical treatises (“Han Feizi”, “Huainanzi”) - Suizhen (literally “the man who produced fire by friction” ), to which this most important cultural feat is assigned in subsequent tradition.

All these cultural inventions, no matter which of the first ancestors they are attributed to, reflect far from the earliest ideas, since the heroes of myths themselves made these objects. A more archaic way of acquiring them is to steal them or receive them as a gift. wonderful objects from their masters from another world. Only a relic of one myth of this kind has survived - the story of the shooter Yi obtaining the potion of immortality from Xi Wangmu.

A visit by the shooter And the mistress of the west, associated in Chinese mythology with the land of the dead, can be interpreted as receiving the afterlife a wonderful drug. This is in accordance with the character of the Chinese mythological thinking and later with Taoist teaching, which aimed to find ways to prolong life and achieve longevity. Already in the Shan Hai Jing there are a number of records about immortals living in distant, amazing countries.

The Lady of the West herself, Xi Wangmu, unlike other characters who have a bright pronounced features cultural heroes, represents a completely different type of mythical character, originally, apparently, of a demonic nature. In archaic texts, she has obvious zoomorphic features - the tail of a leopard, the fangs of a tiger ("Shan Hai Jing"), she is in charge of heavenly punishments, according to other sources, she sends pestilence and disease. Features of the leopard and the tiger, as well as its habitat in mountain cave suggest that she is a mountain chthonic creature.

Another demonic version of the mythical hero is the destroyer of cosmic and social balance, the water spirit Gungun and the rebel Chi Yu. Portrayed as the antagonist - the destroyer of cosmic foundations, the zooanthropomorphic water spirit Gungun fought with the fire spirit Zhuzhong. (the struggle between two opposing elements is one of the popular themes of archaic mythology).

In more late myth the battle of the many-armed and many-legged (in which one can see a figurative reflection of archaic ideas about chaos) Chi Yu with the sovereign Huangdi, the personification of harmony and order, is no longer depicted as a duel between two mythical heroes, symbolizing opposing elements, but as a struggle for power among the leaders of various tribes, described as a kind of competition in the power of the lords of the elements in the spirit of a shamanic duel (in particular, the wind spirit Fengbo and the rain lord Yushi from Chi Yu and the drought demon Ba, daughter of Huangdi, on the father's side). Drought overcomes rain, wind, fog, and Huangdi, as the supreme deity, takes over Chi Yu. In general, Huangdi's war with Chi Yu, typologically similar to the fight of Zeus with the titans in Greek mythology, can be represented as a struggle between the heavenly (Huangdi) and the chthonic (Chi Yu).

A special place in ancient Chinese mythology is occupied by images of the ideal rulers of antiquity, especially Yao and his successor Shun. Yao, as suggested by the Japanese scientist Mitarai Masaru, was originally one of the solar deities and was thought of in the form of a bird; he later turned into an earthly ruler.

Initially scattered images of the mythology of individual ancient Chinese tribes and tribal groups gradually formed into unified system, which was facilitated by the development of natural philosophical ideas and, in particular, various classification systems, among which highest value had a fivefold system - based on five elements. Under its influence, the four-membered model of the world turns into a five-membered one, corresponding to five landmarks in space (four cardinal directions + middle or center), the supreme heavenly ruler is now recognized as the deity of the center.

In the inscriptions on the oracle bones of the Shan Yin era (16-11 centuries BC) we find the sign “di”, which was a kind of “title” for the souls of deceased rulers and corresponded to the concept of “divine ancestor”, “sacred ancestor”. (Etymologically, the grapheme “di” itself, as suggested by the Japanese scientist Kato Tsunekata, is an image of an altar for sacrifices to heaven.) With the epithet “shan” - “upper”, “supreme”, “di” meant the supreme heavenly lord (Shandi).

