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| China
has a very old and rich tradition of legends and mythology.
The main characters of these stories are gods, goddesses,
ghosts and demons. The main themes reflect various aspects
of human nature, human |
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| relations
and social life. Listed here are gods who play a role in some
of the most well-known Chinese mythical stories. |
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CHANG-O
was originally a woman. She became the goddess of the moon
and became immortal when she drank the water of immortality that
had been given to her husband. |
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CHUN-TI
was a goddess of war. She had many magical skills. |
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FENG
PHO-PHO was the goddess of the winds. She was pictured as
an old wrinkled woman who rode a tiger on a path of clouds. On calm
days she stuffed the winds in her bag and carried them over her
shoulder. |
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FU-XI
is the god husband of Nuwa. Like Nuwa, he is also portrayed
as half-man half-dragon. Fu-xi is the god who taught mankind many
arts, such as the use of fishing nets, the breeding of silk worms,
and the taming of wild animals. He also invented music, and, most
importantly, the eight trigrams (Pakua), said to be the basis of
Chinese writing. |
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FU-XING
was the spirit of happiness. |
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GONG-GONG
is a Chinese demon who was responsible for the great floods,
together with the snake-like demon Xiang-Yao. |
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GUANYIN
was the goddess of mercy. |
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HOU-CHI
was the lord of abundant harvests. He came into existence
when his mother stepped on the footprint of a god. |
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NUWA
(or NÜ-GUA) is the goddess who created the first humans from
mud after Heaven and Earth had separated. Nuwa was one of the most
popular goddesses and was worshipped both as the intermediary between
men and women, and as the goddess who grants children. She was a
goddess whose lower part of the body is a dragon. |
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PAN-GU
is the Chinese giant who was born from the cosmic egg. The
upper part of the egg formed Heaven (Yang) and the lower part formed
the Earth (Yin). Eventually he died and his body formed the earth. |
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QI-YU
was the rain god. He was half bull and half giant. |
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SARUDAHIKO
was the god of the crossroads and the symbol of male sexuality.
He had a very large nose. |
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| "The
Big Myth" © Distant Train 2002 |
