Chapter 12 God of the Three Realms

The Three Realms refer to heaven, earth, and the underworld.The human world is the center of the Three Realms, whether it is the sky or the underground, they are all imitations of the human world.Therefore, the myths and legends in the Three Realms are still the most abundant on the earth and in the human world. That is to say, when people explain astronomical phenomena, they are various images shaped by personification.Among them, the sun myth and the moon myth are the most colorful. Many nations in the world worship the sun and have their own sun god.On the whole, the positive elements of sun worship and sun mythology are the main ones.However, the sun gods left in ancient Chinese books in our country are no longer in their original form, and most of them are personified male gods.They are either handsome or majestic, all of them are radiant, and they are the source of warmth, warmth and brightness.Please see how magnificent the sun god of the Chu people is:

Tun will come out to the east, and shine on my threshold and Fusang.Caress the rest of the horse and drive away, the night is bright and bright.Riding the dragon and riding the thunder, carrying the cloud flag and serving as a snake... Qingyun clothes and white clothes, holding up the long arrow and shooting the sky wolf!Play the rest of the arc and fight against surrender, help the Big Dipper and drink osmanthus pulp!After writing the rest of the bridle, the high camel flies, and the east travels in the dark! ("Chu Songs Nine Songs Dong Jun") The sun god rises from the hibiscus tree in the east and rides slowly forward, making the bright night bright.The sun god rides the dragon chariot and rides the wind and thunder, and the cloud flags on it are like long winding snakes.The sun god is clothed with blue clouds and white clouds, and the light he emits is like a sharp arrow shooting Sirius (star).The sun god claimed that he wanted to raise his bow to get rid of Sirius, the disaster star, and then lowered it to attract the Big Dipper (star), so that they could drink famous wine and cinnamon syrup together.Then I will take up the reins, fly high, pass through the realm of darkness and return to the east.

As a god of nature, people think that the sun god crosses the sky from east to west, and then travels from west to east to return to the east. underwater.As a personified sun god, he controls the wind, thunder and nebula to drive away evil and darkness for the world. He is a benevolent god with extraordinary appearance. Chu people worship the sun god, and there is no disagreement. The word "Chu" in bronze is "□", like the sun shining in the forest. It is said that there were 10 suns in ancient times, and there was a tall hibiscus tree on the Tang (that is, Yangyang) valley in the Oriental Overseas, where the 10 suns bathed.This place is in the north of Black Tooth Country.Nine suns are under the hibiscus tree, and one sun is above the hibiscus tree. (See "Shan Hai Jing Overseas East Classic") These 10 suns are all sons of the goddess Xihe.Xihe bathed the sun's son in Ganyuan, and was in charge of the sons' coming and going.When Sun was riding in the chariot of six dragons, Xi He also drove for Sun.These basic plots are loaded discretely.Xihe, the mother of the sun, is clearly an apotheosis of the witch who attempted to master the sun by imitating witchcraft.

The most detailed description of the journey of the sun is "Huainanzi·Tianwen Xun": After the sun came out from Yang (Yangtong) Valley, he took a bath in Xianchi, and climbed the hibiscus tree at dawn, which is morning.After the sun climbs the hibiscus tree, it starts to set off, and the sky will be bright.The sun came to Qu'a Mountain, and it was just dawn.When you walk to Zeng [ceng layer] Spring, it’s time to have breakfast; when you walk to Sangye, it’s time to have lunch; when you walk to Hengyang, it’s noon; West; when we reached the Valley of Sadness, it was time for lunch; when we reached Nvji, the sun was setting to the west... When we reached the Spring of Sadness, the six-dragon chariot driven by Xihe stopped.When the sun reaches Yuyuan, it is dusk; when it reaches Menggu Mountain, it is night.Entering the shore of Yuyuan in the first night, and shining on the shore of Menggu the next morning.The sun passes through the ten homes of Kyushu, which is 507,309 miles away.

The sun is fully personified.The behavior of the sun god determines the day and night in the world.What is interesting is that there is clearly one sun, but why primitive people insisted that there were 10 suns.Other nations in the world also have a group of suns, up to 12, and there are nine, seven, or five.The reason is the change of celestial phenomena. People don't understand it. When encountering solar halos, they mistakenly think that there are many suns in the sky.In the hot season, the sun is exposed to the sun, and it is mistaken for many days. Moon myths are not as numerous as sun myths, and the moon gods and sun gods of some ethnic groups often appear in the same myth.But the moon itself is changeable. The first quarter moon is a curved crescent eyebrow, like a jade hook;Regardless of whether the moon is full or short, it will not harm the world.Whether the moon is clear or dim, it brings people infinite reverie and warmth, so people have a very intimate feeling for the moon.The moon is a symbol of tenderness.The shadows on the moon give people a sense of mystery.