In the Zhou era (11-3 centuries BC) in Ancient China, the cult of Tian (heaven) also developed as a kind of higher principle guiding everything that happens on earth. However, the concepts of Shandi and Tian were very abstract and could easily be replaced by images of specific mythical characters, which is what happens with the design of the idea of the five mythical sovereigns. It can be assumed that the idea of sanhuang - three mythical sovereigns - Fuxi, Suizhen and Shennong (there are other options) recorded in written monuments in parallel with it is a reflection of a different (ternary) classification system, which led to the emergence of images of three mythical sovereigns - heaven (Tianhuang), earth (Dihuang) and people (Renhuang).

The five mythical sovereigns included: the supreme ruler of the center - Huangdi, his assistant - the god of the earth Houtu, his color is yellow, under his patronage was the temple of the sun, many constellations of the central part of the sky were correlated with him, as well as the Big Dipper, the planet Tianxing ( Saturn); the lord of the east is Taihao (aka Fuxi), his assistant is the green spirit of the Gouman tree, he controls the thunderer Leigong and the wind spirit Fengbo, the constellations in the eastern part of the sky and the planet Suixin (Jupiter), spring corresponds to him and green color; the ruler of the south is Yandi (aka Shennong), his assistant is the red spirit of fire Zhuzhong, various constellations in the southern part of the sky correspond to him, as well as the planet Inhosin (); the deity of the west is Shaohao (his name “small bright” is opposed to the name of the ruler of the east - “great light”), his assistant is the white spirit Zhushou, the constellations in the western part of the sky and the planet Taibai (Venus) are associated with him; the lord of the north is Zhuanxu, his assistant is the black spirit Xuanming, under his patronage were the temples of the moon and the lord of the rain Yushi, constellations in the northern part of the sky, as well as the planet Chenxing (Mercury).

In accordance with the fivefold classification, each of the mythical rulers, as the ruler of the cardinal direction, corresponded to a certain primary element, as well as a season, color, animal, part of the body, for example, Fusi - tree, from animals - dragon, from flowers - green, from seasons - spring , from body parts - the spleen, from weapons - an ax; Zhuanxuyu - water, black color, winter, turtle, intestines, shield, etc. All this indicates the emergence of a rather complex hierarchical system, where all elements are in constant interaction, and the possibility of transmitting the same ideas using different codes (“spatial”, “calendar”, “animal”, “color”, “anatomical”, etc.). It is possible that this system of views is based on ideas about the origin of people and the cosmos from a primal being.

The ordering of ancient mythological ideas simultaneously proceeded in terms of genealogical classification. Fuxi was considered the oldest ruler, followed by Yandi (Shennong), Huangdi, Shaohao, Zhuanxu. This hierarchical system was borrowed by historiographers and contributed to the further euhemerization of mythological heroes, especially after the formation of the Han Empire, when genealogical myths began to be used to justify the right to the throne and prove the antiquity of individual clans.

Majority mythological stories reconstructed according to monuments of the 4th century BC and later times. This is evidenced by “Questions to Heaven” (“Tian Wen”) by Qu Yuan, full of bewilderment about the plots of ancient myths and the contradictions in them.

Subsequently, in the 1st century AD, the philosopher-polemicist Wang Chong gave a detailed critique of mytho-poetic thinking from the standpoint of naive rationalism. The withering away and oblivion of ancient mythological stories, however, did not mean the end of oral myth-making. folk tradition and the emergence of new mythical heroes and tales about them. At the same time, there was a process of active anthropomorphization of ancient heroes. Thus, Xi Wangmu turns from a zoo-anthropomorphic creature in art and literature into an anthropomorphic figure, even, apparently, a beauty (in literature). Next to her, on the Inan relief (Shandong, 2nd century AD), a tiger is depicted - the spirit of the West, which took on her animal features (similarly in the “Biography of Xi Wangmu” by Huan Lin, 2nd century AD). In the Han era, the queen of the west had a husband - the ruler of the east - Dongwangun. His figure is modeled after a more ancient female deity; this is especially noticeable in his description in the “Book of the Divine and Amazing” (“Shen and Jing”), created in imitation of the “Book of Mountains and Seas,” where, unlike the reliefs, he has a zooanthropomorphic appearance (bird face, tiger tail).

