Chapter 6 Section III Comprehensive Totem God

Totems include animals, plants, and inanimate objects, but most of them are animals. The combination of more than several kinds of totems constitutes the image of a comprehensive totem god. This kind of totem appeared very late, around the transitional stage from the end of primitive society to class society.At that time, powerful tribes merged some small tribes. Military conquest could be achieved by force, but ideological conquest could not be achieved by force alone.As the symbol of the clan and tribe, the totem is a symbol of the whole people. After the military annexation, there will inevitably be a great fusion of the clan and tribe. The original totems have basically completed their historical missions. new totem.This kind of totem is a new complex formed by fusing various totems of the annexed with the annexer's totem as the main body.Among the comprehensive totems in ancient my country, the dragon and the phoenix had the greatest influence, and they played a positive role in the unification and solidarity of the Chinese nation. At the same time, they are symbols of Chinese civilization and have an unshakable position in the cultural history.In addition, there is another kind of unicorn, whose long-term influence in folk culture cannot be ignored.

I don’t know if you have noticed that among the Chinese zodiac signs, only the dragon is an imaginary animal that does not exist in the world, and the others are animals that actually exist in the biological world.Why did our ancestors imagine the shape of "dragon"?And about its origin and composition, each has its own understanding.How should we know it? The prototype of the dragon had sprouted in the late Neolithic Age, and it was a virtual imagination based on the totem of the Xia people.The ancients had various explanations for it.It is said that the 螣 (teng Teng) snake has no feet and can fly (see "Xunzi Encouraging Learning"); the one with scales is called Jiaolong, the one with horns is called Qiu (qiu prisoner) dragon, and the one without horns is called Chi (chichi) dragon . (See "Guang Ya" quoted by Hong Bu in "Li Sao") The one with wings is called Ying Long (Note from Wang).It is said that the dragon is like a dog like a cow, and "Lunheng" says: "The image of a dragon is like a horse with a head and a snake tail." Others say that the shape of a dragon is the horns of a deer, the ears of a cow, the head of a camel, the eyes of a rabbit, and the tail of a snake. the neck of a mirage, the belly of a mirage, the scales of a fish, the soles of a deer, and the claws of an eagle.This is obviously the image of a late-developed dragon, which is more and more complex than the original dragon, and more and more totems are integrated, indicating that it is constantly enriching and developing.Scholars have done a lot of useful research on the main body prototype of the dragon.There are crocodile theory, lizard theory, horse theory, etc., but it is generally agreed that the keynote of dragon is snake.It was Wen Yiduo's famous article "Fu Xi Kao" that first systematically put forward this view.A dragon is a big snake, and a snake is a small dragon.Wen Yiduo believes that after the Snake clan merged with other clans, it "absorbed many other totem groups (clans) of various kinds, and it was only then that the big snake accepted the four-legged beasts, the head of a horse, and the tail of a hyena [lie]." , deer horns, dog claws, fish scales and beards", and became the later dragon.Later generations made many enrichments and supplements on the basis of Wen Yiduo's research.

To examine a dragon, we must first figure out what exactly is its keynote, backbone or subject prototype.To briefly summarize, it is from the initial stage of Long Yi, it has been continued, constant, and it is the main part of the dragon. Without it, the dragon will not be a dragon. This is the keynote, backbone or main prototype of the dragon. .On the body of the dragon, if the body of the snake is removed, the dragon will no longer exist.The dragon changes back and forth, its head is sometimes like a crocodile, sometimes like a horse; sometimes its feet are like lizard feet, sometimes like dog claws; only the snake's slender body has never changed.In ancient times, clans and tribes worshiping snakes were common.Snakes have strong vitality. After shedding their skin, they can die and come back to life again.This tenacious vitality is in line with the wishes of the primitive ancestors.Snakes are also a great threat to people, especially poisonous snakes, which can kill people and make people fearful.Many of the various gods in the temple have the body of a snake or a dragon.The snake itself is multi-ethnic. In modern terms, it is the worship of the snake at that time, which has a strong mass base. Taking it as the main body of the dragon, this symbol of national integration is willing to accept it even if it is annexed.The formal formation of the Chinese dragon probably began in the period of Xia Yu.After Yu consolidated his position in the Central Plains, the social conditions were ripe for creating dragons by combining snakes with other tribal totems.Dragons were created to accommodate the emergence of nations.Because snake worship covers a large area, using snakes as the main body of dragons can be recognized by all ethnic groups in the north and south of the descendants of Yan and Huang.The dragon is the crystallization of multiculturalism. Once formed, it has firmly established its authoritative status as a symbol of the Chinese nation.

1. Inner Mongolia Ongniute Banner No. 3 is the Jade Dragon of Hongshan Culture unearthed in Tala Village. 2. The painted dragon plate of the Longshan Culture unearthed in Taosi Village, Xiangfen, Shanxi. 3. The Erlitou culture pottery sheath of the Xia Dynasty unearthed from the Erlitou site in Yanshi, Henan. 4. The dragon on the bronze vessel of the Shang Dynasty. 5. The dragon on the bronze plate of the Western Zhou Dynasty. 6. Dragons from the Warring States period. 7. The dragon of the Han Dynasty.The image of the dragon has basically been finalized.

