Ancient myths of China. Creation of the world, gods and people

The mythical period in the history of any country, in my opinion, is of the greatest interest. Many millennia have passed since then, but each time the scale of the activities of the ancient goddesses and gods, as well as the similarity of many of their exploits among peoples living on opposite ends of the Earth, amazes the imagination.

According to the Chinese version, the world was created by the divine Pangu. In the beginning, he slept in a huge egg in the midst of universal Chaos, the state of Great Infinity, in the Taoist tradition of Wu Tzu (無極, Wújí). This is reminiscent of Indian legends about the Night of Brahma, when there is neither day nor night, neither sky nor earth, the Universe sleeps. Pangu then awoke, stood up, and separated Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang, initiating Taizi (太极, tàijí). The world became dual, polarities began to interact. Having accomplished this great deed, Pangu immediately died, and from his body our visible Universe appeared, and rivers, lakes, mountains, plants and many creatures appeared on Earth, among which was the giant Hua Xiu. Apparently, he was asexual, but gave birth to two children, brother and sister, Fuxi (伏羲) and Nuwa (女媧), creatures with human face and body, but with a snake tail, like Indian ones. Here, of course, I would like to introduce theories about the arrival of reptilians on Earth, but we’ll leave that for another article.

Nüwa (女媧), is undoubtedly a much more ancient character than her brother. Even chronologically, Chinese historians begin to mention Fuxi together with her only from the 1st century AD. Obviously, as a tribute to the progressive patriarchy, when it is no longer convenient to attribute all the merits for saving the Earth and creating the human race to one woman. Before that, according to chronicles, Nyuva plowed for two, both a galloping horse and a burning hut.

As befits a mother goddess, she sculpted human figures from yellow clay and then brought them to life. At first I tried very hard, sculpting every detail, these figures turned into emperors, high-ranking officials, generals and scientists. But then how real woman, got tired, and decided to speed up the process at the expense of quality. She dipped the rope into the clay slurry and shook it off. From these lumps artisans and peasants emerged.

When the four pillars supporting the sky broke and the arch did not completely cover the earth, the Great Flood began. But the goddess, melting stones of five colors (representing the five sacred elements, metal, water, wood, fire and earth), plugged the heavenly holes with them, and, cutting off four legs of a giant turtle, made new pillars from them. Humanity was saved. True, the structure is slightly askew (after all, this is not a woman’s work), so all the rivers in China flow to the southeast.

Being half snake, Nuiva retained the ability to renew herself by shedding her old skin. Therefore, she remained forever young and beautiful. Her body was so divine that it continually gave birth to new living beings. Therefore, she became the patroness of marriage, wealth and fertility. Her half-serpentine essence is reminiscent of the powerful force of Kundalini, a fiery spiral of energy rising up along the spine.

Fuxi (伏羲), brother and husband of the almighty Nuwa, became one of the first three rulers of China. Its appearance marks the transition from matriarchy to patriarchal society. He is credited with introducing the institution of marriage. As the historian Ban Gu writes in the second half of the 1st century AD, before Fuxi, people did not know their father, knew only their mother, greedily devoured raw food without stockpiling, were dirty and had no laws. Like Prometheus in Greek mythology, Fusi taught people agriculture, fishing, hunting, crafts, and also invented writing after seeing the first eight trigrams on the shell of a huge divine turtle.

He developed the first laws and obliged everyone to observe them, and also taught people to follow the will of the gods by asking for blessings. According to legends, when there were no people on Earth yet, he wanted to marry his sister (remember Isis and Osiris), but Nuiva initially resisted. Then they decided to get a sign from above, dispersed to different mountains and lit fires. Their smoke combined, this was interpreted as a favorable omen. Nüwa and Fusi got married, and began to be depicted together, with intertwined snake tails, as a symbol of the union of male and female. Agree, it is very reminiscent of the Caduceus of Hermes, a rod capable of reconciliation. Or Uraeus of the Egyptian pharaohs.

Fuxi, according to legend, reigned from 2852 to 2737 BC. He died in Henan province, where there is a monument to him.

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The history of the ancient civilization of China or the birth of the Universe

The ancient myths of China describe the history of the ancient civilization of China since the birth of the universe. One could say that from the moment 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 some external observer at that moment, it would have looked like an explosion to him. After all, the egg was filled with Chaos.

