The Myth of the Sun, Moon and Stars

First of all, the question of the origin of the sun, moon and stars is raised. The myths of various ethnic groups in China have different opinions on this. There are roughly the following types. ① Fertility theory. That is to say, it is believed that the sun and moon are

born and raised by parents. "The Classic of Mountains and Seas: The Great Wilderness Southern Classic" says: "Xihe, the emperor's handsome wife, was ten days old." The same book "The Great Wilderness Western Classic" records: "The emperor's handsome wife

Chang Xi was born in the 10th month. "The myth of the Luoba people says that the sky and the earth are married, and the mother of the earth gave birth to nine suns. ②The theory of limb metaplasia. "Yishi" quotes "Five Yun Calendar

Annals": "The first born was Pangu, who was reincarnated when he was dying. ...The left eye is the sun, and the right eye

is the moon. ... The mustache is the star. "The myth of the □ tribe says that the god took off the left and right arms of the tiger and turned them into the sun and the moon, and took off the tiger's eyes and turned them into stars. ③Dansheng

said. Miao mythology says that the sun was born from a butterfly egg. The □ tribe's "Chamu" ("Song of the Origin of All Things") said that the god Black Erobosai gave birth to an egg, and the skin of the egg turned into the sky, and the egg white turned into the sun. The moon, the stars, and the yolk-turned-earth. ④The theory of casting

making. Combining the formation of the sun and the moon with the smelting process, it is said that the sun

and the moon were made of gold and silver by the gods and then moved to the sky. The splashing honeysuckle during the casting day and moon turned into a sky full of stars. This theory is described in detail in the creation epic of the Miao people. ⑤The theory of divine creation. The Creator God directly

created the sun and moon with his divine power. The myth of the Shui people says that the goddess Yamama broke apart the connected heaven and earth, let the wind blow away the pure and turbid air, and used the pure air to create the sun and moon. The "Genesis" preserved in the "Dongba Sutra" of the Naxi people says that under the auspices of the yin and yang good gods Dongshen and Ba

gods, "truth and reality cooperate, The bright sun was produced; virtuality and falsehood combined to produce the deserted moon." In addition, there are also sayings that the sun is a heroic god (see "Nine Songs: Dongjun") and the Emperor of Heaven (i.e. Emperor Yan, see Bangu's "White Tiger Tongyi"). There are also myths that explain the origins of certain constellations, such as the Han myth about the Cowherd and the Vega, the Tibetan and Oroqen myths about the Big Dipper, the Li myth about the brother constellations, etc.

Illustrations of "Miao Ancient Song: Casting the Sun and the Moon"

The regular comings and goings of the sun and the moon are another way for the myths of the sun and the moon to explain natural phenomena

on the one hand. Ancient Chinese mythology describes the life schedule of the sun and moon as

people have work and rest. The 10 suns all live on a hibiscus tree that is thousands of feet high and more than a thousand meters thick in Tanggu. "For nine days, they live on the lower branch, and for one day, they live on the upper branch." "("The Classic of Mountains and Seas·Overseas Eastern Classic"). A sun on the upper branch is carried by birds on time, or it rides on a carriage "riding six dragons and being controlled by Xihe". It comes out from the east every day and travels After completing the fixed journey, we entered Mongolia in the west. The moon also rides on a chariot, and its charioteer is Wangshu.

The shadow in the moon and the waxing and waning of the moon are another aspect of this kind of mythological explanation.

Qu Yuan's "Tianwen": "What is the virtue of night light? Death brings fertility? Jue Liwei

What is the value of Jueli, but Gu Tu is in the belly?" It reflects the primitive people's belief that the moon is waning and full, which is death

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Resurrection, and the idea of ??a rabbit in the moon. Later, there were stories of Chang'e flying to the moon and transforming into a toad, Wu Gang cutting osmanthus, and the Jade Rabbit pounding medicine.

The myths of ethnic minorities explain the shadows in the moon, and they also believe that there are people and

things in them. There are many different accounts of who and what went up there and why.

The myth of the Yao people says that after getting married, a couple who brought blessings to the world flew to the moon. The woman

weaved brocade while the man herded cattle and lived a happy life there. The Hani God said that many years ago, a big tree blocked out the sun and moonlight.

People cut down this big tree, but there was a branch hanging on the moon, which grew into the Thoreau tree in the middle of the moon.

Cowherd and Weaver Girl Nanyang Han Dynasty stone carvings

As for the relationship between the sun and the moon, people imagine that they have the same relationship as husband and wife, brothers and sisters, sisters, etc.

Sister-in-law and other relationships. For example, the sun is the elder brother, and appears openly during the day; the moon is the younger sister, and only appears shyly at night.

Some also say that the moon is the elder sister, who is brave and capable, and dares to come out at night; the sun is the younger sister, who is timid and shy, so she comes out during the day, and the elder sister gives the younger sister a packet. The needle will prick the eyes of anyone who looks at her.

There are also magical explanations for the phenomenon of solar and lunar eclipses in mythology. Han

There is a saying among the Han people that they are devoured by heavenly dogs. In Mongolian mythology, it is said that the Nine-Headed Demon King delusional

devoured the sun and moon, so the Sun King and the Moon King built high walls for defense.

When the gates were closed, , the ground lost its light.

The myth of shooting the sun is an important part of the myth of the sun and moon.

The myth of Yi shooting for nine days was first seen in "Huainanzi". Among various ethnic minorities

there are also many such myths spread, such as Houye of the Zhuang people shooting down 11 suns, Gehuai of the Yao people shooting down 9 suns, and Blang people of the Blang people shooting down 11 suns. Gu Miya shot down 7 suns, Li Dali shot down 6 suns and moons, and so on. The basic content it describes is: ① 2 to 12 suns (or moons at the same time) appeared in the sky, and strong light irradiated them, causing serious consequences. ②The heroic archer shot down the remaining sun and moon. ③Some ethnic minority sun-shooting myths have a sun-calling plot at the end, that is, asking a rooster to call out a sun that is so frightened that it is hiding. This type of myth reflects ancient humans' desire to control the sun and conquer drought.