Ask the first person you meet: "What kind of Japanese monsters do you know?" In most cases, you will hear: "Godzilla, Pikachu and Tamagotchi." This is still a good result, because Russian fabulous creatures, through the eyes of an average Japanese, are a cross between a matryoshka, a Cheburashka and a drunken polar bear. But Russian and Japanese cultures can boast of such ancient menageries that some American Paul Banyan never dreamed of.
"The world of fantasy" has already made a walk along the unknown paths of Slavic myths, having studied the traces of unseen animals. Today we will be transported to the opposite side of the planet and see what bizarre creatures live under the rays of the rising sun.

Spirited Away

You can't figure out Japanese folklore without a bottle of sake. It was formed thanks to the centuries-old "cooperation" of Chinese Buddhism and national Shintoism - a unique process in which the principles of one religion were supplemented by the precepts of another.

Such syncretism gave rise to an amazing interweaving of myths: Buddhist deities preached Shintoism, and primitive Shinto magic did not at all contradict the complex Buddhist picture of the world. To understand the uniqueness of this phenomenon, it is enough to imagine the idol of Perun in the altar of a modern Orthodox church.

The peculiarities of the national worldview, multiplied by Buddhist mysticism and the remnants of primitive beliefs, made the Japanese monsters completely different from their Western "colleagues". Ghosts have settled near people and animals under the red sun - something like fairies in their classical European understanding, but unlike each other and successfully replacing all chimeras invented by mankind.

Japanese ghosts are not the restless souls of the dead or clots of protoplasm from parallel worlds. The concept of obake is most often applied to them, formed from the verb bakeru - to transform, transform. Obake may well be flesh and blood creatures. The main thing in them is that these "ghosts" turn from one thing to another, changing symbols and meanings, as well as disrupting the natural course of things.

Youkai and Samurai (artist Aotoshi Matsui).

Supernatural horror in Japanese culture is focused not on some otherworldly objects, but on the irrational modification of familiar forms. A skeleton in a white shroud, glowing eyes in the dark and a terrible howl in a cemetery will scare a Japanese much less than a crumpled paper lantern or strange television interference. The basis for such fears is a simple (if not primitive) picture of the world. Similar "horror films" about a black hand or a white sheet were once in great demand in Ogonyok magazine.

Of obake, an independent class of ghosts is sometimes distinguished - youkai (Japanese folklore terminology is very confused and there is simply no single classification). Their main feature is an extraordinary appearance (one eye, long neck, etc.). Youkai are reminiscent of Russian brownies or goblin. These creatures live in a certain area and do not seek a meeting with a person. Youkai can be both friendly and malevolent. They are associated with fire and the northeast. In winter, meetings with evil spirits are rare.

In the vastness of Japan, you can also find quite normal ghosts of yurei - souls deprived of peace. Shintoism teaches that after death the soul waits for the necessary rituals to be performed on the body, after which it safely leaves for another world. The deceased spirit can meet living relatives once a year - in July, during the Bon holiday.
But if a person died a violent death, committed suicide, or if the rituals over his body were performed incorrectly, the soul turns into a yurei and gets the opportunity to enter the world of the living. Yurei can be found at the place of his death, but you should not strive for this, because the main occupation of restless ghosts is revenge.

Most of the yurei are women who have suffered from love. Initially, the Japanese believed that their appearance was indistinguishable from their lifetime, but soon traditions began to change, and instead of the face of a ghostly lady, a huge eye could be found.

Today, yurei's appearance is standardized. They are dressed in a white funeral kimono. The hair is jet black, long (it was assumed that it grows after death) and falling over the face. Hands hang down helplessly, emptiness gapes instead of legs (in the kabuki theater, actors are hung on ropes), and otherworldly lights curl next to the ghost.

Sadako ("The Ring") Kayako ("Malice")

The most famous yurei in the West are Sadako ("Call") and Kayako ("Malice").

In the animal world

When it comes to common animals, Japanese fairy tales are very similar to European ones. "Do not kill me, I will be useful to you," said the animals in different parts of the planet. The universal commandment "Thou shalt not kill" was especially relevant for Buddhism. As a reward for mercy to animals, the main character received wealth or magical abilities. Little frogs rushed to the aid of their rescuers, orphaned ducks persuaded the evil hunter to give up his craft - after all, it is not known into whom he will be reborn in the next life.

In the shade of sakura

Azuki-arai. In Asia, adzuki beans were always boiled with sugar and were like candy.

Abumi-guti: When a warrior died in battle, the stirrups from his horse sometimes remained on the battlefield. There they came to life, turning into a strange fluffy creature, always looking for its missing master.

Abura-akago: the souls of traders who sold oil stolen from lamps at roadside shrines during their lifetime. They fly into the room in clots of fire and turn into a baby who sucks all the oil from the lamp, and then fly away.

: a little old man or an old woman washing beans in mountain streams. Sings menacing songs ("Should I wash the beans or eat someone?"), But is actually shy and harmless.

Aka-name: "Licking dirt" appears in those baths where there has been no cleaning for a long time. As its name suggests, it feeds on unsanitary conditions. Its appearance quickly instills in people the habit of cleaning up after themselves in the washing rooms. His relative, the long-legged tenyo-name, licks the dirty ceilings.

Aka-name. The language will bring you to the bathroom.

Ama-no-zako: born out of the rage of the thunder god Susanoo. Ugly, has strong teeth that bite through steel. Knows how to quickly fly over long distances.

Ama-no-zaku: an ancient demon of stubbornness and vice. He reads the thoughts of people, makes them act in such a way that the planned plans are made exactly the opposite. In one of the tales, he ate a princess, put on her skin and tried to marry in this form, but was exposed and killed.

Ame-furi-kozo: the spirit of the rain. Appears in the form of a child covered with an old umbrella and carrying a paper lantern in his hands. Likes to splash in puddles. Harmless.

Ami-kiri: There are many mosquitoes and ghosts in Japan in summer. One of them, looking like a cross between a bird, a snake and a lobster, loves to rip off mosquito nets, as well as fishing tackle and drying clothes.

Ao-andon: During the Edo period, people would often gather in a room, light a large blue lantern with a hundred candles, and start telling each other scary stories. At the end of each of them, one candle was extinguished. After the hundredth story, the light was extinguished completely and the ao-andon appeared.