The ancient myths of China describe the history of the ancient civilization of China since the birth of the universe. One could say that since the Big Bang, but this is part of modern scientific mythology, and in the ancient myths of China the Universe is described as a kind of egg that was broken from the inside. Perhaps, if there had been an outside observer at that moment, it would have looked like an explosion to him. After all, the egg was filled with Chaos.

Creation of Earth and Sky

From this Chaos, with the help of the forces of the Yin and Yang Universe, Pangu was born. This part of the ancient myths of China is quite compatible with modern scientific myth about how to come out of chaos chemical elements A DNA molecule was created on Earth by accident. So, according to the theory about the origin of life accepted in ancient Chinese civilization, it all started with the first ancestor Pangu, who broke an egg. According to one version of this ancient myth Pangu used an axe, with which he was often depicted on antiques. It can be assumed that this weapon was created from the surrounding chaos, thereby becoming the first material object.

Chaos burst out of the egg, dividing into light and heavy elements. More precisely, the light elements rose up and formed the Sky - the bright beginning, white (yang), and the heavy ones sank down and created the Earth - cloudy, yolk (yin). It’s hard not to notice some connection between the ancient myths of China and scientific explanation creation solar system. According to which our planetary system was formed from a rotating chaotic cloud of gases and heavy elements. Under the influence of rotation, heavy elements accumulated closer to the center, around the natural causes(which we will not discuss here) Suns. They formed rocky planets, and the light elements that accumulated closer to the edge became gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune...)

But let’s return to the theory of the origin of life accepted in the ancient civilization of China, to what our self-confident science calls mythology. So, the ancient myths of China tell how Pangu, being the first and only inhabitant of the new universe, rested his feet on the ground, his head in the sky and began to grow. For 18,000 years, the distance between heaven and earth increased by 3 meters every day until it reached today's scale. After this, Pangu's body disintegrated and was reincarnated into the whole world. His breath became wind and clouds, his body with arms and legs became huge mountains and the four cardinal directions, blood became rivers, flesh became soil, skin became grass and trees... The ancient civilization of China thereby confirms the myths of other peoples in which our planet plays a role living being or organism.

Creation of people

According to ancient legends, when the earth had already separated from the sky, it had everything - majestic mountains rose high, rivers full of fish flowed to the seas, forests and steppes were overflowing with wild animals, but the world still remained incomplete without the human race.

As in various religious versions, in ancient China it was believed that people were created from clay. In a treatise from the 2nd century " General meaning customs” it is written that the creator of people was Nuiva, the great female spirit. In the ancient myths of China, Nüwu was seen as a beautifier of the world, and therefore she was depicted with a measuring square in her hand or, as the personification of the feminine principle Yin, with the disk of the Moon in her hands. Nüwa was depicted with human body, bird legs and snake tail. She took a handful of clay and began to sculpt figures, they came to life and became people.

Nuiva understood that she did not have enough strength or time to blind all the people who could populate the earth. And then she pulled a rope through the liquid clay. When the goddess shook the rope, pieces of clay flew in all directions. Falling to the ground, they turned into people. But either because they were not molded by hand, or because the swamp clay, nevertheless, differed in composition from that from which the first people were molded, but the ancient myths of China claim that people have a faster method of creation significantly differed from those created by hand. Thus, it is believed that the rich and noble are people created by the gods with their own hands from the yellow earth, while the poor and worthless people, created using rope.

Further, Nuiva gave her creatures the opportunity to reproduce independently. True, before that she passed on to them the law on the responsibilities of both parties in marriage, which was strictly observed in the ancient civilization of China. For the Chinese, Nuwa was considered the patroness of marriages, who could save a woman from infertility. Nuiva's divinity was so strong that even from her insides 10 deities were born. But Nuiva’s merits do not end there.