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 the modern scientific myth about how from 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 In China, 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.

Pangu separates Heaven and Earth Chaos escaped from the egg, dividing into light and heavy elements. More precisely, the light elements rose up and formed the Sky - a bright beginning, white (yang), and the heavy ones sank down and created the Earth - cloudy, yolk (yin). It’s hard not to notice a certain relationship between the ancient myths of China and the scientific explanation of the 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 Sun, which appeared as a result of natural causes (which we will not discuss here). They formed rocky planets, and the light elements that accumulated closer to the edge became gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune...)

Life on Earth in ancient Chinese myths

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. Finally, seeing that the earth and sky would no longer unite, his body was reincarnated into the whole world. According to the ancient myths of China, Pangu's breath became the wind and clouds, the 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 in which our planet plays the role of a living being or organism.

According to the ancient myths of China, when the Earth had already separated from the sky, majestic mountains rose high, rivers flowed to the seas, full of fish, the forests and steppes were overflowing with wild animals, the world still remained incomplete without the human race. And then begins the story of the creation of humanity. As in other religious versions, the religions of the ancient civilization of China believed that people were created from clay. In a treatise from the 2nd century " General meaning customs" the creator of people was Nuwa, the great female spirit. In the ancient myths of China, Nuwa was seen as the 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. Nuwa was depicted with a human body, bird legs and a snake's 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 sculpt all the people who could populate the earth.

And then Nuiva 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 still differed in composition from that from which the first people were molded, but the ancient myths of China claim that people are more fast way manufacturing differed significantly from those created by hand. That is why the rich and noble are people made by the gods with their own hands from the yellow earth, while the poor and insignificant people are made with the help of a 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. Since then, for the Chinese who revere the ancient myths of China, Nuwa is considered the patroness of marriages, who has the power to 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

People then lived happily ever after - this is how fairy tales usually end. European tradition, but this is not a fairy tale, but the ancient myths of China, so they lived happily for the time being. Until the first war of the gods began. Between the fire spirit Zhuzhong and the water spirit Gonggun.

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 Earth, through which groundwater flowed. Two opposites that characterize ancient civilization China, two elements hostile to each other, Water and Fire, have joined forces to destroy people.

Seeing how they suffer human creatures, Nuiva, 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. According to the ancient myths of China, it is somewhat askew, 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.

IN ancient times humanity has developed civilizations. These were isolated nationalities that were formed under the influence 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, 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 were also an imprint of the 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 make 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 significantly 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 there. 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, whom 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 Greek gods got angry with Prometheus and planned to destroy 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, the strength or other important characteristics of 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 versions, there is some kind of divine essence that breathes life into lifeless matter, thus creating and shaping a person. 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.

In the section about the myths of Ancient China, children will learn about how the world and people’s lives were created, about brave heroes who protect their people from evil. How people got food, defended themselves from angry Chinese gods who sent difficulties, and how they learned to experience feelings and emotions. They will understand that the origin of language, rituals, etiquette - all this came from ancient oriental legends!

Myths of Ancient China read

China has been famous for its rich mythology since ancient times. Its history is based on ancient Chinese, Taoist, Buddhist and later folk tales of the peoples of China. It is several thousand years old.

The main strong-willed characters became Chinese emperors and rulers, who were honored and respected by the people as a sign of gratitude. Minor characters became dignitaries and officials. Ancient people did not know the laws of science, but they believed that everything that happened to them were the acts of the gods. Thanks to mythology, Chinese holidays emerged that are still relevant today.

Mythology is the way of thinking of a people, its legends, beliefs and teachings. She takes your breath away with her stories and stories. Typically, characters in legends are presented as brave, unpredictable and infinitely kind. These brave men cannot be confused with any other mythology! Unfortunately, over time, the Chinese began to forget their myths, and in our time only isolated fragments of legends have survived.

On our website you can read the myths of ancient China with interest, because Chinese legends are unique in their kind. It contains teachings that bring wisdom and kindness. Due to this, the traits of philanthropy, responsiveness, internal harmony and morality are cultivated in a person. And this is so necessary for children in the future.

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 the 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 Chinese culture become 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.

Literary tradition reaches 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.