Jiaolong (蛟龍)
Alternative Names (異名):
蛟龍, Jiaolong, Crocodile Dragon
Jiaolong, in Chinese mythology, is the horned dragon, which is one of the nine Chinese dragons. It does not seem to be powerful enough to be able to fly in the sky, and therefore is mainly known to live in sea and the big river. For this reason, the Jiaolong is also known as the flood dragon.
In Taiwan, a famous waterfall in the Alishan National Scenic Area is also called the Jiaolong or Flood Dragon Waterfall
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaolong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Friday, September 1, 1989
Jiang Shi (僵尸, Chinese)
Jiang Shi (僵尸)
Alternative Names (異名):
僵屍(traditional Chinese), 殭屍, 僵尸(simplified), jiāngshī(pinyin), Jiang Shi, Stiff corpse(literally), Chinese vampires(Western), Geungsi(Cantonese), Gangshi(Korean), Kyonshī(Japanese)
Jiang Shi (traditional Chinese: 僵屍 or 殭屍; simplified Chinese: 僵尸; pinyin: jiāngshī; literally "stiff corpse"), sometimes called Chinese vampires by Westerners, are reanimated corpses that hop around, killing living creatures to absorb life essence (气/氣qì) from their victims. jiāngshī is pronounced geungsi in Cantonese, gangshi in Korean, and "kyonshī" in Japanese. They are said to be created when a person's soul (魄 pò) fails to leave the deceased's body, due to improper death, suicide, or just wanting to cause trouble. Generally their appearance can range from plain ordinary (as in the case of a recently deceased person) to downright horrifying (i.e. rotting flesh, stiffness, rigor mortis, the like commonly associated with corpses that have been in a state of decay over a period of time) An unusual feature of folklore is their greenish-white furry skin; one theory is this is derived from fungus or mould growing on corpses. They are said to have long white hair all over their heads. The influence of Western vampire stories brought the blood-sucking aspect to the Chinese myth in modern times. In fact, Dracula is translated to Chinese as "blood-sucking jiāngshī" where the thirst of blood is explicitly emphasized because it is not a traditional trait of a jiāngshī.
It came from the mythical folklore practice of "Traveling a Corpse over a Thousand Li" (千里行屍), where traveling companion or family members who could not afford wagons or have very little money would hire Taoist priests to transport corpses of their friends/family members who died far away from home over long distances by teaching them to hop on their own feet back to their hometown for proper burial. This practice (湘西趕屍) was popular in Xiangxi where many people left their hometown to work elsewhere. After they died, their corpses were transported back to their rural hometown using long bamboo rods, believed they were home-sick or buried somewhere unfamiliar. When the bamboo flexed up and down, the corpses appeared to be hopping in unison from a distance. Some people speculate that the scary mythology about Jiang Shis was originally made up by smugglers who disguised their illegal activities as corpse transportation and wanted to scare off law enforcement officers.
Jiang Shis were a popular subject in Hong Kong movies during the 1980s; some movies even featured both Jiang Shis and "Western" zombies. In the movies, Jiang Shis can be put to sleep by putting on their foreheads a piece of yellow paper with a spell written on it (Chinese talisman or 符, pinyin: fú). Generally in the movies the Jiang Shi are dressed in imperial Qing Dynasty clothes, their arms permanently outstretched due to rigor mortis. Like those depicted in Western movies, they tend to appear with an outrageously long tongues and long razor sharp black fingernails. They can be evaded by holding one's breath, as they track living creatures by detecting their breathing. They're blind, and lack knowledge. Their visual depiction as horrific Qing Dynasty officials reflects a common stereotype among the Han Chinese of the foreign Manchu people, who founded the much-despised dynasty, as bloodthirsty creatures with little regard for humanity. It is also the conventional wisdom of feng shui in Chinese architecture that a threshold (traditional Chinese: 門檻; simplified Chinese: 门槛; pinyin: ménjiàn), a piece of wood approximately 15 cm (6 in) high, be installed along the width of the door at the bottom to prevent a Jiang Shi from entering the household. When grains or rice, seeds, anything small thrown in the path of a jiang shi, the jiang shi will stop and count the grains of rice. Sticky rice is believed to draw the evil spirit of the jiang shi out
Cultural references
The Jiang Shi has appeared in many films from Hong Kong that have seen Western release, including the Geungsi Sinsang (also known as Mr. Vampire) series featuring Lam Ching-Ying.
Mixed Martial Artist Genki Sudo employed a troupe of break-dancing Jiang Shi in one of his characteristically flashy stage entrances.