Ancestress Nuiva protects humanity

Nuiva lived calmly for some time, without worries. But the land, which was already inhabited by the people she had created, was engulfed by great disasters. In some places the sky collapsed, and huge black holes appeared there. The spirit of fire Zhuzhong gave birth to the spirit of water Gungun, the fight against which took, great place V ancient mythology. Ancient myths of China describe incredible fire and heat that seeped through them, as well as a fire that engulfed forests on Earth. Depressions formed in the ground through which The groundwater. Two opposites that characterize ancient civilization China, two elements hostile to each other, Water and Fire, have joined forces to destroy people.

Seeing how human creatures were suffering, Nüwa, as a true beautifier of the world, set to work to “patch up” the leaky firmament. She collected multi-colored stones and, melting them over the fire, filled the heavenly holes with the resulting mass. To strengthen the sky, Nüwa cut off four legs of a giant turtle and placed them on four parts of the earth as supports supporting the sky. The firmament strengthened, but did not return to its previous state. He looked askance a little, but in reality this can be seen by the movement of the sun, moon and stars. In addition, a huge depression formed to the southeast of the Celestial Empire, which became the Ocean.

Ksenia Velichko. The Epoch Times

The Heimiao, or Black Miao (so named because of the dark color of their skin), do not have a written language, but have a developed epic tradition. From generation to generation they pass on poetic legends about the creation of the world and Flood. During holidays, they are performed by storytellers accompanied by a choir consisting of one or two groups of performers. The story is interspersed with poetic inserts consisting of one or more five-line lines. They ask questions and answer them themselves:

Who created the sky and land?

Who created insects?

Who created people?

Created men and women?

I don't know.

The Heavenly Lord created the Sky and the land,

He created insects

He created people and spirits,

Created men and women.

Do you know how?

How did Heaven and Earth come into being?

How did insects appear?

How did people and spirits appear?

How did men and women come into being?

I don't know.

Heavenly Lord wise

He spat on his palm,

He clapped his hands loudly -

Heaven and land appeared,

Made insects from tall grass,

Created people and spirits

Men and women.

The legend of the World River is interesting because it mentions the Great Flood:

Sent fire and set the mountains on fire?

Who came to cleanse the world?

Did you release water to wash the earth?

I, who sing to you, do not know.

Ze cleansed the world.

He summoned fire and set the mountains on fire.

The god of thunder has cleansed the world,

He washed the earth with water.

Do you know, why?

The legend goes on to say that after the flood, only Ze and his sister remained on earth. When the water subsided, the brother wanted to marry his sister, but she did not agree. Finally, they decided to take a millstone each and climb two mountains, and then let the millstones roll down. If they collide and fall on each other, then she will become Ze’s wife, but if not, then there will be no marriage. Fearing that the wheels would roll, the brother prepared two similar stones in the valley in advance. When the millstones they had thrown were lost in the tall grass, Ze brought his sister and showed her the stones he had hidden. However, she did not agree and suggested placing double sheaths below and throwing a knife into them. If they fall into the sheath, the marriage will take place. The brother deceived his sister again, and she finally became his wife. They had a child without arms and legs. Seeing him, Ze became angry and chopped him into pieces, and then threw him off the mountain. Having touched the ground, the pieces of meat turned into men and women - this is how people appeared on the earth again.

The period from the 8th to the 10th centuries was the heyday of Chinese literature. After the unification of the empire and the establishment of strong centralized power in Beijing, representatives of all states of South Asia appeared. It was at this time that Indian Buddhist texts began to be translated, and the achievements of Chinese culture became known in Central Asia, Iran and Byzantium. Chinese translators reinterpret borrowed texts and introduce into them the motives of their own beliefs and surrounding realities.

The literary tradition reaches its highest point during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). In the history of Chinese literature, the Tang era is rightly considered the “golden age”. Thanks to the examination system, representatives of all classes gained access to knowledge. Art and literature flourished, a galaxy of masters appeared short story– Li Chaowei, Sheng Jiji, Niu Senzhu, and Li Gongzuo. Below we present one of his short stories.

