#Chinese folklore & legends

[yoga-onion]

Legends of the humanoids

Reptilian humanoids (3)

Dragon King – the god of water and dragons in Chinese mythology

Many dragons appear in Chinese folklore, of which the Dragon King is the leader. Also known as the Dragon God, the Dragon King is a prominent figure in Chinese art and religion. He is adopted by both Taoism and Buddhism and is the ruler of all water. Known as Long Wang in China, he has both human and dragon forms and can switch between dragon and human forms. Despite his intimidating and ferocious nature, Long Wan is regarded as a benevolent deity who brings good luck and chi energy to people living near the sea.

The Dragon King is a Chinese water and weather god. He is regarded as the dispenser of rain, commanding over all bodies of water. He is the collective personification of the ancient concept of the lóng in Chinese culture.

In East Asian cultures, dragons are most often shown as large, colorful snakelike creatures. While the dragons sometimes have qualities of a turtle or fish, they are most likely seen as enormous serpents.

While some named dragons are associated with specific colors, the dragon king can be shown in any shade. Like other Chinese dragons, he has a “horse-like” head, sharp horns and claws, and a hair-like beard.

Like many weather gods around the world, Long Wang was known for his fierce temper. It was said that he was so ferocious and uncontrollable that only the Jade Emperor, the supreme deity in Chinese Taoism, could command him. His human form reflects this ferocity. He is shown as a noble warrior in elaborate bright red robes. He usually has a fierce expression and poses with a sword.

During the Tang dynasty, the Dragon King was also associated with the worship of landowners and was seen as a guardian deity to protect homes and subdue tombs. Buddhist rain-making rituals were learnt in Tang dynasty China. The concept was introduced to Japan with esoteric Buddhism and was also practised as a ritual of the Yin-Yang path (Onmyōdō) in the Heian period.

伝説のヒューマノイドたち

ヒト型爬虫類 (3)

龍王 〜 中国神話の水と龍の神 

中国の民間伝承には多くのドラゴンが登場するが、龍王はそのリーダーである。龍神としても知られる龍王は、中国の芸術と宗教において著名な人物である。道教と仏教の双方に採用され、すべての水の支配者である。中国ではロンワンと呼ばれ、人間の姿と龍の姿の両方を持っており、ドラゴンと人間の姿を行き来することができる。その威圧的で獰猛な性格にもかかわらず、ロン・ワンは海の近くに住む人々に幸運と気のエネルギーをもたらす慈悲深い神とみなされている。

龍王は中国の水と天候の神である。彼は雨を降らせる神とされ、あらゆる水域を支配する。彼は中国文化における古代の「龍 (ロン)」の概念の集合的な擬人化である。

東アジアの文化では、龍は大きくてカラフルな蛇のような生き物として描かれることが多い。龍は亀や魚の性質を持つこともあるが、巨大な蛇として見られることが多い。

特定の色を連想させる龍もいるが、龍王はどのような色合いでも描かれる。他の中国の龍と同様、「馬のような」頭部を持ち、鋭い角と爪を持ち、髪の毛のようなひげを生やしている。彼の人間の姿はこの獰猛さを反映している。彼は精巧な真っ赤なローブを着た高貴な戦士として描かれている。通常、獰猛な表情を浮かべ、剣を持ってポーズをとる。

世界中の多くの気象の神々と同様、龍王は激しい気性で知られていた。あまりに獰猛で制御不能だったため、玉皇大帝にしか彼を指揮できなかったと言われている。

唐の時代、龍王はまた、大地主の崇拝と結びついて、家を守り、墓を鎮める守護神と見なされていた。仏教の雨乞いの儀式は、唐代の中国に学んだ。この概念は密教とともに日本に伝わり、平安時代には陰陽道の儀式としても行われていた。

[antidotefortheawkward-art]

A little late but happy Trans Day of Visibility!!!