Ao-bodzu: a short cyclops living in young wheat and dragging children there.

Ao-niobo: a cannibal living in the ruins of an imperial palace. During her lifetime she was a maid of honor. It features black teeth and shaved eyebrows.

Ao-sagi-bi: analogue of the Firebird: a heron with fiery eyes and white glowing feathers.

Asi Magari: ghostly raccoon dog. At night it wraps its tail around the legs of travelers. Her fur is like raw cotton to the touch.

Ayakashi: sea serpent about two kilometers long. Sometimes it floats over boats, forming an arch by its body. This can last for several days, during which the people in the boat are busy scooping up the mucus oozing abundantly from the monster.

Baku: Chinese chimera with the body of a bear, the trunk of an elephant, the eyes of a rhinoceros, the tail of a cow, the paws of a tiger, and a spotted skin. It feeds on dreams. If you see a bad dream, you should appeal to the baku, and he will absorb it along with all the foretold troubles.

Bake-zori: old sandal, poorly cared for. Runs around the house and sings silly songs.

Bake-kujira: the skeleton of a whale, accompanied by strange fish and ominous birds. Immune to harpoons.

Bake-neko: If a cat is fed in the same place for 13 years, it will turn into a bloodthirsty werewolf. Bake-neko can be so huge that it will not crawl into the house, but instead will rummage around it with its paws, looking for people like mice in a hole. Sometimes a werewolf takes the form of a human.

There is a story about how a cat disappeared in one house. At the same time, the behavior of the mother of the family began to change: she avoided people and ate, shutting herself up in the room. When the household decided to spy on her, they discovered a creepy humanoid monster. The owner of the house killed him, and a day later she again turned into a missing cat. Mother's bones were found on the floor under the tatami mat, gnawed clean.

Cats in Japan were associated with death. Therefore, people were very suspicious of the cats of the deceased owners. These animals could become kasa, stealing corpses, or two-tailed neko-mata, playing dead bodies like dolls. To avoid such a misfortune, the kittens need to dock their tails (so that they do not split in two), and the deceased's cat should be securely locked.

The image of the cat was not always gloomy. Maneki-neko porcelain figurines bring success to shopkeepers. During a thunderstorm, the cat took the rich man away from the tree, which was supposed to be struck by lightning, after which he began to patronize the temple. One geisha's cat would not let her mistress go to the lavatory, where the snake was hiding. Finally, cats often took the form of humans and became the wives of single men or children of childless couples.

Basan. Occurs in what is now Yehime Prefecture.

Basan: overgrown rooster. At night he walks the streets and makes a strange noise - something like "bass-bass". People look out of their houses, but find no one. Can breathe flame, but generally harmless.

Betobeto-san: when you are walking down the street at night and you hear footsteps behind you, but there is no one behind you, say: "Betobeto-san, please come in!" The ghost will leave and no longer stomp behind your back.

Gyuki (yushi-oni): a bull-like chimera living in waterfalls and ponds. Attacks people by drinking their shadows. After this, the victims begin to get sick and soon die. The gyuki's footsteps are silent. Having outlined a victim, he will pursue her to the ends of the Earth. There is only one way to get rid of the monster - by repeating the paradoxical phrase: "Leaves are drowning, stones are floating, cows are laughing, horses are mooing." Sometimes gyuki takes the form of a beautiful woman.

Jore-gumo: Looks like a pretty girl during the day, and at night turns into a spider-like monster, placing nets on people.

Dzyubokko: Trees growing on battlefields soon become accustomed to human blood, becoming predators. They catch travelers with branches and suck them dry.

Doro-ta-bo: the ghost of a peasant who has cultivated his own piece of land all his life. After the death of the owner, the lazy son abandoned the site, and it was soon sold. The father's spirit regularly rises from the earth and demands that the field be returned to him.

Inu-gami: if you tie a hungry dog, put a bowl of food in front of it so that it cannot reach it, and when the animal reaches the highest point of frenzy, chop off its head, then you get inu-gami - a cruel spirit that can be set on your enemies. Inu-gami is very dangerous and can attack its master.

Inu-gami. In one legend, a dog was sawed off with a blunt bamboo saw.

Ippon datara: spirit of a blacksmith with one leg and one eye.

Isonade: giant fish. With its tail, it knocks sailors into the water and devours them.

Ittan-momen: At first glance, it looks like a long piece of white matter floating in the night sky. The matter may not reach a second glance, since this spirit loves to silently fall on a person, twine around his neck and strangle him.

Itsumaden: when a person dies of hunger, he turns into a huge fire-breathing bird with a snake's tail. This spirit persecutes those who, during their lifetime, refused him food.

Kama itachi: If you are caught in a storm, and then find strange cuts on your body, this is the work of kama-itachi, a storm ermine with long claws.

Kameos: An old bottle of sake that magically produces alcohol.

Kami-kiri: a clawed spirit that attacks people in bathrooms and cuts their hair at the root. Sometimes in this way he tries to prevent the marriage of a person with an animal or spirit.

Kappa (casambo): one of the most common Japanese perfume. He has many faces, but always has a notch with water on his head, where all his magical power is hidden. People often deceive the kappa by bowing and forcing him to bow back by pouring water. Lives in water, loves cucumbers. It is recommended not to eat them before bathing, otherwise the kappa may smell the delicacy and drag you to the bottom. Disobedient children are taught to bow under the pretext that it is protection from kappa.

Kijimuna: good tree spirits. There is only one thing that can make them angry - an octopus.

Kirin: sacred dragon. It differs from the Chinese qi-lin only in that it has three toes instead of five on its paws.

Kitsune: a werewolf fox, a popular character in romantic fairy tales. She often turns into a girl and starts families with people. Loves to steal and cheat. With age, foxes grow additional tails (their number can reach nine). Kitsune magic does not work on Taoist monks.

A kitsune can be identified by its shadow - it always has the shape of a fox.