According to ancient Chinese mythology, Chang Xi is the mother of the moon, and Wang Shu is the one who drives the moon.The ancients also used the death and resurrection of the moon to explain the waxing and waning of the moon.Because of the close relationship between the moon and the sun, some ethnic groups call the moon and the sun a pair, and regard them as one, or siblings, or husband and wife.People also imagine toads, osmanthus trees, and immortals in the moon based on the shadows on the moon.The most touching one is of course the story of Chang'e in the moon. The story of Chang'e flying to the moon was incompletely recorded before the Eastern Han Dynasty. Zhang Heng's "Ling Xian" in the Eastern Han Dynasty only mentioned that Chang'e was Yi's wife.Yi is a famous archery hero in legend.In fact, she was deceived by the fortune-teller You Huang, and she took the medicine of immortality that Yi got from the Queen Mother of the West. When she arrived in the moon, not only did she not have great benefits and great prosperity, but she was also said to have turned into a toad.Why did she leave Yi? It's really hard for an upright official to decide on housework, and everyone has a bad reputation.Some sympathized with Yi, and some said that Yi had another affair, but no one could tell.This pen-and-ink lawsuit has been going on for more than 2,000 years, and the more heated it is, the greater the reputation of Chang'e, known to all women and children.Looking up at the bright moon, everyone has their own imagined Chang'e in their minds.No one wants to connect her with a toad, but the most ideal peerless beauty, and has entered various literary forms.For example, Tang Bohu, a great talent in the Ming Dynasty, once painted a painting "Chang'e Flying to the Moon" handed down from generation to generation.Chang'e, dressed in gorgeous clothes, is dignified and beautiful, holding Yufang in her arms, slowly flying.The background of the painting is the bright moon hanging high and the shadows of the trees whirling.Chang'e in other literary and artistic works is all the embodiment of beauty.It proves that people of all ethnic groups in China not only pursue beauty, but are also good at creating beauty.Li Shangyin, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem saying: "Chang'e (Chang'e) should be heartbroken this night." ("Yuexi") Poet Full of sympathy for this lonely beauty.

The moon also has many beautiful aliases, such as moon wheel, jade plate, jade hook, jade bow, jade sheep, Guanghan, Chanjuan, Jinbo, Jinpan, Heng'e, Su'e... It has an elegant image in people's minds. After entering the farming society, people gradually accumulated a set of experience in stargazing, and found that changes in the positions of stars were related to production.Although the influence of stars on people is not as great and direct as that of the sun, there is only one sun and moon in the sky, but there are too many stars to count.And because of changes in astrology, sometimes coincidentally with changes in personnel, the ancients came to a lot of non-scientific understandings, and gave various mysterious explanations to the stars, saying that some stars are the place where gods are, or some stars are the place where gods are. The star itself is God.The star realm is also the god realm, and this is how the star god concept appeared.The three gods of Fu, Lu, and Shou in folk customs originated from star worship at the earliest, and they are called the God of Command, the God of Lu, and the God of Shou.The "Da Siming" and "Shao Siming" in "Nine Songs" of Chu Ci were recreated by Qu Yuan based on the prayers of the folk priests.Commanding, that is, in charge of people's lives.Siming is also the name of the stars and the names of gods. This kind of god is not very high in the status of the gods, and only plays an auxiliary role for the main gods. However, it is very prominent among the star gods and often deals with the human world. If there is a fault in the human world, Then he made a report to the Emperor of Heaven, and according to the severity of the circumstances, three days or 300 days of life were deducted as appropriate.There is an old saying: There is a star in the sky, and there is a person on the ground. There are as many stars as there are people.The star is the embodiment of man.Therefore, many beautiful and moving myths and legends have emerged from the way of thinking of the mutual transformation of human beings and stars.Once the stars are personified, all the various forms of human life will be reproduced in the world of star gods.The well-known story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is the most touching one.