[ID: A monochrome chibi drawing of various figures from Chinese folklore with pride flags painted onto their faces. From left to right are Taibai Jinxing, Sun Wukong, Taishang Laojun, Guanshiyin Pusa, Lan Caihe, Bai Suzhen, and Qing She. Guanyin has nonbinary flags and Lan Caihe has genderfluid flags, but everyone else has trans flags. Above them is written "Happy TDOV 2023!" End ID]

[ruibaozha]

I am presently preparing for final exams and wrapping up my final case studies for this semester, but I would like to share an opera that features Nezha outside of the widely known Havoc in Heaven where he is in combat with Sun Wukong. Today, we are going to discuss the opera Chentangguan (陳塘關), known also as The Birth of Nezha (哪吒出世) and Nezha Fights the Sea (哪吒鬧海).

The plot of this opera closely follows the origin story of Nezha as is featured within Canonization of the Gods. A defined year for when this opera was initially performed is unclear, though it was written by Xiao Rongchun and appeared within a registry of operas that featured a 'celebratory ascension' in 1824; an online record of this appears here from the Opera Culture Network.

Outside of Peking Opera, Qin Opera, Hui Opera, and Szechuan Opera also regard the performance as Nezha Fights the Sea whereas Hengqi Opera regards it as Golden Pagoda. The opera is present within Gui Opera, Hunan Opera, Chenhe Opera, and Handiao Erhuang (A form of folk opera exclusive to Shaanxi Province originating in 1807) though it is not as prominent.

This opera alongside it's contemporary art forms also focused heavily on the martial arts aspect of Chinese Opera in regards to Nezha and the varying methods his story was retold. Within this post is a brief taste of how this opera was performed, Nezha himself being played by Xu Yingying in this recording.

The full hour long performance can be found here, though it is not nearly as cinematic and was recorded from a considerable distance.

[dorothygale123]

For today's mythology sh*tposting, I'd like to give some inspiration to the fanfic writers out there by giving you an antagonist that has a beef with a certain monkey.

Way back when, there was a goddess called the Old Mother of the Waters/Shui-mu Niang-niang who was notorious for causing floods. The other gods kept trying to catch her, but she always slithered out and kept being a problem. What was heaven to do?

Call their OTHER recurring problem and have HIM deal with her! So good old Sun Wukong went down to deal with the Old Mother, but even though catching up to her was no problem (this is Sun Wukong we're talking about) he couldn’t stop her from slipping away again. Naturally this got him very frustrated, so he went to HIS go to solution:

Guanyin!

So he motors over to her palace in the Southern Seas and they hatch a plan.

Now, the Old Mother was getting pretty hungry. This running from the law business takes it out of you at that age, you know? So she decides to take a little break at a food stall and get something to eat.

JUST AS PLANNED!

For you see, the owner of that stall was Guanyin herself and the food the Old Mother just ate were actually really heavy iron chains that very painfully revert to their true form! Unfortunately for the Old Mother, she was already halfway done with her meal by the time this happened, so she was stuck with iron in her gut and chains coming out of her mouth (honestly I'd just be thankful they weren't coming out the other end...).

So with the flood lady all tied up Sun Wukong drags her to a well at the foot of a mountain in Hsu-i Hsien and locked her up tight, where I'm sure she'll NEVER cause anyone problems EVER AGAIN. There's no way this ancient and powerful goddess of primordial oceans is sitting there, steaming while she waits for escape and dreams of monkey leather boots. Nope, she'll stay there forever, just like the Demon Bull King!

..... oh. OH NO.

Sh*tpost Masterlist

[briefbestiary]

A fierce-gazed warrior. A beast with great combat prowess and always claims vengeance.

[ap-kinda-lit]

Been thinking of Sesshomaru & Rin as the legend of Lady White Snake & Xu Xian

[rrcraft-and-lore]

With the new Avatar series having been out a few months now, here's another mythology and language lesson people overlook and it's...tiring.

The word and concept of Avatar is South Asian. I can't Hinglish it, but it's close to pronounced like: Uhv-thaar. you can just google it, but it's the idea and ability of gods or powerful beings to incarnate in new time/new forms/bodies, sometimes both mortal and divine.

It happens a lot in the Vedic epics.

Avatar: The Last Airbender? Concept, reincarnation, South Asian as fuck.

South Asia (as does other areas of the world/cultures) has a take on the x number of elements as well. Usually it's: wind, fire, earth, water, and sound/voice/space or spirit - aether - w.e. you wanna call it. Spirit bending the idea of the spirit world. Obviously this set is not a direct 1:1.