• The Japanese believe that the cat has the greatest chance of becoming a werewolf. That is why you should not allow her to dance, thus showing magical power.
• The highest chances of meeting a ghost in Japan are in the summer between 2 and 3 am, when the line between the world of the living and the dead is thinnest.
• "Kitsune" means either "always redhead" or "come to the bedroom." Fox's favorite food is tofu bean curd. A person who gets rid of the fox obsession (penetrating into him under the nails or through the chest) will be disgusted with tofu all his life.
• The rain that falls in the bright sun is called the "kitsune wedding" in Japan.

Ko-dama: the spirit of an old tree. Likes to repeat human words. It is because of the ko-lady that an echo appears in the forest.

Ko-dama (anime "Princess Mononoke").

Konaki-diji: a small child crying in the forest. If someone picks him up, Konaki-diji begins to rapidly gain weight and crush his savior.

Karakera-ona: an ugly mockingbird who haunts people and harasses them with her laughter.

Lidara-elbows: a giant of incredible size. His footprints became lakes. Often he rearranged the mountains from place to place.

Namahage- "Santa Claus is the other way around." Every New Year, he goes home and asks if there are naughty children here. Little Japanese people who believe in Namahage panic and hide, and their parents convince the demon that their children are good, after which they pour him one hundred grams of sake.

Ningyo: Japanese mermaid is a hybrid of monkey and carp. The meat is delicious. Having tasted it, you can extend your life for many hundreds of years. If the ningyo cries, it will transform into a human.

Noppara-bo (noperapon): a faceless spirit that frightens people.

Nuri-botoke: if you take care of your home Buddhist altar poorly, then a ghost will appear in it, similar to a black Buddha with a fish tail and drooping eyes. Every time a careless believer wants to pray, he will be greeted by this monster.

They(emphasis on o): multicolored demons are something like European trolls or ogres. Aggressive and angry. They fight with iron clubs. They are frightened off by the smell of burnt sardines, but today in Japan it is customary to throw beans for this (which for some reason they hate), saying: "They - go away, happiness - come!").

Raiden's animal. Represents ball lightning. He likes to hide in people's navels, so superstitious Japanese people sleep on their stomachs during a thunderstorm.

Rokuro-kubi: ordinary women who for some reason have undergone a partial ghostly transformation. At night, their necks begin to grow and their heads crawl around the house, doing all sorts of nasty things. Rokuro-kubi is unlucky in love - after all, men are very nervous about such night walks.

Sagari: a horse's head thundering with tree branches. Having met her, one could get sick (probably with a stutter).

Sazae-oni: old snails turned into evil spirits. Can turn into beautiful women. The story is known when pirates rescued a drowning beauty. She happily gave herself to each of them. It was soon discovered that the men had lost their scrotum. Sazae-oni offered a deal: the pirates give her all their gold, and the snail returns them the scrotum (the Japanese sometimes call this organ "golden balls", so the exchange was equivalent).

Sirime: ghost exhibitionist. He catches up with people, takes off his pants and turns his back to them. An eye protrudes from there, after which the audience usually faints.

Soyo: funny alcoholic ghosts. Harmless.

Sune-kosuri: fluffy animals that throw themselves at hurrying people and make them stumble.

Ta-naga: long-armed people of Japan, entered into symbiosis with asi naga(long-legged people). The first sat on the shoulders of the second and began to live together as a single organism. Today these giants are no longer to be found.

Tanuki: werewolves-badgers (or raccoon dogs), bringing happiness. The amount of happiness is directly proportional to the size of the badger scrotum. Tanuki know how to inflate it to incredible sizes (sleep on it, hide it from the rain), or even turn this part of the body into a house. The only way to verify the authenticity of a badger's home is to drop a burning coal on the floor. True, you will no longer see happiness after this act.

Tengu: winged werewolf people. Despite the comical, like Pinocchio's, nose, they are extremely powerful and dangerous. Long ago, they taught people the martial arts. If a person suffering from amnesia comes out of the forest, it means that he was abducted by the tengu.

Futa Kushi Onna: the ever-hungry ghost of a woman with an extra mouth on the back of her head, Japanese version of Tantalus. The second mouth exudes curses and uses the hair as tentacles to steal food from the woman. According to one of the legends, this curse was imposed on an evil stepmother, who deprived her adopted children of food.

Haku-taku (bai-ze): a wise and kind creature with nine eyes and six horns. Fluent in human speech. Once Bai-ze was captured by the great emperor Huang Di and, in exchange for freedom, gave him all the ins and outs about his relatives (11520 types of magical creatures). The emperor ordered the testimony to be recorded, but this bestiary, unfortunately, has not reached our time.

Hari-onago: a man-eater with a powerful shock of "live" hair, each of which ends in a sharp hook. Dwells on the roads. Having met the traveler, he laughs merrily. If someone laughs back, the hari-onago will use his hair.

Hito-lady: particles of a person's soul that leave his body shortly before death in the form of clots of flame. They fly away not far away and fall to the ground, leaving a slimy trail.

Hitotsume-kozo: a ghost in the guise of a little ten-year-old boy - bald and one-eyed. Harmless but playful. Likes to scare people. Sometimes it can send illness. To dare this spirit, you need to hang a basket near the door. Seeing many holes in it, the little cyclops will mistake them for eyes and run away, ashamed that he has only one.

Hoko: the spirit of the camphor tree. Looks like a dog with a human face. Ancient chronicles claim that if a camphor tree is cut down, a hoko will come out of its trunk, which can be roasted and eaten. Its meat is very tasty. Eating ghosts for food is a unique feature of Japanese mythology.

Yuki-she: Japan's "snow queen" is a pale lady who lives in the snow and freezes people with her icy breath. In erotic stories, yuki-she freezes people with a kiss, or even through the most interesting place.

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The rules of "ghostly etiquette" in Japan are simple: do not keep old things at home, otherwise they will acquire a soul of their own, do not travel on summer nights, do not accept anything from strangers you meet, do not laugh at them, do not be rude and always be careful when choosing a spouse - it is quite possible that she is not the woman of your dreams, but a cunning fox or an evil fury. Even if ghosts do not exist, and you live in Russia, these simple rules can still save you unnecessary trouble.

In the releaseiose representations of the Chinese, evil spirits were opposed to deities - gui (鬼). Initially, the term gui denoted all kinds of souls of the dead and did not quite clearly differ from the concept of a deity - shen (神). Over time, it became a common name for evil spirits, and the opposition between gods and demons formed the basis of the religious worldview in China. Traditional Chinese demonology presented a picture no less impressive than the countless host of heavenly offices. In the everyday life of the Chinese, it was even more important, for if the deities were addressed from case to case, then the evil spirits threatened a person day and night.

