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The Man In The Moon
In many cultures, several pareidolic images of a human face, head or body are recognized in the disc of the full moon; they are generally known as the Man in the Moon. The images are based on the appearance of the dark areas (known as lunar maria) and the lighter-colored highlands (and some lowlands) of the lunar surface. Origin There are various explanations for how the Man in the Moon came to be. A longstanding European tradition holds that the man was banished to the Moon for some crime. Jewish lore says that the image of Jacob is engraved on the Moon. Another held that he is the man caught gathering sticks on the Sabbath and sentenced by God to death by stoning in the Book of Numbers XV.32–36. Some Germanic cultures thought he was a woodcutter found working on the Sabbath. There is a Roman legend that he is a sheep-thief. One medieval Christian tradition claims that he is Cain, the Wanderer, forever doomed to circle the Earth. Dante's '' Inferno''Dante, The Divine C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hati Hróðvitnisson
In Norse mythology, Hati Hróðvitnisson (first name meaning "He Who Hates", or "Enemy"Byock, Jesse. (Trans.) ''The Prose Edda'', page 164. (2006) Penguin Classics ) is a warg; a wolf that, according to Snorri Sturluson's ''Prose Edda'', chases Máni, the Moon, across the night sky, just as the wolf Sköll chases Sól, the Sun, during the day, until the time of Ragnarök, when they will swallow these heavenly bodies. Snorri also gives another name for a wolf who swallows the Moon, Mánagarmr (, "Moon-Hound", or "Moon's Dog"). Hati's patronymic ''Hróðvitnisson'', attested in both the Eddic poem " Grímnismál" and the '' Gylfaginning'' section of the ''Prose Edda'', indicates that he is the son of Fenrir, for whom Hróðvitnir ("Famous Wolf") is an alternate name. According to Snorri, Hati's mother is the giantess, not named but mentioned in the Eddic poem "Völuspá", who dwells to the east of Midgard in the forest of Járnviðr ("Ironwood") and "fosters Fenrir's kin". S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vietnamese Mythology
Vietnamese mythology () comprises folklore, national myths, legends, or fairy tales from the Vietnamese people with aspects of folk religion in Vietnam. Vietnamese folklore and oral traditions may have also been influenced by historical contact with neighbouring Tai-speaking populations, other Austroasiatic-speaking peoples, as well as with people from the region now known as Greater China. Myth of national origin The mythology of the ethnic Vietnamese people (the ''Việt,'') has been transferred through oral traditions and in writing. The story of Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ has been cited as the common creation myth of the Vietnamese people. The story details how two progenitors, the man known as the Lạc Long Quân and the woman known as the Âu Cơ, gave birth to a "hundred eggs, fifty of which hatched, settled on land and eventually became the Vietnamese people". However, the story, dubbed ''Con rồng cháu tiên'' ("Descendants of the Dragon and the Immortal") ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter
is a (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the form. The story details the life of Kaguya-hime, a princess from the Moon who is discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant. After she grows, her beauty attracts five suitors seeking her hand in marriage, whom she turns away by challenging them each with an impossible task; she later attracts the affection of the Emperor of Japan. At the tale's end, Kaguya-hime reveals her celestial origins and returns to the Moon. The story is also known as , after its protagonist.Katagiri et al. 1994: 81. Background ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'' is considered the oldest surviving , though its exact date of composition is unknown.Katagiri et al. 1994: 95. The oldest surviving manuscript is dated to 1592. A poem in the , a 10th-century work that describ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Mythology
Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contact with Chinese and various Indian myths (such as Buddhist and Hindu mythology) are also key influences in Japanese religious belief. Japanese myths are tied to the topography of the archipelago as well as agriculturally-based folk religion, and the Shinto pantheon holds uncountable ''kami'' (" god(s)" or "spirits"). Two important sources for Japanese myths, as they are recognized today, are the and the . The , or "Record of Ancient Matters," is the oldest surviving account of Japan's myths, legends, and history. Additionally, the ''Shintōshū'' describes the origins of Japanese deities from a Buddhist perspective. One notable feature of Japanese mythology is its explanation of the origin of the Imperial Family, which has been used h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Church Missionary Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission partners during its 200-year history. The society has also given its name "CMS" to a number of daughter organisations around the world, including Australia and New Zealand, which have now become independent. History Foundation The original proposal for the mission came from Charles Grant and George Udny of the East India Company and David Brown, of Calcutta, who sent a proposal in 1787 to William Wilberforce, then a young member of parliament, and Charles Simeon, a young clergyman at Cambridge University. The ''Society for Missions to Africa and the East'' (as the society was first called) was founded on 12 April 1799 at a meeting of the Eclectic Society, supported by members of the Clapham Sect, a group of activist Anglicans ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haida Mythology