According to legends from generation to generation, Altair is in the west of the Tianhe River, shining brightly; Vega is in the east of the Tianhe River, shining slightly.The two stars face each other across the river, resembling affectionate lovers.On the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the two stars are closer to each other.If you look up on a starry night, you will see six Altairs in the southeast of Altair, whose outline resembles a loom.The legend that people initially personified her has shown a tragic color: in the east of the Tianhe River, there is a Weaver Girl, the daughter of the Emperor of Heaven, who weaves cloth every year and works hard to weave it into a cloud brocade.The Emperor of Heaven took pity on her being single and without a partner, and allowed her to marry the Cowherd in Hexi.After she got married, the Emperor of Heaven was very angry because she had neglected weaving, and ordered her to go back to Hedong, where she could meet the Cowherd only once a year. (See "Yue Ling Guang Yi July Order" cited "Novel 3") Gradually develop in the future, it is no longer mentioned that Zhinu abandoned weaving after marriage, but said that the two of them missed each other very bitterly. A bridge is built, and the Weaver Girl crosses the Tianhe River to meet the Cowherd.This story, which has been orally passed down among the people, still retains the original basic plot.

The god of the earth, there are many kinds.The land is an infinite boon to man.Therefore, valleys and dangerous peaks, rivers, seas, lakes and swamps are all deified, and some are personified. No matter how big or small a mountain is, there are gods.In ancient times, almost every mountain had a mountain god.Kunlun Mountain has a lofty status in mythology. "Shan Hai Jing Hai Nei Xi Jing" says that it is the highest mountain in the sea, and it is the capital of the emperor of heaven on earth in the northwest.Kunlun Mountain has a radius of 800 li and a height of seven or eight thousand feet.A kind of wood grain grows on it, four feet high, thick enough for five people to hug.There are nine wells on each side of the mountain, and each well is railed with jade (according to: the jade mentioned by the ancients is not the real jade, that is, high-quality stone as it is referred to in modern times); There are enlightened beasts watching over there.What does Enlightenment Beast look like? It is a half-human, half-animal god, with a body as big as a tiger, nine heads, all with human faces, facing east, standing on Kunlun Mountain.Kunlun Mountain is where the gods are located.

Kunlun Mountain is related to the activities of the ancient Xia, Zhou, and Qiang ethnic groups, and its status in ancient mythology is similar to that of Mount Olympus in Greek mythology.Dozens of mountains have been mentioned, and Kunlun Mountain is the crown.As the capital of the Emperor of Heaven, it was naturally ruled by the Emperor of Heaven.It is said that this Heavenly Emperor is the Yellow Emperor.The god sent by the Yellow Emperor to manage the Kunlun Mountains is called Lu Wu, who is also half human and half animal, with a human face, a tiger body and tiger claws, and nine tails. (see "Xishan Jing")