In any case, evil spirits were ineradicable: in China, as elsewhere, they were also a kind of personification of the forces of nature beyond the control of man and therefore dark and frightening.

The prototype of evil spirits in real life were all kinds of strangers, inevitably arousing suspicion and fear, especially marginal persons: vagabonds, beggars, robbers, etc. In a broad sense, all the forces that threatened the norms of society were personified in the image of demons. Fear of such forces could sometimes be the cause of mass panic. It is characteristic that the local chronicle reports that in 1557. prov. Guangxi was flooded with crowds of demons who, in the guise of a monkey, a bat or a dog, or even just in the form of a club of black smoke, climbed into dwellings at night and performed "fornication and abominations." drums, driving away evil spirits.

In ancient China, demons were usually represented as humanoid creatures with a body covered with wool, with a pointed head, red hair and a dark face, often devoid of any part - a nose, one eye, mouth, lips or chin. It was believed that demons, trying to annoy people, breathe on them a pernicious spirit, spit cold saliva, knock on the walls of houses, whistle like robbers or laugh with "demonic laughter."

The people believed that demons roam everywhere and are able to take on a variety of guises. Chinese folklore is replete with stories about the spirits of stone or wood, which, turning into a boy or a girl, seduce young people of the opposite sex. There were widespread beliefs about mountain demons - like monkeys, one-eyed, one-armed and one-legged dwarfs with turned back feet. Mountain demons sent fever, seduced women, prevented them from getting rid of the burden, and generally tried to cause as much harm to people as possible. Werewolves were considered in China and foxes, who, they believed, could transform into seductive women and cause considerable trouble to men. According to the author of the Minsk time, the beliefs about mountain demons were especially popular in the regions south of the Yangtze, and about the werewolf fox - in northern China.

The Chinese also attributed demonic properties to a wolf, a tiger, some real and fantastic birds, as well as "five reptiles", which included a spider, a snake, a scorpion, a toad and a lizard. Some celestial bodies were also considered the embodiment of the harmful element, for example, the star Tai-sui (Great Year), identified with Jupiter and reputed to be the lord of epidemics. Seven constellations of the western part of the sky were associated with the bloodthirsty demon Bai-hu (White Tiger), a devourer of babies. Another heavenly demon, Tien-gou (Heavenly dog), according to popular rumor, sent comets and solar eclipses, and most importantly, hunted for children. In the Middle Ages, the news of the appearance of the Heavenly Dog's minions, who had iron fangs, more than once caused panic and ferment among the people.

As great as the legion of demons was, so vast was the arsenal of means to dispel it. Throughout China, bright light and loud sound, sutra recitation, spitting and even urination, peach and willow branches, red beans, wormwood, bamboo shoots, colorful silk cords, roosters and cats, dog blood, mirror and a sword, an image of a tiger, charcoal, earth taken from a grave, a nail from a coffin, ancient coins, pieces of jasper, a carpenter's plumb line, scraps of a fishing net, etc. Stone screens at the gates of houses and stones towering at the beginning of the streets also protected from evil spirits - take care. All kinds of spells were also widely used. To ward off evil spirits, images of the most popular demon spellcasters in the folk pantheon, such as Zhong Kui, Jiang tai-gun (Jiang-minister), Zhang tien-shi (Heavenly mentor Zhang), were hung in the houses.

Evil spirits sought not only to intimidate, but also to appease with offerings, while staying away from them. If sacrifices were made to the gods on altars in houses or temples, then food for hungry demons was displayed in an open place and directly on the ground. The gods personally on their birthdays, while the demons were a faceless and amorphous mass, and they remembered them all together on the holiday of hungry ghosts in the middle of the 7th month according to the Chinese calendar.

From the book "Spiritual Culture of China", Encyclopedia in five volumes: volume. Mythology, Religion p. 104-106

Longwang, in Chinese mythology, the master of the water element; the god of thunder Leigong, the lord of rain Yushi and the god of wind Fengbo obeyed him. According to early texts, Longwang is a creature that stands out among other dragons with its extraordinary size - about 1 li (about 0.5 km) in length. Longwang's image took shape in the first centuries A.D. The Taoist classification became widespread - the idea of ​​Longwang as the supreme dragon of the four seas (in accordance with ancient Chinese cosmogony): Guan-de ("increasing virtue") - Longwang of the Eastern Sea, Guan-li ("increasing wealth") - South, Guan -zhong ("increasing favor") - Western and Kuan-tse ("increasing generosity") - also Western. All of them are considered brothers, of which the eldest is Guan-de. There was also an idea about the Longwang of the four main rivers of China. In folk tales and legends, it is usually simply Longwang or Donghai Longwang ("the dragon king of the East Sea") that appears. In later popular beliefs, Longwang is often regarded as the lord of the elements, to whom the god of thunder, the goddess of lightning, the god of wind and the master of rain are subordinate. In the late folk syncretic mythological system, Longwan is subordinated to the supreme ruler Yuidi. Longwang, the dragon king who brings rain, had his army, consisting of sea inhabitants: turtles, cuttlefish and other inhabitants of the depths. The intercession of this rain-granting dragon king was requested by farmers, sailors, fishermen, and water carriers. The Longwang cult was extremely popular in old China. There were temples dedicated to him in every city, every village. Longwang was believed to bring rain.

Fenghuang, in Chinese mythology, the wonderful bird king; in Western European literature, it is interpreted as a phoenix. There is an assumption that in ancient times the word "feng" meant the deity of the wind, who was the messenger of the gods. The Chinese believed that fenghuang had birds with multi-colored feathers, a rooster's beak, a swallow's goiter, a snake's neck, patterns on the body like a dragon's, a fish tail, in front it is like a swan, in the back like a unicorn is a qilin, and the back is a turtle. The advent of fenghuang promised peace and prosperity for China. There is reason to believe that this bird with huge eyes and a kind of crest on its head, resembling a peacock, has a solar nature, that is, it is close to the elements of fire and the sun.