A:TLA draws a closer to parallel in ways to Chinese takes on the elements.

Obviously James Cameron's avatar takes this concept to a sci fi degree, essentially bringing your mind/consciousness into a new/different (Alien) body.

We also get into the world tree mythos/axis mundi parts of his story too, but that's beside the point and not unique to any one culture - that's anything out of proto Indo-European up. Obviously within in the pantheon of sff literature and other media the idea of reincarnation and cyclic nature of time - birth across time isn't new or rare.

The idea of a Wheel of Time, in fact, comes quite from: Kalachakra - translation = "Wheel of Time." This is an Indian belief that later spread through/over distance as well as religion, popping up in Buddhism and finding prominence most notably in Tibet still to this day.

The belief also ties back into the idea of conventional reality - time being an aspect of the larger world-universe- the smaller aspects of which are comprised of, once again: earth, wind, water, fire, space - sound familiar to something rom fantasy?

Probably. If not, read more. Or...more carefully.

[mangotalkies]

there’s a legend about a chinese painter who was asked by the emperor to paint a landscape so pristine that the emperor can enter it. he didn’t do a good job, so the emperor was preparing to assassinate him. but because it was his painting, legend goes, he stepped inside and vanished, saving himself. i always loved that little allegory as an artist. even when it is not enough for others, if it is enough for you, you can live inside it.

- ocean vuong

[stealyourblorbos]

20 (intrusive) questions re: "what is your favorite memory" and "do you believe in ghosts" asked by @lyrslair & @motheroftorches

Some years ago mom was visiting me in China and requested a tour to the most "truely hardcore, authentic and impressive place" that was possible at the moment, and so we went to Udang Mountains. The place is older than infamous Shaolin, but less crowded because of the complex accessibility and harsh climate.

It's a taoist monastery complex built in the mountain forest about 1600-2000m altitude, connected with a system of ancient stairs and pathways. It's possible to rent a guest house inside the park or tea farm down near the mountain and hang around as much as you want.

So one beautiful day we got distracted with all the gorgeous views around and stuck at the top, the cable car was already shut down. We presumptuously decided to descend to the village at the foot of the mountain by ourselves...

Weather in the mountains of central China can be treacherous and prone to abrupt change. Dusk came quicker than we expected, it got cold and we realized we chose the wrong stairway and got lost somewhere in the forest on our way down. It was getting BAD. Mom was scared, I was upset, and we both got extremely tired.

When we stopped to fix the gear and stick some patches on our burning feet, we heard some rustling among the trees and fluffy white dog stepped out on the path, wagging its tail. He looked surprisingly clean and well-kempt for a stray forest dog and acted extremely friendly. For the next several hours he was patiently leading the way, looking back at us from time to time, waiting for us on the road splits and steep slopes. As if he knew what he was doing very well, because eventually we saw the lights of village down at the distance.

We thanked our furry hero endlessly. He refused to eat the sausage I had in the backpack, but let us pet him. I also took some pics of him with my DSLR cam. When we quickly stopped by the little roadside store to get a him a real treat and then returned, the dog disappeared.

Noone of the locals knew who the dog belonged to, and stray dogs were actually not allowed in the park because of its natural reserve status. But next day one grandma showed me an old little shrine of local deity, Erlang. Guess who I saw there?

All the pictures I took of him that night turned out to be overexposed, just a blurry ball of white fur 😊 and I never had blurry pictures before that.

His name is XiaoTian, 哮天犬, Celestial Dog. You can google him, there actually a lot of funny legends.

Thanks for reading! Man, do I have a lot of stories to tell.

Ask me intrusive questions here

[shung-chai]

Sun Wukong the Monkey King & the Peaches of Immortality in "Shang-Chi & the Quest for Immortality" Graphic Novel!

In the Shang-Chi & the Quest for Immortality graphic novel, a young Shang-Chi learns about the Monkey King and the Peaches of Immortality!

Sun Wukong the Monkey King first appeared in the Marvel Universe in Fear Itself: Monkey King #1 (2011)!