The phoenix is ​​a divine bird, the king of birds. The ancients said that the male is called Feng, and the female is called Huang.Later, the phoenix was collectively called; and later, the dragon and the phoenix matched each other, and the phoenix became the synonym for the imperial concubine. According to myths and legends, the phoenix evolved from the bird totem of the Eastern Yin people. "Shan Hai Jing Da Huang Xi Jing" mentioned that there is a colorful bird with three names, namely the emperor bird, luan bird and phoenix bird. "Shan Hai Jing Nan Ci San Jing" records a bird that looks like a chicken and has colorful patterns, called Phoenix.It shows that the image of the phoenix is ​​very beautiful from the beginning.In the future, it will be the same as the image of the dragon, and it will become more and more complicated as it goes on, with a hong head, a lin hip, a snake neck, a fish tail, a dragon pattern, a turtle body, a swallow's chin, and a chicken's beak. (See "Shuowen") When it flies, because of its supreme virtue, the thunder does not sing, the wind and rain do not rise, the rivers do not swell, and the vegetation does not sway. (See "Huainanzi Lanming Xun") It is not a phoenix tree, but it does not live in it, and it does not eat it unless it is bamboo. (See "Poetry Daya Volume A") It sings and dances by itself, and seeing it means peace in the world.He is the head of the flock, with tens of thousands of followers.The phoenix died on a mountain. Flocks of birds come here every July or August to mourn it, and they disperse after seventeen or eighth. Therefore, the mountain is called "Diaoniao Mountain". (See "Shui Jing Zhu Yi Wen Lu·Niao Hang") The phoenix is ​​the synthesis and sublimation of the demeanor of a hundred birds. Its prototypes are nothing but the four major categories of yang birds, eagle owls, peacocks and chickens.

The northern peoples worship the king of birds - the eagle.The finalization and standardization of the Chinese phoenix came after the Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, which brought great changes to the Chinese phoenix, which was originally based on chickens and sparrows.The phoenix we often see in artworks is actually an image after the Qing Dynasty, which integrates pheasant tail, chicken body, cockscomb, eagle eyes, eagle claws, eagle neck, peacock feathers, and mandarin duck feathers.Its tone is not as permanent and stable as that of the dragon. 1. Danfeng Chaoyang 2. Crow crow 3. Luan bird 4. Bird of prey 5. Swan 6. Phoenix 7. Black bird 8. Suzaku 9. Kong bird

The phoenix in mythology embodies the historical trend of the Chinese nation from primitiveness to civilization, from dispersion to unity.Today, the phoenix recreated by literature and art has a new meaning. Some are horns that destroy the old world, such as Guo Moruo's "Phoenix Nirvana"; It is regenerated from burning and testing, and has a new artistic conception. "Kirin" takes "deer" as the radical. When the ancients created this word, they clearly told people that kylin evolved from deer, but it is by no means a deer. It has more parts and equipment than deer.It is said that its body resembles 麕 [jun jun], and it can also be written as 麇, which means deer in ancient books.Cow's tail, round head.But only one horn.Some say that Qi is male and Lin is female, and the shapes are depicted slightly differently.But it is said that the shape of Lin is roughly like a deer, and Qi is similar to Lin.It can be seen that the basic shape is similar to that of a deer.It was regarded as a divine beast and benevolent beast by the ancients, with a long life span of two thousand years.Can spit fire, sound like thunder. "There are three hundred and sixty hairy worms, and the unicorn is the longest." ("Da Dai Li Yi Ben Ming") The "worm" here refers to beasts in general, just like the hero is called a tiger, which is a "big worm".It is an auspicious animal, and it advocates peace and longevity.The deer itself is the most tame beast, powerful and good at running. The horns have medicinal value, the meat is edible, and the leather is also very valuable, which is of great benefit to people.The legendary white deer is especially divine.There is a folk saying that unicorns give birth to children.Qilin is mainly deer, which combines the characteristics of cattle, sheep and horses.Its comprehensive aspects are not as extensive as that of dragon and phoenix, but its reputation is not too small.The study of Kirin is not as popular as the study of dragon and phoenix culture. It is not very clear who is the original author and how is its origin. , with lush aquatic plants, suitable for the growth of deer.

After the images of the dragon and the phoenix were shaped, they were no longer just symbols representing the two nationalities of Xia and Yin.The combination of dragon and phoenix became an important beginning of Chinese national culture, but in the slave society and feudal society, dragon and phoenix were seized by the supreme ruler [juejue], and lost the original comprehensive meaning of totem, and became the supreme totem. A symbol of rulers, emperors and concubines.The good-natured unicorn is squeezed out to the people in the power struggle, and the common people expect it to bring a good year, good fortune, longevity and good offspring.