Mythology is a science that studies myths, legends about gods and heroes, revealing the essence of people's views on the world order in ancient times, when there was still no scientific knowledge.

Civilization between the two large Far Eastern rivers, the Yangtze and the Yellow River, originated in the 2nd millennium BC. China has occupied an isolated position for a very long time, so their spiritual culture is original, it practically does not experience the influence of foreign cultures, it is original and excitingly entertaining.

It is impossible to meet beautiful deities here, similar to mythology in Ancient Greece or Rome, but its characters, bright and lively, amaze the imagination with their vitality and indomitable energy.

Some mythical heroes became real people for the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, and historical figures after their death moved to the rank of deities and titans. It is this confusion that prevents scientists today from pinpointing exactly where reality is and where fantasy is. Chinese myths have survived to this day in an extremely fragmented, fragmentary state, but nevertheless they are no less interesting than

The image of the dragon in Chinese mythology

The world-famous Chinese dragon is the personification of both unbridled natural elements, and absolute worldly power, and the supreme deity. The dragon in China is not at all a terrible creature, it is a symbol of goodness and peace, harmony and prosperity. Images of these creatures can be found in almost every building.

In China, the Day of the Dragon is celebrated on the 5th of May according to the European calendar.

In ancient times, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire believed that the dragon lives not only on earth, but freely soars into the heavens, and descends into the depths of the sea. But in any case, this mythological creature is a messenger of goodness and peace, as well as a link between the world of people and the world of the Gods.

Since ancient times, the emperors have been called the Sons of Heaven, which means that they were considered direct descendants of the Dragon family.

The legend of the birth of dragons

Among other things , dragons are guardians of the traditions of antiquity: they symbolize parental love and respect for ancestors.

Interestingly, their ancestor was an earthly woman named Longmu. She raised five sons who have become models of a committed relationship between mother and children.

One day this woman was walking along the river bank and found a large white stone. Arriving home, she saw that it was a huge egg. It warmed up in her house and five little lizards hatched out of it. The woman felt sorry for the kids who were left without a mother. She fed them and looked after them, but over time, these little lizards turned into huge dragons.

But they did not leave the woman who gave them their warmth, but took care of her and were grateful for her love.

Types of dragons

Even in the 21st century in China, they believe in mythological creatures, and pass on from generation to generation legends and myths about the ancestors - dragons. Not all of them are the same and perform, according to the explanations of experts, different functions.

• The Heavenly Dragon - Tianlong, he guards the peace of the deities, therefore he is often depicted with wings. He has five toes and is often depicted in white, which is a symbol of holiness, or lapis lazuli, which is considered a symbol of compassion and mercy.
• The Lords of the Elements - Shanlun, they command thunder and lightning, control the winds and can influence the weather. These creatures are often depicted with a human face and a huge drum-like belly. This dragon does not fly, but floats across the firmament. And thanks to the ultramarine shade, it merges with the heavens. It is extremely difficult to see him, but if you are lucky in this, you can get special favor from the gods. If you offend Shanlun, it can turn into drought or flood.
• Dilun dragons live in the deepest rivers in magnificent palaces, they control the water courses and are responsible for the harvest.
• Deep in the bowels of the earth lives Fucanglong, the master and guardian of all underground riches.
• Yellow dragons listen to the complaints and requests of people and, if necessary, bring them to the ears of the Gods.
• Scarlet dragons patronize marriage and childbirth, they are often depicted in wedding clothes for men and women, and their images are placed in bedrooms.
• Grass-green dragons are responsible for agriculture and cattle breeding, they patronize the peasants, watch over the safety of their fields and herds.

Frog in Chinese mythology

China is probably the only country in which frogs were so honored, and this worship continues to this day. Large and small statues of these amphibians could be found in every home and even in the imperial palace.

The frog, according to the ancient Chinese, are representatives of the highly revered water element, they could cause rain at will, therefore, the image of a green frog can often be found on ritual drums.

Frogs can predict flooding, and their eggs fall from the heavens along with the dew, which is why the other name for the frog is Heavenly Chicken. It was believed that the oldest female deity Nui-wa was represented in the form of a huge frog.

In addition to all of the above, it is the frog that is associated with fire and the preservation of the home. She loves her numerous offspring, therefore she protects large families and honors the memory of her ancestors. Hieroglyphs with her image can be found in the concepts of "water element" and "fertility", and "memory of centuries"

Although the moon and the frog are closely connected in mythology, only women worshiped the luminary, and men brought gifts and sacrifices to a huge frog, women had no right to this, although the frog patronizes family ties and keeps the hearth intact.

The Myth of Chaos and the Creation of the Universe

The oldest myths of any civilization are the tales of the birth of the Universe. At the beginning of the beginnings, the world was in complete Chaos: everything was mixed up in it. There was no earth, no water, no firmament, complete darkness and emptiness. Then the waters appeared, ancient myths speak of "water Chaos", from which two great deities arose.

This was the beginning of the world, because at that moment the earth and water were separated. One of the deities was the great Pangu, it was he who gave birth to the natural elements and all living things inhabiting the earth. As he matured and grew, with his sighs, wind and rain began to be born, and with exhalation, thunderstorms and lightning, sunshine emanated from his eyes, and when the great Pangu fell asleep, darkness enveloped the earth.

Mythological world

The world, in the minds of the ancient Chinese, is mountains and rivers, rivers and mountains. Steppes, forests, plains did not play any role in their minds. They talked about the earth in the meaning of "heaps of earth", connecting the earth with water.

The mountains were inhabited by mythological creatures - mountain spirits. They were usually depicted as one-legged, one-eyed, crooked, one-armed, i.e. devoid of any symmetry. Some had two heads, while others combined the features of both humans and animals.

In the depths of Mount Taishan lived the most formidable spirit - the deity of the underworld, the master of the dead and the keeper of underground riches. There is a whole world in the lower mountain kingdom, which can be entered through deep caves, but it is extremely difficult to find a way out from there.

Rivers and reservoirs were also inhabited by spirits, but unlike mountain ones, they were divided according to gender ... One could meet both male and female patrons of reservoirs, most often they are drowned people, about whom legends and traditions began to tell.

For example, Fu-si LO, the daughter of the legendary Fu-Si, the progenitor of people, who appears in Chinese mythology in the form of a demiurge, became the patroness of the LO river.