And the Peaches of Immortality, also known as P'an-t'ao, are grown in the gardens of Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, in Ta-Lo!

[yoga-onion]

Legends of the humanoids

Reptilian humanoids (4)

Five Dragon Kings – the Five Coloured Dragons with Directions in ancient Chinese belief

Historically there arose a cult of the Five Dragon Kings in Chinese legend based on Wuxing (5 elements, Nature Philosophy on Taoist cosmology). The name Wufang longwang ( "Dragon Kings of the Five Regions/Directions") is registered in Taoist scripture from the Tang dynasty, found in the Dunhuang caves, also be known as the Magao caves.

Incorporating elements of traditional Chinese beliefs, the Five Elements, it associates the Five Dragon Kings and the five coloured dragons with the five directions. In the east, there is the Blue Dragon God King, who has 49 Dragon Kings under his command, who control 70 myriad myllion small dragons, mountain spirits and sundry charms. The document states that it is the work of the small dragons and spirits under the control of the Dragon King that cause poison and disease to people, and that they should pray to the Dragon King who oversees them for healing. The Red Dragon God King is located in the south, the White Dragon God, the White Dragon God King in the west, the Black Dragon God King in the north and the Yellow Dragon God King in the centre, each with a considerable number of Dragon Kings, countless small dragons and charmed demons. 

The Azure Dragon or Blue-Green Dragon (Qīnglóng), or Green Dragon (Cānglóng), is the Dragon God of the east, and of the essence of spring. The Red Dragon (Chìlóng or Zhūlóng, literally "Cinnabar Dragon", "Vermilion Dragon") is the Dragon God of the south and of the essence of summer. The White Dragon (Báilóng) is the Dragon God of the west and the essence of autumn. The Yellow Dragon (Huánglóng) is the Dragon God of the center, associated with late summer. The Black Dragon (Hēilóng), also called "Dark Dragon" or "Mysterious Dragon" (Xuánlóng), is the Dragon God of the north and the essence of winter.

[Image bottom: One of the Buddha statues in Mogao Caves, China]

伝説のヒューマノイドたち

ヒト型爬虫類 (4)

五方龍王 〜 古代中国の信仰における五方位に結びつく五色の龍王

歴史上、中国の伝説には五行(5つの要素) に基づいた「五方龍王信仰」があった。敦煌石 (莫高窟) で発見された唐代の道教経典には、「五方龍王」という名前が記されている。

中国の伝統的な信仰の要素である五行 (道教の宇宙論に基づく自然哲学) を取り入れ、五龍王と五色の龍を五つの方角と関連付けている。東方には青龍神王がおり、配下に49の龍王をしたがえ、それらが70万億の小龍や山精・雜魅を従えている。この文書の趣旨は、四方八方どこにでも、人間を毒や病に侵す龍王の手先がいて、彼らの主である龍王に救済を祈り求めなければならないということだ。南方には赤龍神王、西方には白龍神王、北方には黒龍神王、中央には黄龍神王がおり、同様にそれぞれ相当数の龍王、無数の小龍、魅鬼などが配置される。 

蒼龍または蒼緑龍（靑龍）、または緑龍（蒼龍）は、東の龍神であり、春の本質を表す。赤龍（辰砂龍 または 朱龍）は南の龍神で、夏の神である。白龍は西の龍神であり、秋の神である。黄龍（黃龍）は中央の龍神で、晩夏に関連している。黒龍（黑龍）は「暗龍」または「神秘龍（玄龍）」とも呼ばれ、北の龍神であり、冬の精髄である。

[ruibaozha]

From what I understand, your advice is that we shouldn't stick to just one version of a story or consider it the true version. And that a story has several versions. And these versions do not make one less than the other. Like, we can choose one version of the story as long as we understand that there are more versions.

Hello!

Yes this is precisely it. It’s very easy to assume that one way a story is told is the only valid version, but it also neglects how it historically was shared and retold - regardless of if deities are involved. Of course people are allowed to express favoritism, myself having moved from Wuhan, I prefer Wuhanese storytelling.

Did you know there’s roughly 360 different types of regional Chinese Opera that coexist? And with such a large variation in a specific area of performing arts, there’s bound to be more variation in nearly anything else.

