He is the son of the fire god zhurong, and grew up looking like nuwa with the head and torso of a man and the body of a snake. Index to fairy tales, myths, and legends second edition, 1926, with supplements from 1937 and 1952, by mary huse eastman page images at hathitrust filed under. Preserving more ancient myths than any other extant work, it is a treasure trove of the earliest chinese mythology. Long time ago, the mount buzhou was the only way to get to the heaven, but it was covered by snow and ice. Along the way, countless lavish illustrations help to bring the stories and characters to life. The tears of meng jiang the lotus lantern the cowherd and the weaver girl. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Which deity smashed his head against mount buzhou in a fit. The earliest chinese gods come from the creation myth, most of whom were. By purchasing books through this website, you support our nonprofit. The kunlun became identified with or took on the attributes of mount sumeru. There was a quarrel between two of the more powerful gods, and they decided to settle it with a fight.
Their functions in mythology ranged from pillars that functioned to hold apart the. Located in the eight cardinal directions, the eight pillars are a group of eight mountains or pillars which have been thought to hold up the sky. One day, the god of water named gong gong crashed into mount buzhou and. Eighty of the worlds greatest myths and characters, from the gods of greek mythology to the norse heroes, retold and explained with engaging text and bold graphics. Legend of the mythological genes chapter 185 boxnovel. They are symbolically important as types of axis mundi and cosmology. We asked you to share your favorite modern books inspired by mythology and you answered. From early creation stories to classical hero narratives and the recurring theme of the afterlife, experience each myth. Pyramid scheme, by dave freer and eric flint multiple formats at filed under. Another historical development in the mythology of kunlun, again with indian influence was that rather than just. Chinese mythology refers to those myths found in the historical geographic area of china. One day, the god of water named gong gong crashed into mount buzhou and changed the whole world. Hindu mythology is full of stories, most of which are intriguing. Chinese mythology project gutenberg selfpublishing.
It was as if the legendary mount buzhou had abruptly collapsed, wanting to shatter the entire mortal world into dust. A captivating guide to greek mythology, egyptian mythology, norse mythology, celtic mythology and. A book of the names and address of people living in a city. Shenhua myths are legends and stories which employ supernatural. Qinyuanbird, yuanyuan, zhiyuan mount kunlun is the pillar of heaven, a place of great energy and endowed of a fiery brilliant aura. The book is as comprehensive as you could wish for in a book of this sort, and gives accounts of the personalities of the gods and most of the heroes, as well as retellings of most of the major myths themselves. When the water god, gong gong, saw that he was losing, he smashed his head against mount buzhou, a pillar holding up the sky. It talks about the wonders of the ancient world and the gods and heroes of ancient mythology. Compiled from ancient and scattered texts and based on revelatory new research, handbook of chinese mythology is the most comprehensive englishlanguage work on the subject ever written from an exclusively chinese perspective. Comparative mythology book ancient history encyclopedia. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to.
The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for. There are gods, children of gods, wives, divine powers, and there is magic. Four rivers black, red, yellow, and oceanic flow from mount kunlun, and the mountain is administered by the god luwu, or the queen mother of the west xiwangmu in later texts. Chinese mythology refers to myths found in the historical geographic area of china. It written as the travel journal of the fictional lady hestia evans. Along with chinese folklore, chinese mythology forms an important part of chinese folk religion. A captivating guide to greek mythology, egyptian mythology, norse mythology, celtic mythology and roman mythology book book details.
Damage by gong gong was thought to have caused chinathe world to slant to the southeast, and thus the rivers to flow in that direction, and also displacing the celestial pole. Some said that he lost in a war with the god of fire, so he collided the mountain accidentally when he was escaping. Gonggong is the god of water, in charge of the seas, the great rivers, the lakes and the ponds. The eight mountain pillars include kunlun, jade mountain, mount buzhou, and five more yang lihui 2005. Scientists have learned that mount hood, oregons tallest mountain, has erupted in the past due to the mixing of two different types of magma. A fist force of 300,000 catties released through the air in. I am in love with books based around mythology and curse of the sphinx by raye wager as it is set in this awesome modern. In greek mythology, aega was a minor solar deity, a. This volume aims to bring to life for the modern reader, the greek, roman and norse myths that are the keystone of western culture the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present. As the mythology related to the kunlun mountain developed, and was influenced by the introduction of ideas about an axis mundi from the cosmology of india were introduced, kunlun mountain became identified with or took on the attributes of mount sumeru. There was a fight between the god of water gonggong and the god of fire zhurong. Another historical development in the mythology of kunlun, again with indian influence was that rather than just being the source of the. All our pretty songs by sarah mccarry american gods by neil gaiman anansi boys by neil gaiman.