In ancient times, humanity developed civilizations. These were isolated nationalities that were formed under the influence of certain factors and had their own culture, technology and were distinguished by a certain individuality. Due to the fact that they were not as technologically advanced as modern humanity, ancient people were largely dependent on the vagaries of nature. Then lightning, rain, earthquakes and others natural phenomena seemed to be a manifestation of divine powers. These forces, as it seemed then, could determine fate and personal qualities person. This is how the very first mythology was born.

What is a myth?

According to modern cultural definition, this is a narrative that reproduces the beliefs of ancient people about the structure of the world, about higher powers, about man, the biographies of great heroes and gods in verbal form. In some way, they reflected the then level of human knowledge. These tales were recorded and passed down from generation to generation, thanks to which we can today find out how our ancestors thought. That is, then mythology was a certain form and also one of the ways of understanding natural and social reality, which reflected the views of man at a certain stage of development.

Among the many questions that worried humanity in those distant times, the problem of the emergence of the world and man in it was especially relevant. Due to their curiosity, people tried to explain and understand how they appeared and who created them. It is then that a separate myth about the origin of people appears.

Due to the fact that humanity, as already mentioned, developed in large isolated groups, the legends of each nationality were in some way unique, since they reflected not only the worldview of the people at that time, but also were an imprint of cultural, social development, and also carried information about the land where the people lived. In this sense, myths have some historical value, since they allow us to construct some logical judgments about a particular people. In addition, they were a bridge between the past and the future, a connection between generations, passing on the knowledge that was accumulated in stories from the old family to the new, thus teaching it.

Anthropogonic myths

Regardless of civilization, all ancient people had their own ideas about how man appeared in this world. They have some general features, however, they also have significant differences, which are determined by the peculiarities of life and development of a particular civilization. All myths about the origin of man are called anthropogonic. This word comes from the Greek anthropos, which means man. Such a concept as a myth about the origin of people exists among absolutely all ancient peoples. The only difference is their perception of the world.

For comparison, we can consider individual myths about the origin of man and the world of two great nations, which in a significant way influenced the development of mankind in their time. These are civilizations Ancient Greece and Ancient China.

Chinese view of the creation of the world

The Chinese imagined our Universe in the form of a huge egg, which was filled with a certain matter - Chaos. From this Chaos, the first ancestor of all humanity, Pangu, was born. He used his ax to break the egg in which he was born. When he broke the egg, Chaos burst out and began to change. The sky (Yin) was formed - which is associated with the light principle, and the Earth (Yang) - the dark principle. This is how the world was formed in the beliefs of the Chinese. After that, Pangu placed his hands on the sky and his feet on the ground and began to grow. It grew continuously until the sky separated from the earth and became what we see it today. Pangu, when he grew up, fell into many parts, which became the basis of our world. His body became mountains and plains, his flesh became earth, his breath became air and wind, his blood became water, and his skin became vegetation.

Chinese mythology

As the Chinese myth about the origin of man says, a world was formed that was inhabited by animals, fish and birds, but people were still alive. The Chinese believed that the creator of humanity was the great female spirit - Nuwa. The ancient Chinese revered her as the organizer of the world; she was depicted as a woman with a human body, the legs of a bird and the tail of a snake, who holds in her hand a lunar disk (the Yin symbol) and a measuring square.

Nuiva began to sculpt human figures from clay, which came to life and turned into people. She worked a lot of time and realized that her strength was not enough to create people who could populate the entire earth. Then Nuiva took the rope and passed it through the liquid clay, and then shook it. People appeared where lumps of wet clay fell. But still they were not as good as those that were molded by hand. This is how the existence of the nobility, which Nuiva molded with her own hands, and people of the lower classes, created with the help of rope, was justified. The goddess gave her creations the opportunity to reproduce on their own, and also introduced them to the concept of marriage, which was observed very strictly in Ancient China. Therefore, Nuiva can also be considered the patroness of marriage.

