China, a land of mystery and enchantment, is filled with many images: gods and goddesses, mythical creatures, historical characters, dragons, unicorns. Throughout its history, China has seen many conflicts, religions, and philosophies that have been interwoven into Chinese myths. In many of the well-known Chinese tales, we often find no clear distinction between reality and myth, earth and heaven, history and storytelling, past and present. China is a mosaic of divergent philosophies and traditions. Despite their many themes and variations, most Chinese myths possess one common and central element: the battle of ordinary people against great adversity.
Top 10 Astonishing Ancient Chinese Mythology Stories
Book Lists ~ Chinese Myths and Legends (Mythology of China)
Japanese mythology embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally-based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami Japanese for " god s " or " spirits ". This article will discuss only the typical elements present in Asian mythology , such as cosmogony , important deities, and the best-known Japanese stories. Japanese myths, as generally recognized in the mainstream today, are based on the Kojiki , the Nihon Shoki , and some complementary books. The Kojiki , or "Record of Ancient Matters", is the oldest surviving account of Japan's myths, legends and history. One notable feature of Japanese mythology is its explanation of the origin of the Imperial Family , which has been used historically to assign godhood to the imperial line. Note that Japanese is not transliterated consistently across all sources see spelling of proper nouns.
For more treats and resources, visit Aaron Shepard at www. May be freely copied and shared for any noncommercial purpose as long as no text is altered or omitted. Here are some of my favorite publications on Chinese myths and legends. Most links are for more info at Amazon.
Salvation churches and sects :. Confucian churches and sects:. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Chinese mythology is far from monolithic, not being an integrated system, even among just Han people.