The Haida are one of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their national territories lie along the west coast of Canada and include parts of south east Alaska. Haida mythology is an indigenous religion that can be described as a nature religion, drawing on the natural world, seasonal patterns, events and objects for questions that the Haida pantheon provides explanations for. Haida mythology is also considered animistic for the breadth of the Haida pantheon in imbuing daily events with . There are innumerable Haida supernatural beings, or , including prominent animal crests, wind directions, and legendary ancestors. John R. Swanton, while documenting Haida beliefs as part of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition recorded that the highest being in all Haida mythology and the one who gave power to the was , translated as 'Power-of-the-Shining-Heavens'. Some have the ability to transform between animal and human forms while others do not. In the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miscellaneous Morsels From Youyang
The ''Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang'' () is a book written by Duan Chengshi in the 9th century, during the Tang Dynasty. It focuses on miscellany of Chinese and foreign legends and hearsay, reports on natural phenomena, short anecdotes, and tales of the wondrous and mundane, as well as notes on such topics as medicinal herbs and tattoos. ''Youyang'' refers to the south slope of ''Mount You'', a small hill located in what is now Huaihua, Hunan. The book is divided into 30 volumes, containing unusually varied content in over thirteen hundred entries that describe the world that Duan Chengshi heard about, read of, or personally observed. Several tales from the volume are quoted in the ''Taiping Guangji''. The '' Ye Xian'', a story similar to the fairy tale ''Cinderella'', appears in Chapter 21. The story was allegedly told by Duan's servant Li Shiyuan, a native of what is now Nanning. It is set during the late 3rd century BC. The exact location is unknown, but the most likel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duan Chengshi
Duan Chengshi () (died 863) was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. He was born to a wealthy family in present-day Zibo, Shandong. A descendant of the early Tang official Duan Zhixuan (, ''Duàn Zhìxuán'') (-642), and the son of Duan Wenchang (, ''Duàn Wénchāng''), a high official under Tang Xuanzong, his family background enabled him to obtain office without taking the imperial exams. As a poet, he was associated with Li Shangyin and Wen Tingyun. Duan is best known outside of China for being the author of an early version of Cinderella, called '' Ye Xian''. In 853, the story first appeared in '' Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang'', which was published shortly after he returned to Chang'an after his term as acting prefectural Governor of Jizhou (now known as Ji'an in Jiangsu). It is believed that it was a folktale told by peasants before it was recorded on paper. Duan is also known for describing in his written work of 863 AD the slave trade, ivory trade, and ambergris ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wu Gang
Wu Gang (), formerly romanized as Wu Kang and also known as Wu Zhi in some sources,Eberhard, Wolfram. ''Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought''pp. 76 ff Routledge & Kegan Paul (London), 2013. Accessed 12 November 2013. is a figure in traditional Chinese folklore and religion. He is known for endlessly cutting down a self-healing osmanthus tree on the Moon, a divine punishment which has led to his description as the Chinese Sisyphus.Brendon, Juliet & al. ''The Moon Year: A Record of Chinese Customs and Festivals''p. 410 Kelly & Walsh, 1927. Reprinted Routledge ( Abingdon), 2011. Accessed 13 November 2013. In modern Chinese, the '' chengyu'' "Wu Gang chopping the tree" (; ''wúgāng-fáguì'') is used to describe any endless toil. The specific reason for his situation has varied in the sources, but Wu Gang's story dates back to at least the Tang dynasty. Legend Origins An origin myth for the lunar phases was that a great forest or great tree g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moon Rabbit
The Moon rabbit, Moon hare or Jade rabbit is a mythical figure in both East Asian and indigenous American folklore, based on interpretations that identify the lunar mare, dark markings on the near side of the Moon as a rabbit or hare. In East Asian mythology, the rabbit is seen as pounding with a mortar and pestle, but the contents of the mortar differ among Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese folklore. In Chinese folklore, the rabbit, Yutu, is often portrayed as a companion of the Moon goddess Chang'e, constantly pounding the elixir of life for her and some show the making of cakes or rice cakes; but in Japanese and Korean versions, the rabbit is pounding the ingredients for mochi or tteok or some other type of rice cakes; in the Vietnamese version, the Moon rabbit often appears with Hằng Nga and Chú Cuội, and like the Chinese version, the Vietnamese Moon rabbit also pounding the elixir of immortality in the mortar. In some Chinese versions, the rabbit pounds medicine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elixir Of Life
The elixir of life (Medieval Latin: ' ), also known as elixir of immortality, is a potion that supposedly grants the drinker Immortality, eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to Panacea (medicine), cure all diseases. Alchemy, Alchemists in various ages and cultures sought the means of formulating the elixir. History Ancient Mesopotamia An early mention of an elixir of life is found in the Epic of Gilgamesh (from the 2nd millennium BC) in which Gilgamesh comes to fear his own declining years following the death of his beloved companion Enkidu. He seeks out Utnapishtim, a figure in Mesopotamian mythology known for surviving a great flood sent by the gods and being granted immortality. Gilgamesh is directed by Utnapishtim to find a plant at the bottom of the sea, but he loses it to a serpent before he can use it himself. This legend is an archaic explanation for snakes shedding their skin, seen as mystical rejuvenation. China Many rulers of ancient C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