The Jiang Shi once appeared in an episode of Jackie Chan Adventures.
In Darkstalkers, a character by the name of Hsien-Ko is a Jiang Shi, her sister Mei-Ling is Chinese talisman on her hat.
The character of Chaozu in the anime/manga series Dragon Ball (Z) is reportedly based on a Jiang Shi, with his very pale skin, the fact he flies instead of walking most of the time and that by stretching out his arms he invokes his powers. His costume is also very common to the Quin Dynasty that Jiang Shis supposedly wear
See also
Undead
Vampire
Vetala
Medieval revenant
Zombie
Chinese mythology
Yokai
Yurei
Chupacabra
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Shi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Vampires | Corporeal undead
Alternative Names (異名):
僵屍(traditional Chinese), 殭屍, 僵尸(simplified), jiāngshī(pinyin), Jiang Shi, Stiff corpse(literally), Chinese vampires(Western), Geungsi(Cantonese), Gangshi(Korean), Kyonshī(Japanese)
Jiang Shi (traditional Chinese: 僵屍 or 殭屍; simplified Chinese: 僵尸; pinyin: jiāngshī; literally "stiff corpse"), sometimes called Chinese vampires by Westerners, are reanimated corpses that hop around, killing living creatures to absorb life essence (气/氣qì) from their victims. jiāngshī is pronounced geungsi in Cantonese, gangshi in Korean, and "kyonshī" in Japanese. They are said to be created when a person's soul (魄 pò) fails to leave the deceased's body, due to improper death, suicide, or just wanting to cause trouble. Generally their appearance can range from plain ordinary (as in the case of a recently deceased person) to downright horrifying (i.e. rotting flesh, stiffness, rigor mortis, the like commonly associated with corpses that have been in a state of decay over a period of time) An unusual feature of folklore is their greenish-white furry skin; one theory is this is derived from fungus or mould growing on corpses. They are said to have long white hair all over their heads. The influence of Western vampire stories brought the blood-sucking aspect to the Chinese myth in modern times. In fact, Dracula is translated to Chinese as "blood-sucking jiāngshī" where the thirst of blood is explicitly emphasized because it is not a traditional trait of a jiāngshī.
It came from the mythical folklore practice of "Traveling a Corpse over a Thousand Li" (千里行屍), where traveling companion or family members who could not afford wagons or have very little money would hire Taoist priests to transport corpses of their friends/family members who died far away from home over long distances by teaching them to hop on their own feet back to their hometown for proper burial. This practice (湘西趕屍) was popular in Xiangxi where many people left their hometown to work elsewhere. After they died, their corpses were transported back to their rural hometown using long bamboo rods, believed they were home-sick or buried somewhere unfamiliar. When the bamboo flexed up and down, the corpses appeared to be hopping in unison from a distance. Some people speculate that the scary mythology about Jiang Shis was originally made up by smugglers who disguised their illegal activities as corpse transportation and wanted to scare off law enforcement officers.
Jiang Shis were a popular subject in Hong Kong movies during the 1980s; some movies even featured both Jiang Shis and "Western" zombies. In the movies, Jiang Shis can be put to sleep by putting on their foreheads a piece of yellow paper with a spell written on it (Chinese talisman or 符, pinyin: fú). Generally in the movies the Jiang Shi are dressed in imperial Qing Dynasty clothes, their arms permanently outstretched due to rigor mortis. Like those depicted in Western movies, they tend to appear with an outrageously long tongues and long razor sharp black fingernails. They can be evaded by holding one's breath, as they track living creatures by detecting their breathing. They're blind, and lack knowledge. Their visual depiction as horrific Qing Dynasty officials reflects a common stereotype among the Han Chinese of the foreign Manchu people, who founded the much-despised dynasty, as bloodthirsty creatures with little regard for humanity. It is also the conventional wisdom of feng shui in Chinese architecture that a threshold (traditional Chinese: 門檻; simplified Chinese: 门槛; pinyin: ménjiàn), a piece of wood approximately 15 cm (6 in) high, be installed along the width of the door at the bottom to prevent a Jiang Shi from entering the household. When grains or rice, seeds, anything small thrown in the path of a jiang shi, the jiang shi will stop and count the grains of rice. Sticky rice is believed to draw the evil spirit of the jiang shi out
Cultural references
The Jiang Shi has appeared in many films from Hong Kong that have seen Western release, including the Geungsi Sinsang (also known as Mr. Vampire) series featuring Lam Ching-Ying.
Mixed Martial Artist Genki Sudo employed a troupe of break-dancing Jiang Shi in one of his characteristically flashy stage entrances.
