Mr. Yuan Ke once said in the preface to the collation of Shan Hai Jing: "Shan Hai Jing is a land of myths." Scholars who have been studying China's mythology have recognized that Shan Hai Jing is the "deep house" (treasure house) of China's mythology.
In A Brief History of Chinese Novels, Mr. Lu Xun also said that The Classic of Mountains and Seas "covered the ancient sorcerer's book" and in China Literature Outline "covered it to remember the gods". It is enough to prove that Shan Hai Jing is an ancient book with great mythological research value.
The whole Shan Hai Jing can be divided into the following parts:
1. Five Tibetan Mountain Classics, with five articles, accounting for more than two-thirds of the book; The content is about the geography of mountains and rivers, the rituals and things used to worship the gods, and occasionally describes the appearance and strength of the gods in mountains and rivers.
2. Overseas classics, four articles; There are many different people and foreign objects in overseas countries, and some ancient myths are described in sections, such as Kuafu's pursuit of the sun and the decapitation of Xingtian.
Three. There are four classics of the sea; The content is to remember the magical things in the sea, such as the scene of Kunlong, the shape of building wood, Bashu, Raytheon and so on.
Four. There are five books of divination; It is divided into four chapters of Da Yi Jing and one chapter of Hai Nei Jing. There are some myths about the Emperor and the Yellow Emperor (the gods worshipped by these two ancient nations). This classic is the most primitive and well-preserved mythological material. Most of the important mythological materials are almost extracted here, and this part of the writing period may be earlier than other parts of the classics.
Thirteen articles, from the Sixth Overseas South Classic to the 18th Overseas Classic, referred to as the Sea Classic for short. Together with the previous five Tibetan mountain classics, that is, the mountain classics, it is always called the mountain and sea classics.
The essence of myth
1. Religion
All the religious activities of wizards shown in Shan Hai Jing are really ubiquitous and difficult to win. For example, in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, there are a series of different rituals of mountain gods behind each section, not only like Mr. Lu Xun said, "ritual gods combine polished rice with witchcraft", but also what are there in the rituals, such as "beating drums and dancing with chickens", "dancing with witches" and "dancing with two people", such as mountain gods and mountain gods. Those people have deer bodies.
2. History
There are some genealogies in The Classic of Mountains and Seas, such as those of Emperor Jun, Emperor Yan and Huangdi, and there are also some genealogies of emperors in other history books. If we compare the two, we will find an interesting fact: myth and history are actually synchronized. This can prove that primitive people took the myth of word of mouth as their own history. In some ethnic groups, wizards worship gods in temples to sing creation epics and heroic epics, telling how heaven and earth were opened up, how human beings were born, and telling the achievements and heroic deeds of ancestors, which were regarded as history by early people, but they are all myths. This can prove that in ancient times, myth and history came down in one continuous line.
3. Geography
The relationship between myth and geography is closer in Shan Hai Jing. The whole Shan Hai Jing can be said to be a mythical geography book. Take, for example, Yu's record of managing water and seeking talents. Yu gave a mythical description of what he passed through, east, west, north and south. Most of the place names and country names written in this paper can't be confirmed, and they can only be regarded as mythical geography.
4. Ethnic groups
The Classic of Mountains and Seas shows us a wealth of ethnology knowledge, which is of course full of myths, such as immortal, Three Kingdoms, Longarm Kingdom, Husband Kingdom, One-eyed Country, Boasting Country, Dog Seal Country, Black Country and so on. Just look at the name on it and you will know that it belongs to mythological ethnology.
5. Animals and plants
The rare birds, animals, exotic plants and trees recorded in Shan Hai Jing are the mythical animals and plants. These exotic animals and plants have their own medical effects, which can cure all kinds of common and uncommon diseases, which has become a mythical medical and health care. For example, there is an animal that can make people not fart when eaten; There is a kind of Kyubi no Youko fox that people can eat to ward off evil spirits. Some animals are like sheep. Kyubi no Youko has four ears. Others are shaped like turtles, but they have bird heads. All kinds of grotesque animals are very interesting.
6. Astronomy and Meteorology
Such as He He's birthday and bathing day, Chang's birthday and bathing month, Tang Gu's tenth day, Shi Yi's The Length of the Sun and Moon, and so on. Another example is Wild East longitude, which records that there are six mountains from the sun and the moon: Dayan Moutain, He Xiushan, Mingxing Mountain, Yuling Mountain, Yitian Yimen Mountain and Heming Junji Mountain; There are also six mountains in the Wild West Classic: Jiu Feng Meet Mountain, Longshan Mountain, Mingshan Mountain, Gaoju Mountain, Changyang Mountain and Wild Mountain. In addition, it is also recorded in the scripture that whenever a god enters or exits a mountain or an abyss, it will be accompanied by wind and rain. And when this god appears, it will bring floods and so on.
7. Philosophy
Such as "Day by Day", "Reclamation" by Jingwei, "beheading" by Xingtian, "Born in the Belly" by Yu and so on. They all inspire people's self-improvement spirit and fighting spirit, but they are not boring preaching, but vivid artistic images reflected by myths. The most famous myth is that the foolish man moved mountains, which is actually an ancient myth and a myth with strong implications. The spirit it embodies is consistent with the spirit of Jingwei's reclamation. Quasi-Nanzi, which is close to Taoism, also records quite a few myths and legends. The four myths recorded in it: the female catastrophe, the Ten-Day Artillery, the * * * touching the mountain and the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, all have their own profound meanings.