This is the Chinese myth about the origin of man. As you can see, it reflects not only traditional Chinese beliefs, but also some of the features and rules that guided the ancient Chinese in their lives.

Greek mythology about the emergence of man

The Greek myth about the origin of man tells how the titan Prometheus created people from clay. But the first people were very defenseless and did not know how to do anything. For this act, the Greek gods were angry with Prometheus and planned to destroy the human race. However, Prometheus saved his children by stealing fire from Olympus and bringing it to man in an empty reed stalk. For this, Zeus imprisoned Prometheus in chains in the Caucasus, where the eagle was supposed to peck his liver.

In general, any myth about the origin of people does not provide specific information about the emergence of humanity, concentrating more on subsequent events. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Greeks considered man insignificant compared to the omnipotent gods, thus emphasizing their importance for the entire people. Indeed, almost all Greek legends are directly or indirectly related to the gods, who guide and help human heroes such as Odysseus or Jason.

Features of mythology

What features does mythological thinking have?

As can be seen above, myths and legends interpret and describe the origin of man absolutely different ways. You need to understand that the need for them arose early. They arose from man’s need to explain the origin of man, nature, and the structure of the world. Of course, the method of explanation that mythology uses is quite primitive; it differs significantly from the interpretation of the world order supported by science. In myths, everything is quite concrete and isolated; there are no abstract concepts in them. Man, society and nature merge into one. The main type of mythological thinking is figurative. Every person, hero or god necessarily has a concept or phenomenon that follows him. This one denies any logical argument, based on faith rather than knowledge. It is unable to generate questions that are not creative.

In addition, mythology also has specific literary devices, which allow us to emphasize the significance of certain events. These are hyperboles that exaggerate, for example, strength or other important characteristics heroes (Pangu, who was able to lift the sky), metaphors that attribute certain characteristics to things or beings that do not actually possess them.

Common features and influence on world culture

In general, one can trace a certain pattern in exactly how myths explain the origin of man different nations. In almost all options there is some divine essence, which breathes life into lifeless matter, thus creating and shaping man. This influence of ancient pagan beliefs can be traced in later religions, such as Christianity, where God creates man in his own image. However, if it is not entirely clear how Adam appeared, then God creates Eve from a rib, which only confirms this influence of ancient legends. This influence of mythology can be traced in almost any culture that existed later.

Ancient Turkic mythology about how man appeared

The ancient Turkic myth about the origin of man calls the goddess Umai the progenitor of the human race, as well as the creator of the earth. She's in the form white swan flew over the water, which had always existed, and looked for land, but did not find it. She laid the egg straight into the water, but the egg immediately sank. Then the goddess decided to make a nest on the water, but the feathers from which she made it turned out to be fragile, and the waves broke the nest. The goddess held her breath and dived to the very bottom. She carried out a piece of earth in her beak. Then the god Tengri saw her suffering and sent Umai three fish made of iron. She put the earth on the back of one of the fish, and it began to grow until the entire earth's land was formed. After which the goddess laid an egg, from which the entire human race, birds, animals, trees and everything else appeared.

What can be determined by reading this Turkic myth about the origin of man? One can see a general similarity with the legends of Ancient Greece and China already known to us. A certain divine force creates people, namely from an egg, which is very similar to the Chinese legend about Pangu. Thus, it is clear that initially people associated the creation of themselves by analogy with living beings that they could observe. There is also an incredible reverence for the maternal principle, for women as the continuer of life.

What can a child learn from these legends? What new things does he learn by reading the myths of peoples about the origin of man?

First of all, this will allow him to become familiar with the culture and life of the people who existed in prehistoric times. Since myth is characterized by a figurative type of thinking, a child will perceive it quite easily and will be able to assimilate the necessary information. For children, these are the same fairy tales, and, like fairy tales, they are filled with the same morals and information. When reading them, the child will learn to develop his thinking processes, learn to benefit from reading and draw conclusions.