The Jiang Shi once appeared in an episode of Jackie Chan Adventures.
In Darkstalkers, a character by the name of Hsien-Ko is a Jiang Shi, her sister Mei-Ling is Chinese talisman on her hat.
The character of Chaozu in the anime/manga series Dragon Ball (Z) is reportedly based on a Jiang Shi, with his very pale skin, the fact he flies instead of walking most of the time and that by stretching out his arms he invokes his powers. His costume is also very common to the Quin Dynasty that Jiang Shis supposedly wear
See also
Undead
Vampire
Vetala
Medieval revenant
Zombie
Chinese mythology
Yokai
Yurei
Chupacabra
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Shi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinese_mythology
Chinese mythology | Vampires | Corporeal undead
Monday, January 16, 1989
Japanese dragon (龍)
Japanese dragon (龍)
Alternative Names (異名):
龍(Kyūjitai), 竜(Shinjitai), りゅう(Hiragana), ryū, たつ, tatsu
▶ Japanese dragon
龍(Hanja), 룡(Hangul), 용, ryong, yong, 미르(Traditional Korean)
▶ Korean dragon
龍(Traditional Chinese), 龙(Simplified Chinese), Lóng(Hanyu Pinyin)
▶ Chinese dragon
龍(Hán tự), rồng(Quốc ngữ), long
▶ Vietnamese dragon
A Japanese dragon, also known as ryū or tatsu (龍, 竜, ryū, tatsu) is a legendary creature from Japan.
Like other creatures referred to as dragons, the Ryū is a large, fantastic, serpent-like being, and is closely related to the Chinese lóng and the Korean ryong. Along with these Eastern dragons, it is usually depicted as a wingless, heavily-scaled snake-like creature with small clawed legs and a horned or antlered reptilian head, and is associated with large bodies of water, clouds or the heavens. Japanese dragons tend to be much more slender and fly less frequently than the dragons of Vietnam, Korea, or China, which may cause the Japanese dragon to appear particularly serpentine.
Japanese dragons share a close connection with water. Their association is focused primarily on the sea. This is a reflection of Japan's geography, as Japan is surrounded by the ocean on all four sides and is consequently less prone to drought than China.
Origin of ryū
The ryū in art can generally be distinguished from other East-Asian dragons in that it has only three toes, rather than the lóng's five or the ryong's four.
Ryū originated from China and is one of the four divine beasts of Japanese mythology (the other three being the crimson bird, black turtle and white tiger, popular adaptations of Chinese constellation symbols, see Four Symbols). It is frequently the emblem of the Emperor or the hero. The Japanese Emperor Hirohito traced his ancestry back 125 generations to Princess Fruitful Jewel, daughter of a Dragon King of the Sea
History of dragons in Japan
Dragon shrines and altars can still be seen in many parts of the Far East. They are usually along seashores and riverbanks, because most Eastern Dragons live in water. The Isle of the Temple, in Japan's Inland Sea, has become a famous stopover for pilgrims who meditate and pray to dragons. Descendants of the dragon became great rulers.
Dragon sculptures are also used to decorate the exterior of temples for Buddhists and Taoists of China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. They represent the obstacles humans face throughout life that must first be overcome, before enlightenment can be attained.
The Kinryū-no-Mai (Golden Dragon Dance), is held at the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa each spring. The dragon is taken through the grounds of the Sensoji in a parade and then into the temple. People throw money into a grate and touch the dragon for luck. After this the dragon is taken outside and there is a performance where the dragon twists and turns in front of the crowd.
This festival commemorates the discovery in 628 of the temple's gold Kannon, which is an image of the Goddess of Mercy, by two brothers who were fishing in the Sumida River. Legend says the discovery caused golden dragons to fly up to heaven. The dance is performed in celebration of this and to bring good fortune and prosperity.
Dragons in Japanese mythology
In Japanese mythology, one of the first dragon-like creatures is the Yamata-no-Orochi, an enormous girl-devouring serpent with eight heads and eight tails which was slain by Susanoo after Susanoo tricked the creature into becoming drunk on sake.
Dragons in later Japanese folklore were often much more benign, perhaps because of influence from Chinese culture. They appear in famous tales such as My Lord Bag of Rice, in which a hero must kill a giant centipede which is devouring the children of the dragon king of Lake Biwa. In Urashima Tarō, the title character rescues a turtle which turns out to be the daughter of Ryūjin, the dragon king of the ocean.