Buzhou was cut off at the middle, and the mountain began to. Which deity smashed his head against mount buzhou in a fit range. The eight pillars also knew as eight pillars of the sky are a concept from chinese mythology. When the water god gong gong saw that he was losing, he smashed his head against mount buzhou, a pillar holding up the sky. Later traditions attribute mankinds creation to either pangu or yu huang. Mythology mentor book by edith hamilton and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The data will help give us a better road map to what a future. When gonggong lost the fight, he smashed his head against mount buzhou out of fury. World mythology edited by roy willis in this fascinating and authoritative encyclopedia, scholarly contributors use more than 500 color photographs, maps, and artifacts to describe the myths of egypt, the middle east, india, china, tibet, mongolia, japan, greece, rome, the celtic lands, northern and eastern europe, the arctic, north and south america, mesoamerica, africa, australia, oceania. More than 80 classic myths retold and explained, from early creation beliefs to classical hero narratives and the recurring theme of the afterlife. But later, gonggong bump into the moutain buzhou which holds sky, so the world inclines again, all river run to the east and stars begin to move. As the mythology related to the kunlun developed, it became influenced by the later introduction of ideas about an axis mundi from the cosmology of india.
Chinese mythology includes creation myths and legends, such as. Gonggong destroys mount buzhou is a wellknown folk myth among the han people. Ancient chinese myths chinese books storybooks chinasprout. There was only heard a huge sound that shook heaven, mt.
The pillar collapsed and caused the sky to tilt towards the northwest and the earth to shift to the southeast. Some scholars suggest that the female nuwa was the first creative chinese deity, appropriate for ancient chinese matriarchal society, in which childbirth was seen to be a miraculous occurrence, not requiring the participation of the male. Gonggong destroys mount buzhou is book ii of chinese ancient myths. Chinese mythology includes creation myths and legends, such as myths concerning the founding of chinese. Readers are introduced to the greek gods on olympus and norse gods in valhalla and can follow the drama of the trojan war and the wanderings of odysseus. The book mentions 277 animals such as fantastic birds and beasts that might. The myths are concise and the book is easy to read due to its excellent organization and its lovely pictures. Retellings of classic stories and folklore are easy to find no matter what genre you love to read, and the possibilities are endless. Book titlesthe beginning of the world gonggong destroys mount buzhou. Handbook of chinese mythology world mythology lihui.
Mount buzhou was an ancient chinese mythological mountain which, according to old texts. Since mount buzhou was a pillar holding up the sky, the sky began to fall and caused a lot of damage. The eight pillars also known as eight pillars of the sky are a concept from chinese mythology. The epic of gilgamesh by anonymous, the odyssey by homer, the iliad by homer, the aeneid by virgil, and mythology by. This work focuses on the han chinese people but ranges across the full ethnic spectrum of ancient and modern china, showing how key myths endured and evolved over time. The book was created by multiple unknown authors from around the early warring states period 475221 bce to the early han dynasty 206 bce220 ce and was coedited by liu xiang 776 bce and his son liu xin 50 bce23. The pillar collapsed and caused the sky to tilt towards the northwest and the earth to shift to the. The latest title in the bestselling big ideas series, the mythology book explores the compelling worlds and characters depicted in myths and legends. The book is more similar to an encyclopedia than a story. Mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the greek, roman, and norse myths and legends that are the keystone of western culture the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present. Well mythological fiction is probably a new genre that has fascinated the readers since the advent of the shiva trilogy by indias literary popstar amish tripathi. Mount buzhou was an ancient chinese mythological mountain which according to old texts lay to the northwest of the kunlun mountains, in a location today referred to as the pamir mountains.
Add to that, that the best stories are created when facts merge with imagination, leaving us with history, mythology and an exciting story. Norse mythology by neil gaiman, the odyssey by homer, mythology by edith hamilton, american gods by neil gaiman. Mont buzhou etait une ancienne montagne mythologique chinoise qui, selon les textes. For anyone wishing to learn about world mythology or just one countrys tales, this is a wonderful introduction.