Myself and the study of Nezha/Nalakubara has led me down many many different rabbit holes into how he was spread across east and southeast Asia. He appears in India, China, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Tibet, and very likely many other places I have yet to know. It would be very ignorant of me to assume the Chinese Daoist method of worship to be the only acceptable kind - and downright shameful to dismiss how other countries worship him.

It’s a lengthy answer, but I hope I was able to convey my feelings and personal thoughts properly.

[dorothygale123]

Today's sh*tpost doesn't have anything to do with Sun Wukong or Journey to the West, but it was so funny I had to share.

So there was this guy named Si-Men Bau, who seems to have been an actual guy that lived around 500 BC, and he was made the governor of the area around the Yellow River. When he got there, he heard that these shamans/wizards/mystics were having people throw a young woman into the river every year as a "bride for the river god." The shamans actually make a pretty profitable racket by making the rich families bribe them not to pick their daughters. Si-Men, naturally, thinks this sucks, but the way he deals with it is GENIUS.

So first he gets all dressed up and says that he's TOTALLY there to honor the river god and celebrate the wedding and a lot of people show up to watch. The shamans do their thing and are ready to throw the girl into the river, but Si-Men is all like:

"Hey, I came here to celebrate the river god's marriage, but it isn't much of a celebration if the groom isn't here. Why don't one of you go get him?"

So he has some of his men take a shaman and throw them into the river to "fetch the river god," but for some reason, the god never comes. So then our guy is all:

"Wow, she must not know what she's doing. Let's try again!"

He then proceeds to have 2 MORE shaman thrown into the river, with the same results each time. Once he's ready for the third, all the remaining shaman are begging on their knees for mercy, swearing they won't ever look for a new "bride" again as long as he stops drowning them- oh, sorry, I mean "sending them to the river god."

And thus no more innocent women were sacrificed. Don't you love happy endings?

Honestly my favorite part about this myth is that it very well could have ACTUALLY happened and Si-Men actually conned some conmen out of human sacrifice.

Sh*tpost Masterlist

[briefbestiary]

A strong-backed dragon. He carries heavy weights upon his shoulders, with words and images of importance often carved in the stone resting atop his shell.

[untethereddreams]

The Lady in the Moon

[Story starts with a brief intro after the “~~~” if you want to skip the backstory and go straight there]

I floated the idea of translating/retelling stories from ancient Chinese history, folklore, and myths and posting them on Tumblr and on Patreon here and got a bunch of responses so, as promised, here’s an example* of what the retellings could look like. I’m tagging everyone who interacted with the original post; if you don’t want to be tagged anymore, please let me know so I take you off the list. I’ll be looking at engagement here and for the next few “sample” posts to see if there is continued interest and if people like my writing style so please interact if you’d like me to continue with the project!