If the Kunlun Mountains are still barbaric and primitive, then the god of Lion Mountain, where the Mosuo people in Yongning, Yunnan are located, has been completely personified.This mountain rises from the ground and is majestic. It is named after its shape like a reclining lion.Legend has it that the goddess of Lion Mountain is called Heidi Ganmu.She is very beautiful, the clouds are her headkerchief, the green trees are her eyebrows, the white mist is her belt, the coral agate by the Lugu Lake is her shoes, and the green dam is her cushion.The male mountain gods from the neighboring mountains all came to make friends with her admiringly, and caused fights for this.Not only is she outstanding in talent, but she is also kind-hearted. She often rides horses or deer to patrol, and protects the people in Yongning to prosper and the grain to harvest.As soon as she leaves, the trees will wither, the famine will spread, and the plague will prevail.As soon as she returned, the earth revived immediately.Such a mountain god and protector just complements the beautiful scenery of Lugu Lake.This god has enjoyed sacrifices for a long time, but she is a great goddess who lives in the world and adapts to the matrilineal system. The Yellow River is not only the cradle of the Chinese nation, but also flooded many times.There is more than one God of the Yellow River, and He Bo is the most famous among them.This is a great god, the earliest image is a fish body.Later, it was said that his original name was Feng Yi.After Feng Yi drowned, the Emperor of Heaven ordered him to be the god of the Yellow River, Hebo. There is also a story related to this god in "Shenyijing·Xihuangjing": On the West Sea, there was a man riding a white horse with red mane, wearing white clothes and a black hat, followed by 12 servant boys, galloping on the water like a storm.This is just He Bo's emissary.Sometimes this messenger went ashore, and where his horses went, the water flowed there, and whatever country he went to, there was a torrential rain [pangtuo 泪鸟].In the evening, he returned to the Yellow River.If He Bo's emissary is like this, then one can imagine He Bo's status in the God Realm.However, the image of Hebo is complicated, and people's feelings about this god are also very subtle, with both reverence and derogation.He not only plays games in the world, but also often sends out floods.The divinity of this god is very consistent with the moodiness of the Yellow River. The personification of land has already occurred in the primitive farming society.Because women were the first to invent and take charge of agriculture, the land god Houtu was also a goddess at first.After writing, in oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, the shape of "Hou" is close to a woman with double breasts.Wang Guowei, a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, believed that the latter character is from the female, or from the mother, just like the shape of a woman giving birth.When there were many clans and tribes, there was no unified country, each had its own land god, and it was impossible to have an abstract and unified land god.In order, people's worship of the gods of the land should be earlier than the worship of the gods of the sky.With the emergence of a class society and the consolidation of patriarchy, the status of the gods surpassed that of the Houtu, and gradually there was the saying of "Emperor Tianhoutu".Houtu is still a woman and becomes a great god corresponding to the Emperor God.As the society develops further, the scope of the land god's jurisdiction will become larger and larger as the domain expands.At this time, Houtu not only changed his gender, but also changed his name. He was called "She Shen", and most of them were male. The word "she" was interpreted by the ancients as "the lord of the land".China has been emphasizing agriculture since ancient times. Therefore, "the gods in the country are more precious than the community." ("Book of Rites · Suburban Special Animals") At this time, the land gods have become abstract and general to a certain extent.Some famous leaders and heroes in ancient Chinese myths and legends are also regarded as gods of society.The god of society and the god of Ji (the god of valley) are juxtaposed and become the symbol of the ancient country. "Sheji" is the country.Hou Ji is the famous god of sowing hundreds of grains, and also the ancestor of the Zhou nationality in the legend. There are many myths about him, such as "Songs of Chu", "Huainanzi"...all mentioned. Common myths in ancient books say that Houtu is Goulong, the son of Gonggong, and even the Yellow Emperor and Dayu are regarded as Houtu or the god of society respectively.These belonged to the male land gods.The back soil becomes wider and wider, from the ground to the ground.It is said that one of Houtu's duties is to manage Youdu, which is commonly known as Yinyin.But there is no complete myth left in this regard.The most glorious and lucky period for the land god was when he was the god of society. Primitive people are irresistible to death, with fear.At first, people believed that the soul would not die after death. After the differences between the strong and the weak, and the rich and poor appeared in human beings, they imagined that the world after death must be terrible.Therefore, the netherworld is generally eerie.Legend has it that the ruler there was called Tubo, and the place Tubo ruled was called Youdu. "Youdu is also governed by the underground Houtu. The underground is dark, so it is called Youdu." The Houtu mentioned here is the land god mentioned above, and Houtu's alias in the netherworld is called Tubo.Regarding the situation in Youdu, "Shan Hai Jing Hai Nei Jing" said: In Beihai, there is a mountain called You Du Mountain.Black water flows from there, and there are black birds, black snakes, black panthers, black tigers, and black shaggy-tailed foxes on it.Tubo looks terrible, holding nine ropes in his hands, with sharp horns on his head, humped back and bloody hands, chasing people quickly, with three eyes, tiger head, body like a cow, and treats people as a delicacy. (See "Songs of Chu·Calling the Soul" and Wang Yi's note) It seems that the land god, who had already been personified, became terrifying after entering the nether world, and returned to the shape of a beast.Therefore, instead of saying that Tubo is Houtu, it is better to regard Tubo as the clone or incarnation of Houtu.According to the characteristics of mythological transformation, Houtu can of course transform into a strange animal god with a combination of a tiger and an ox. In the Yi Epic "Mei Ge", in the "Funeral" section, it is believed that the death of human beings and other creatures is because the king of heaven sowed the seeds of death.They even think that the king of heaven sows more dead seeds than live seeds: "Scatter one handful of live seeds, and three handfuls of dead seeds." "Because the seeds of death are sown by the king of heaven, everyone in the world will die, and there is no way to avoid it. The negative content of the Nether myth has a direct impact on the formation of the underworld in the later man-made religions, revealing the helplessness of the ancient people towards death. "Maegor" also shows this kind of psychology in some places.