Chinese culture and mythology » Phoenix

Phoenix

Approximately the same as dragons are allocated among the beasts, birds allocated phoenixes (the word used to replace the Europeans Chinese name «fenhuan»). According to one description, «Front Phoenix recalls swan, from the back he is like a unicorn-tsilinya. His neck is a snake, the tail of the fish, painting a dragon, a turtle body, throat swallows, petushiny beak ». In the bronze vessels with relief fenhuan depicted with luxuriant tail, huge eyes and a comb in a trident. Fenhuan belonged to the type of the king’s animals: it was considered a symbol of the emperor (more – Empress). As for the origin of this fantastic image, the most accurate to the version that originally were peacocks, which vodilis in China, along with elephants and nosorogami in ancient times, to climate change.
Among the four sacred animals, particularly pochitavshihsya ancient Chinese, along with a dragon and phoenix, unicorn, were tsilin and tortoise.
Unicorn-tsilin is believed the Chinese people was only once in several centuries. It symbolized peace and prosperity, and usually herald the beginning of the birth of the great sage (there is a legend that he had appeared shortly before the birth of Confucius), so worship tsilinya was the expectation of the birth of the wise and virtuous people. Tradition predpisyvala portray it necessarily with a baby «hands on».
«Great Turtle» – the only real animal next to the other three sacred beings. It was the most revered ever since the era of Yin, when pantsiri regarded as a reliable tool for divination, ie, to communicate with superhuman world. Later turtle has become a symbol of longevity, strength and endurance. Stone sculptures favorite turtle served basis for Støle (perhaps not without the influence of Indian legends about turtles, which were elephants that had kept the world on their shoulders). The same stone sculptures were then constructed and on the banks of rivers – have a turtle as a spirit-protector of river dikes. In addition, it was believed that the female turtle has supernatural abilities, and can produce light without the participation of young males.

Category People and substance of the myths

Сентябрь 2010
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