See also
Japanese mythology
Chinese mythology
Fenghuang
Culture of China
Dragon
Dragon boat race
Dragon dance
Dragon Kung Fu
Imperial guardian lions
Lion dance
Persian dragon
European dragon
Japanese dragon
Korean dragon
Vietnamese dragon
List of dragons in mythology and folklore
Long Mu (Dragon's Mother)
An Instinct for Dragons, hypothesis about the origin of dragon myths.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_dragon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Dragons
Japanese mythology | Japanese legendary creatures | Dragons
Alternative Names (異名):
龍(Kyūjitai), 竜(Shinjitai), りゅう(Hiragana), ryū, たつ, tatsu
▶ Japanese dragon
龍(Hanja), 룡(Hangul), 용, ryong, yong, 미르(Traditional Korean)
▶ Korean dragon
龍(Traditional Chinese), 龙(Simplified Chinese), Lóng(Hanyu Pinyin)
▶ Chinese dragon
龍(Hán tự), rồng(Quốc ngữ), long
▶ Vietnamese dragon
A Japanese dragon, also known as ryū or tatsu (龍, 竜, ryū, tatsu) is a legendary creature from Japan.
Like other creatures referred to as dragons, the Ryū is a large, fantastic, serpent-like being, and is closely related to the Chinese lóng and the Korean ryong. Along with these Eastern dragons, it is usually depicted as a wingless, heavily-scaled snake-like creature with small clawed legs and a horned or antlered reptilian head, and is associated with large bodies of water, clouds or the heavens. Japanese dragons tend to be much more slender and fly less frequently than the dragons of Vietnam, Korea, or China, which may cause the Japanese dragon to appear particularly serpentine.
Japanese dragons share a close connection with water. Their association is focused primarily on the sea. This is a reflection of Japan's geography, as Japan is surrounded by the ocean on all four sides and is consequently less prone to drought than China.
Origin of ryū
The ryū in art can generally be distinguished from other East-Asian dragons in that it has only three toes, rather than the lóng's five or the ryong's four.
Ryū originated from China and is one of the four divine beasts of Japanese mythology (the other three being the crimson bird, black turtle and white tiger, popular adaptations of Chinese constellation symbols, see Four Symbols). It is frequently the emblem of the Emperor or the hero. The Japanese Emperor Hirohito traced his ancestry back 125 generations to Princess Fruitful Jewel, daughter of a Dragon King of the Sea
History of dragons in Japan
Dragon shrines and altars can still be seen in many parts of the Far East. They are usually along seashores and riverbanks, because most Eastern Dragons live in water. The Isle of the Temple, in Japan's Inland Sea, has become a famous stopover for pilgrims who meditate and pray to dragons. Descendants of the dragon became great rulers.
Dragon sculptures are also used to decorate the exterior of temples for Buddhists and Taoists of China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. They represent the obstacles humans face throughout life that must first be overcome, before enlightenment can be attained.
The Kinryū-no-Mai (Golden Dragon Dance), is held at the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa each spring. The dragon is taken through the grounds of the Sensoji in a parade and then into the temple. People throw money into a grate and touch the dragon for luck. After this the dragon is taken outside and there is a performance where the dragon twists and turns in front of the crowd.
This festival commemorates the discovery in 628 of the temple's gold Kannon, which is an image of the Goddess of Mercy, by two brothers who were fishing in the Sumida River. Legend says the discovery caused golden dragons to fly up to heaven. The dance is performed in celebration of this and to bring good fortune and prosperity.
Dragons in Japanese mythology
In Japanese mythology, one of the first dragon-like creatures is the Yamata-no-Orochi, an enormous girl-devouring serpent with eight heads and eight tails which was slain by Susanoo after Susanoo tricked the creature into becoming drunk on sake.
Dragons in later Japanese folklore were often much more benign, perhaps because of influence from Chinese culture. They appear in famous tales such as My Lord Bag of Rice, in which a hero must kill a giant centipede which is devouring the children of the dragon king of Lake Biwa. In Urashima Tarō, the title character rescues a turtle which turns out to be the daughter of Ryūjin, the dragon king of the ocean.
See also
Japanese mythology
Chinese mythology
Fenghuang
Culture of China
Dragon
Dragon boat race
Dragon dance
Dragon Kung Fu
Imperial guardian lions
Lion dance
Persian dragon
European dragon
Japanese dragon
Korean dragon
Vietnamese dragon
List of dragons in mythology and folklore
Long Mu (Dragon's Mother)
An Instinct for Dragons, hypothesis about the origin of dragon myths.
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_dragon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Dragons
Japanese mythology | Japanese legendary creatures | Dragons
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