*at the time of the linked post I had forgotten that the retellings I have on-hand were all written for live performances so my rhythm, syntax, and overall style were all specifically geared toward oral storytelling. This piece in particular was written for a storytelling competition that had a three minute limit on length so it’s very condensed (it also won second place so I am quite proud of it despite the limitations). For some examples on what my writing voice sounds like you can check out my Wordpress or my “my writing” tag here. A lot of my stories link back to Wordpress but I will be reposting them without the links here soon.

~~~

The Man in the Moon is a figure familiar to many, his face looking down at us from above the clouds. But how many have heard the story of the Lady in the Moon?

It is a tale from many months ago and many miles away and I am honoured to share it with you all.

Once upon a time, there was a hunter named Hou Yi. He and his wife, Chang É, lived peacefully together until, one day, something unimaginable happened. When the darkness had passed and the dawn arrived, what rose in the East was not one, not two, but ten suns. Soon, their relentless rays wrought havoc upon the land, drying up rivers, cracking good earth, and everywhere you looked plants and animals were dying.

The Gods tried to convince the suns to go back from whence they came – to no avail. Desperate, they turned to Hou Yi, the greatest hunter there had ever been. Hou Yi, eager to put an end to the suffering around him, strung up his bow and one by one he shot the suns out of the sky until only the original remained.

Everyone rejoiced as the world began to heal. The Gods in their gratitude granted Hou Yi one bottle of the Elixir of Immortality to share with his wife so that both may join them in the Celestial Palace.

Upon his triumphant return, Hou Yi told Chang É all about his incredible adventure and the gift from the Gods. Chang É wanted to ascend immediately, but Hou Yi had unfinished business left on earth, so he asked Chang É to wait until his return before setting out to tie up loose ends.

Anyone familiar with the myth of Pandora can guess what happened next: before long (and certainly before Hou Yi returned), Chang É opened the bottle and drank it down in one big gulp.

The truth behind her actions has been lost to myth and time, but several differing accounts remain. In one, it was merely a case of miscommunication: she had thought, perhaps understandably, that the tiny bottle was too small to hold enough Elixir for two and that Hou Yi had hidden his own portion away. She was simply leaving a little earlier to prepare their new celestial home for his arrival. In another account, Chang É drank the potion out of greed, and in a third her actions were a desperate attempt to keep the godly gift out of the hands of an intruder.

Whatever her motives, the results were the same: the Elixir took effect immediately and she felt lighter and lighter. Soon, she watched as the ground fell away beneath her feet and the Celestial Palace drifted closer and closer. Her joy quickly turned to terror, however, when the potion – intended for two – took her far above the Palace, higher and higher, until she landed on the moon.

She begged the Gods to allow her to return to earth, but they were displeased with her actions and ignored her pleas. But the people remember her pain. That’s why, every year on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar (what else?) we celebrate the moon. We gather and lay before her shining face a smorgasbord of fruits and pastries, waiting for her to bless them with her light before sharing them with friends and family, each one hoping for a brighter, fuller future.

Tag List (ask to be added or removed): @aninkwellofnectar @mjjune @booksontheflowerpot @andromedatalksaboutstuff @sashki4 @friendlyneighborhoodwizard @birbs-n-cats @eqqautor @mintchipsundae @alwaysastrophel @mintydressing @flash-fixation @asushunamir2051 @phantomnations @arcticmoon19 @satansspikeybutthole @cream-and-tea @jonmyblaze @wowkalak @theeyesarewatching @thatcoloradosunrise @captainreset0 @avyannaspunfables

(I couldn’t tag some of the accounts if anyone knows why that could be happening please let me know so I can fix it!)

[rrcraft-and-lore]

Rta - pronounced as Rih-tha (Sanskrit) and first originated as a concept in the Vedic religion during the period of 1500–1100 BCE. It stands for: Order, rule, truth

It is the principle of natural order in which the universe and everything in it flows and operates.

It consists of natural, moral, and sacrificial order - and isn't something prescriptive or forced on you, but a concept life, people, and the universe is supposed to uphold. The idea of the individual, their (your) actions in relation to Rta and fulfilling yours - your duty to yourself, the right thing - path, development, society, and the natural order of things. It's not always clear cut and defined as it's both broad and granular and applies to one's individual destiny shaped and guided by their actions in life and adhering (or not) to the various laws of life/universe/time/and the world/people around you.

The macro can affect the micro, and the micro's choices ripple through/resonate through the macro - eventually giving way to the concept of Karma.

In the Avestan (ancient Iranian - Zoroastrian) it is known as asa - divine truth, right, sacred order, or truth.

This concept exists in many ancient cultures and has continued through time today to be found as divine will - destiny/destined in popular fiction like The Wheel of Time with the Pattern and the Wheel's Will, the idea of the Ta'veren and in the case of Stephen King's brilliant Dark Tower series, Ka or Ka-tet In ancient Egypt, this was seen through Ma'at, the goddess of divine order, law, morality, and the concept existed beyond her as a principle because of/from her. Ma'at became a set of laws including 38 declarations based on truth, and adherence to divine order.

Think 10 commandmants but less catchy and more of them.

In Chinese philosophy we have Tao or Dao - the metaphysical concept found in Confucianism and Taoism and often translates to: the way, the path, the route - the cosmic force that can't be named or described and is of the natural harmony of all living things and the way they move. Seeking and being in tune with this harmony is the goal of Taoism.

This is just a short primer on shared concepts like this and how they've existed since the birth of cradle civilizations and continued through time in culture, and permeated fiction (old and new).