Legends of the demiurges

A special place among mythological characters is occupied by real historical figures who, over time, received the status of semi-deities and heroes - demiurges, who endowed people with the skills necessary for survival.

So, for example, the progenitor Fu-Xi invented fishing tackle and taught people to fish and thus feed, Sui-Ren taught how to make fire and use it, Shei-nun was the first farmer, the inventor of the usual spade, it was from him that the veneration of the earth as fertile came and a prolific entity. In addition, he taught people to find places for digging wells, use the power of medicinal herbs, and exchange surplus products. The great Huang Di invented the wheel, the first means of transportation came from him: carts, chariots, carriages. He is portrayed as a huge and very strong man; there are many myths in which he is depicted as a skillful shooter, a wonderful artisan and a brave warrior.

Rong Chen laid the foundation for chronology, created the first calendar, and was also the creator of Fr. The Chinese believed that he was able to restore youth to any person, restore hair color, eliminate wrinkles, make hands and feet fast and agile. According to legend, he returns to earth every 1010 years.

Young Yu is the pacifier of the global flood, with which he fought for 13 years. This mythical creature, half-man, half-dragon was created to save humanity.

In addition, all these representatives of spiritual culture also possessed important skills: they made pottery, musical instruments, which in ancient times was considered a very important and almost divine craft, made fabrics and sewed clothes.

Mythical sacred animals

When the world was still very young, people endowed animals with totemic traits, and also believed that some animals protect the human race, and some, on the contrary, harm people. Mythological consciousness is closely related to religious consciousness, only at the dawn of the birth of religions, so animals were endowed with anthropomorphic features. So, in Chinese mythology, the sacred animals that protect the four cardinal points were:

• The green dragon guarding the eastern borders of the earth. He was depicted in bright green colors because he was the personification of spring. In addition, he was depicted on military banners, because they firmly believed that he brings happiness, luck and faith in victory. In dwellings, he was portrayed on the doors, as he protected the spirit of the house.
• The Great Bai-Hu is a white tiger - a representative of the kingdom of the dead, protecting the spirits of the dead and not letting the shadows of the living into the world. He was often depicted on funeral covers and chariots.
• The Phoenix bird, dying and reborn to life, guarded the empire from the south. This amazing creature with a swan neck, human head, eagle eyes, and the body of an amphibian predicted a harmonious existence for the country.
• A huge turtle, holding a snake on its powerful back, guarded the gate from the north, was the patroness of the waters and winds.

Demons and monsters

Of course, demonic entities were also widely represented in Chinese mythology:

• The progenitor of the entire demonic class was the formidable Zhong Ku or club, and he was depicted as a bright red club. He was considered the patron saint of entry and exit, and images with him were pasted on both sides of the entrance doors. It was believed that he was the one who judges the souls of the dead.
• The terrifying Yanwan or the prince is the lord of the underworld of the dead, after the trial of the soul, he made a decision on punishment and sent it to one of ten judges and executioners, eight of them carried out the punishment, and two gave souls new bodies for rebirth to the earthly life. The ancient Chinese believed that terrible torture awaits sinners in the other world, they are forced to swallow molten iron and gold, grind between millstones, boil in boiling oil, etc.
• Numerous werewolves Gui are the souls of those who died an unrighteous death, killed before the deadline or suicide, people whose souls the earth does not accept. They wandered around abandoned buildings, near graveyards, at old intersections and frightened passers-by, but sometimes they could cause more serious trouble.
• Xiao-Yan - huge giants - cannibals, caught lost travelers, but since they were very stupid, an intelligent and dexterous person could easily deceive them.
• Kitsunelis are werewolves, they could be kind, but they could be very cruel and vindictive. They knew how to take on a human form and avert the eyes of any person. They often fell in love with earthly people and entered into marriage with them, helped to achieve wealth and greatness, but if they were angry with something, they did not calm down until they destroyed the whole family of the person who offends them.

Any mythology is of great interest for study, especially as ancient and extensive as the mythology of the Celestial Empire, which originated more than five thousand years ago.

Red ribbon

Around midnight, one doctor, having just finished his duty in the emergency room, was going home. Approaching the elevator door, he saw a young nurse near him. They got into the same elevator and began to descend together, but upon reaching the first floor, the elevator did not stop, but continued to move. When the elevator reached the B3 floor and the doors opened, the doctor and nurse saw a little girl, who hung her head and said that she wanted to enter the elevator. The doctor, hearing this, immediately closed the elevator doors. The nurse asked in surprise why he did not allow the girl to enter the elevator. The doctor replied: “There is a morgue on the B3 floor of our hospital. It is customary for each body to tie a red ribbon on its right hand. This girl had a red ribbon on her arm! " The nurse, after listening, slowly raised her right hand and grinned: "Do you mean this tape?"

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Meat porridge

Evening, 11:00.

I looked a little annoyed out the window. The financial statement was only three-quarters ready, but it was too late! I folded the papers in a bag, intending to finish the work at home.

I stroked my stomach growling with hunger, sighed heavily. At home, my wife has probably gone to bed. You will need to stop at some 24-hour diner on the way.

I grabbed the keys to the moped and quickly walked out into the darkness.

I quickly drove my iron horse through the night streets. For some reason, the sight of them made me sad.

To take a shortcut, I decided to drive through a small, semi-abandoned settlement.

Entrance to the village.

The enticing smell of food tickled my nostrils, and the empty stomach made a loud sound.

I stopped the moped and started looking around.

Although I have very good eyesight, I had to try hard to make out the small brazier that almost merged with the darkness of the night.

I started a moped and went to her. The closer I got, the stronger the smell became, and the hungrier I felt. I was so hungry that I could probably eat the whole bull.

I coughed twice and asked: "What are you trading?"

Impatiently, I sat down at a table and ordered one cup.

The hawker, apparently, had ready-made porridge, and she immediately gave me an order. Although she turned to face me, I still did not see her face, but it seemed to me that there was something ... otherworldly in her eyes.

But at that moment the thought of food occupied my entire head, I threw away empty arguments, took a couple of disposable chopsticks and hurriedly began to eat.