The myth about the origin of people will give the child an answer to the exciting question - where did I come from? Of course, the answer will be incorrect, but children take everything on faith, and therefore it will satisfy the child’s interest. Reading the above greek myth about the origins of man, the child will also be able to understand why fire is so important for humanity and how it was discovered. This will be useful in the child’s subsequent education in primary school.

Variety and benefits for the child

Indeed, if we take examples of myths about the origin of man (and not only them) from Greek mythology, we will notice that the colorfulness of the characters and their number are very large and interesting not only for young readers, but even for adults. However, you need to help the child figure it all out, otherwise he will simply get confused in events and their causes. It is necessary to explain to the child why God loves or does not love this or that hero, why he helps him. In this way the child will learn to build logical chains and compare facts, drawing certain conclusions from them.

China is a country shrouded in myths and legends. The Middle Kingdom is an ancient state full of secrets and paradoxes. Hardworking Chinese people I always had a corner in my soul filled with poetry.

Only the Chinese were able to mix sublime philosophy and strange, sometimes meaningless beliefs .

The legends and myths of ancient China have changed over time. Primitive folk religion, common sense Confucius, the rituals and magic of Taoism, the sublime spirituality of Buddhism - a melting pot, a combination of gods for all occasions.

Some Chinese myths have something in common with legends of other cultures. For example, the creation myth is reminiscent of many similar stories in which the world is formed from the body of a primordial being.

In the beginning there was darkness everywhere and chaos ruled.

An egg formed in the darkness, and inside it was a giant was born .

When it grew to gigantic size, it extended its huge limbs and thereby destroyed the shell. The lighter parts of the egg floated to the top and formed the heavens, while the dense parts sank down to become the earth.

This is how earth and sky appeared - Yin and Yang.

Pangu was pleased with his deed. But he was afraid that heaven and earth would merge again, so he stood between them . His head holds up the sky and his feet are firmly planted on the ground. Pangu grew at a rate of three meters per day over an 18,000-year period, increasing the space between sky and earth until they were fixed at a safe distance from each other. Having completed your mission, Pangu died with a clear conscience, and his body was used to create the world and all its elements .

Wind and clouds were formed from his breath , his voice became thunder and lightning, his eyes shone with the sun and the moon, his arms and legs appeared in the four directions of the world, his teeth and bones shone precious stones, and his phallus rose like mountains. His flesh turned into soil and plants, his blood into rivers, and so on.

And even though Pangu died, many believe he is still in charge of the weather , which fluctuates according to his mood.

Legends of Chinese dragons

The dragon occupies a central place in the legends and myths of China. First dragon appeared in the mythical era of Emperor Fu Hsi , and filled the hole in the sky made by the Kung Kung monster. Chinese legends say that his waking, sleeping and breathing determined day and night, season and weather.

There are five types of dragons in Chinese mythology:

guarding gods and emperors;
controlling wind and rain;
earthly
river and sea;
guardians of hidden treasures.

The dragon is the highest spiritual force , the oldest in eastern mythology and the most common motive in Chinese art. Dragons represent heavenly and earthly power, wisdom and strength. They live in water and bring wealth and good fortune, as well as rainfall for crops.

The dragon always participates in traditional Chinese New Year parades to ward off evil spirits who want to ruin the holiday.

Myths about Chinese Kung Fu

Shrouded in legends and kung fu of China. Kung Fu - martial arts , the purpose of which is self-defense, health preservation and self-improvement. Eat common topics V different styles, which imitate the movements of animals, take inspiration from various Chinese philosophies, myths and legends.

In conclusion

The legends and myths of China, which were originally regional, spread through pictographic writing, overcoming language barriers. But even now in every province of the Celestial Empire, there are local beliefs, and very strange and amazing ones. The gods here are cheerful and playful and endowed human weaknesses. China is a magical country, shrouded in countless legends and myths!