How fragrant! I tasted delicious in my mouth. Unable to resist, I asked: "Mistress, what kind of meat is this cooked from?"

Incredible! Even I know boiled pork will never taste like this!

I did not ask again, but simply devoted myself to enjoying the dish.

When I finished eating, I put five yuan under the cup, deciding to come back tomorrow as well. I already forgot which hook I had to make to come across this tray.

Suddenly the hawker stood right in front of me. She said slowly, "You seem to have recovered." I answered cheerfully: “Probably! You fed me so tasty! "

At that moment, I clearly noticed the greed flashing in her eyes. She looked at me somehow frightening. "What ... what are you doing?" She drew a large knife from behind her, my pale face reflected in its cold sparkling blade.

I still clearly heard the crunch of breaking bones and the squelch of meat cut off from them.

On a black night, so black that you couldn't see your fingertips, Xiaowang, shaking from the cold and looking around fearfully, walked along the road. He was stopped by the enticing smell of food and a dull voice said from the darkness: "Meat porridge, five yuan, meat porridge."

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A guy who always dreamed of seeing the world once on vacation fulfilled his desire by leaving to travel. Since he did not have much money with him, he stayed overnight in cheap inns.

One day turned out to be cloudy, so it got dark at 6 o'clock.

The guy quickly found, albeit a little gloomy-looking, but clean and rather cozy shelter. Its owner was a man of about 60 years old. In addition to the owner's room, there were 3 more guest rooms in the house. The owner said that there is already a guest in the last room, so the guy can choose one of the two remaining ones. The guy looked around both rooms and chose a medium, more tidy one.

After washing, the guy found that it was already nine. Tired of the whole day, he fell asleep only with his head on the pillow. But, having slept for a short time, he was awakened by some strange noise. The guy knocked on the wooden partition, shouting: "Neighbor, keep quiet!" - but it didn't seem to work. Then he found a hole in the partition, eaten by ants, it was quite large. Looking into it, he saw a girl standing with her back to him, who was dancing and humming something.

He watched for a while, then realized that she was going to turn around and hid, but thought: “She still won't see that I'm watching her,” and again clung to the hole. But there was something red in the hole. The guy thought, "She must have found me, so she covered the hole with some kind of red clothing." He glanced through the hole again, but the red clothes were in place, so he abandoned his intention and went back to sleep.

In the morning, waking up as soon as daybreak, the guy washed and ran to the owner. Asking him: “Has the girl who lived in the room next to me left already?” He received the answer: “She? This is my daughter. But she committed suicide as early as three years ago. True, she is good, she has never done any harm to people. " The guy, upon hearing this, was scared to death, but then reasoned that if the girl did not harm anyone, then it makes no difference. Then he asked the owner, "Why did she commit suicide?" The owner replied: "She could not stand it ... She was the most beautiful girl in the village, but she had one drawback that humiliated her very much, so she could not stand it ...".

"What is the disadvantage?" the guy asked. “She had red eyes,” the owner replied.

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Red shirt:

Once leaving the house, a stranger approached the man and said that trouble would happen to him, he would crash into a car. Then the man asked the stranger how to avoid this. The stranger said, take your white clothes, throw them under the wheels, and tear them, and when getting into the car, put on only red. The man did not listen to the stranger, and soon he died in an accident.

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School where students are missing:

There is a very old school in our city. Before becoming a school, during the Sino-Japanese War, there was a military post here, with many secret passages. After the war, this place was rebuilt into a school. Sometimes the students entered the school and did not return, many think that they have found the very secret passages and cannot go back.

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Teacher:

It happened about nine years ago: there was a music teacher in our school. But once on the fifth floor of our school, she hanged herself (I don't know the exact reason) after this incident, every month on the fifth floor, a woman can be heard crying and playing the piano.

*´¨`* .¸¸. *´¨`* .¸¸. *´¨`* .¸¸. *

Midnight bus:

Beijing Midnight Bus: At exactly midnight, a young man boarded the bus. But halfway through, the only passenger, accusing him of theft, dragged him out of the bus by force. He later realized that this man had saved his life. (In 1995, all the newspapers wrote about one incident, the bus disappeared, without a trace, and they still cannot find it)

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"Forgive me, my treasure":

This story took place in ZheJiang province: Near an office, a boy died in an accident. After this incident, and at the same time, but all channels and radio waves in the office, the same Music "forgive me, my treasure" is played.

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Ao - in ancient Chinese mythology, a giant turtle swimming in the sea. It is often stated that on her back there are three sacred mountains - Yingzhou, Penglai and Fangzhang, where immortals live.

Ao plays an important role in the widespread legend of the repair of the sky, existing in a number of versions - for example, recorded in the collection "Huainan Tzu" 139 BC. or in the collection "Lunheng" approx. AD 80, and also in the later book of Le Tzu. These legends tell that when the four pillars that hold the sky were broken (according to one version, during the battle of the gods) in order to save the earth from heavenly fire and flood, the goddess Nuiva collected stones of five different colors, melted them and patched holes in the firmament through which water and fire poured onto the earth. Then she chopped off the legs of the giant turtle "ao", and placing them in the corners of the earth, propped up the firmament with them. Thus, as Lionel Giles notes, "The Chinese Atlas was a giant sea turtle."

According to Le Tzu, it was not only Nuiwa who caught Ao's turtle. The supreme deity ordered the sea god Yuqiang to send fifteen turtles ao to support in shifts with their heads and hold in place five mountains floating in the ocean on which the immortals lived. But the giant from Longbo country caught six of them and took them home to tell fortunes. As a result, two mountains - Daiyu (岱 輿) and Yuanjiao (員 嶠) - swam north and drowned. The other three island mountains remained afloat, supported by the remaining turtles. And as punishment for the damage inflicted by the giant, God considerably reduced the size of both the country of Longbo and its inhabitants.

Baize or Hakutaku is a fantastic creature in the Chinese and Japanese mythological pantheon.

According to Chinese legends, the Heavenly Lord (Yellow Emperor) Huang-di met the magical beast Baize while traveling on the seashore. Outwardly, Baize looked like a horned lion, spoke human language and was exceptionally smart. He told Huang-di about all 11,520 types of evil spirits that live in the mountains, forests, rivers and lakes of the Celestial Empire. No one, including the Heavenly Sovereign, possessed such a completeness of knowledge about demons, monsters, spirits, demons and other representatives of supernatural beings as the wonderful beast Baize.

At the direction of Huang-di, images of all 11,520 monsters, ghosts and spirits were made in the Heavenly Chancellery.

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Bisi is a cross between a Chinese dragon and a Chinese turtle, one of the "Nine Sons of the Dragon" in Chinese mythology.

Bishi's habits are traditionally described as “Bishi likes to carry weights” (赑 屃 喜 负重, bixi xi fu zhong), and therefore in Chinese architecture they usually appear as a gigantic eared, toothy and / or shaggy turtle carrying a stele on its back with an important text. In different versions, such turtles are found both in China and in neighboring states: Vietnam, Korea, Mongolia and even in Russia (two turtles from Ussuriisk in the Primorsky Territory).

In ancient Chinese traditions, the turtle was often a symbol of fabulous longevity; its form was associated with the structure of the universe; the closeness to the divine attributed to turtles led to their use for fortune telling. All these factors could serve as the basis for choosing the turtle as a symbolic creature, in whose image and likeness should be built structures designed for eternity. Some Western authors have also expressed the opinion that the motif of the pedestal turtle is associated with the traditional Indian image of a turtle holding an elephant on its back, on which the whole world rests.

Other Chinese names for these stone turtles are guifu (龟 趺) and basia (霸 下). Most often, however, a monument of this type is described simply as “a stele carried by a turtle” (龟 驮 碑, “guifu bei”).

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Ludong is a mythical animal in Chinese mythology that can reveal the truth and has knowledge of all the languages ​​of the world. Outwardly it resembles the legendary beast qilin; it has one horn on its forehead. It moves at a very high speed, a Ludun is able to walk 18 thousand li (more than 9 thousand kilometers) per day.

In the Summer Palace of Chinese Emperors, there are two censer with enamel depictions of luduns. Thus, the rulers of the Qing Empire, in particular the Qianlong, wanted to emphasize the emperor's power to distinguish between truth and falsehood in their subjects.

Ludong was the official Chinese symbol of openness and impartial observance of the law, and was popularly considered a symbol of good luck and good weather.

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Yaoguai or Yaojing is a Chinese term that usually means a demon, ghost, monster. Yaoguai are mainly werewolves, evil spirits of dead animals who were brutally treated in life and who returned for revenge, or fallen heavenly beings who acquired magical powers through the practice of Taoism. Their main goal is to achieve immortality and thus divinity. In Journey to the West, demons usually seek this out by kidnapping and devouring holy people (in this case Xuanzang).

Some yoguai are of very unusual origin. In the case of Bai gu-jing, it is the skeleton of a woman who has become a demon. Many yoguai are werewolf foxes, or according to Journey to the West, pet deities. There are also yoguai kings (mo-wans) who command a number of lesser demonic minions.

In Chinese folklore, hell (Diyu) is a place that is filled with a variety of evil spirits. The images of most of these monsters were influenced by Indian demonology - Rakshasas, Yakshas and, therefore, have some similarities with Japanese ones.

The term "yoguai" was borrowed by the Japanese, in Japanese it sounds like youkai; the native Japanese equivalent, which is sometimes written with the same characters, is mononoke.

Famous yoguai in Chinese mythology:

Bai Gu-Ching - a female skeleton, literally, "the spirit of the white bone"

Niu Mo-wan is the bull-headed prince of demons.

Pipa Jing and Jiutou Zhiji Jing are characters from the novel "Fengshen Yangyi" ("Rise to the Rank of Spirits").

Sun Wukong often uses this term to insult his demonic opponents.

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Chinese phoenix

The Chinese phoenix, in Chinese mythology, a miracle bird, in contrast to the Chinese dragon, embodying the feminine principle (yin), is a symbol of the south. Her appearance to people is a great sign, which can testify to the power of the emperor or portend a significant event.

The Shouwen dictionary about fenghuang, compiled during the Han dynasty, says that this bird has “a rooster's beak, a swallow’s goiter, a snake’s neck, patterns on the body like a dragon’s, a fish’s tail, in front like a swan, back like a unicorn Qi Lin, the back of a turtle ". Its growth reaches three meters.

According to Chinese beliefs, fenghuang was seen before the death of the Yellow Emperor. She was last seen at the grave of the founder's father of the Ming Dynasty in 1368.

･✻･ﾟ･✻･ﾟﾟ･✻･ﾟ･✻･ﾟﾟ･✻･ﾟ･✻･ﾟﾟ

Kui is a polysemantic character in ancient Chinese mythology

In Shan Hai Jing "(" The Book of Mountains and Seas ") it is described as a one-legged bull of ash-blue color, without horns and having the ability to walk freely on the sea surface, which is why the sky is instantly covered with rain clouds and a storm is played out. In the comments to the "Narrative of the Kingdoms" (c. IV century BC) it is mentioned that Kui can talk, has a human face, a monkey body and a single hind leg. In some ancient sources, Kui is represented as a one-legged dragon, a drum-like creature, or a spirit of trees and stones that lives in the mountains. Subsequently, in classical texts, the image of the Kui-monster merged with the name of Kui, the legendary musician who invented music and dancing under the mythical emperor Shune, and the word Kui-nu was called a wild yak or buffalo.

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Besides Kui (夔), there are other one-legged creatures in Chinese mythology. In particular, Karr compares kuya with chi (螭 - "hornless dragon, mountain demon)" and hui (虺 - "snake; python)".

Two other characters named Kui in Chinese folklore are Kui Xing 魁星 "the dwarf god of examinations" and Zhong Kui (鍾 馗 - "conqueror of ghosts and demons").

The one-legged kui has even more parallels in comparative mythology, among the characters whose name included the phrase "one leg":

Empusa is a monstrous ghost in Greek mythology.

Ippon-datara (本 踏 鞴) is a one-legged mountain spirit in Japanese mythology.

Patasola is a humanoid vampire in Colombian folklore.

Sasi is the one-legged spirit of a Negro boy from Brazilian folklore.

Scyapods (Schiapods) are one-legged people with a huge foot in Greek mythology.

The Fomorians are one-eyed, one-armed and one-legged characters in Irish mythology.

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