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Chinese gods/Pantheons

Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: Regional History or Period History
Forum Name: East Asia
Forum Discription: The Far East: China, Korea, Japan and other nearby civilizations
URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=28394
Printed Date: 29-Mar-2024 at 10:12
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.56a - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Chinese gods/Pantheons
Posted By: Willard
Subject: Chinese gods/Pantheons
Date Posted: 13-May-2010 at 20:19
Are there gods in Chinese culture that have been abandoned like the Greek pantheons.

I am writing a fantasy novel featuring Chinese gods. however being Asian, I have to respect the gods that are worshipped and since I dun have the liberty with Gods that Marvel has with Thor.



Replies:
Posted By: DreamWeaver
Date Posted: 14-May-2010 at 09:37
I dont believe you can really compare Chinese 'religion' in the same way to say a Greek Pantheon.
 
China is a land of many religions (Taoism, Cuddhism, Confucianism, regional/ethnic religous practices etc) and philosophies and 1 single pantheon is not per say a dominant or continuous feature that could so easily fit or be described, unlike a Roman-Greco Pantheon.
 
 
I suppose Taoism  is probably what you want to look at.


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Posted By: Willard
Date Posted: 14-May-2010 at 18:36
What of the 3 Sovereigns and 5 Kings? Dun the chinese have a creation myth that dates back to the Stone Age?


Posted By: DreamWeaver
Date Posted: 15-May-2010 at 10:52
The 5 Emperors and 3 pre-Imperial Dynastues you mean? Though the 5 emperors (Huangdi, Zhuan Xu, Yao, Shun and Yu) combined both divine and human essence. Yu by passing rulership onto his son thus lead to the foundation of the Xia dynasty, followed by the Shang and Zhou.

To my knowledge, there is no actual creator god in chinese mythology. The universe and the world was not created so much as it came into existance. Pan Gu an original spirit in his death is credited with the creation of wind, mountains starts etc, but the world and heavens existed before him.


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Posted By: Willard
Date Posted: 15-May-2010 at 18:48
Hmm but Pan Gu was a later creation right? What of Nu Wa, Fuxi and Shen Nong?


Posted By: DreamWeaver
Date Posted: 16-May-2010 at 12:00
As far as I understand yes he was a later creation.

As for the Three Sovereigns (August Ones) a demo god like god kings that predate the Xia Dynasty. They are themselves supposed to be heroes and benevolent rulers in a 'mythical time' itself.

Huangdi the Yellow Emperor developed into a principal deity for Taoism.

Im afraid with that I run to then end of my understanding of the matter, cant really add too much more there Im afraid. But I dont think you can really compsre them to a Romano-Greco Pantheon.


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Posted By: Cryptic
Date Posted: 16-May-2010 at 15:34
Originally posted by Willard

Are there gods in Chinese culture that have been abandoned like the Greek pantheons.
 
Probably, but these pantheons may not be truly Chinese.  It maybe difficult to find abandoned pantheons with Han Chinese because they have about 4,000 years of cultural continuity. 
 
There are minority groups in Yunan, Szechuan and other provinces who had their own pantheons prior to being absorbed by the Han Chinese. Some of these groups have been absorbed in the last few centuries so information about their abandoned pantheons may exist.
 
If nobody here as any information, try asking at chinahistoryforum.com.  As the name implies, the site's speciality is Chinese History. But.....  Please stick around here as wellWink.  
 
Originally posted by DreamWeaver


Huangdi the Yellow Emperor developed into a principal deity for Taoism.
I think other Taoist deities developed from ancient sages said to have obtained imortality from perfect meditative practice. (Lao Tzu and about five or six others)  


Posted By: Willard
Date Posted: 16-May-2010 at 16:47
No problem, I have joined that. I even share the same homeland as the admin of that forum.

So Pan Gu is from what I heard wasn't alone right? There were 4 beasts with him. What were they?


Posted By: xu huang
Date Posted: 29-May-2010 at 22:32
Pan Gu was aided by the Turtle, Qilin (麒麟), Pheonix  (鳳凰) and the Dragon (龍). I don't think the Turtle is 玄武, though.

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Military intelligence, 2 words combined that don't make sense


Posted By: Willard
Date Posted: 29-May-2010 at 22:37
Hmm ok btw has anyone heard of the Epic Of Darkness which was regarded as China's most ancient myth or the Chinese version of Genesis.


Posted By: Cryptic
Date Posted: 30-May-2010 at 19:13
I have never heard of this myth. 
 
I have read some of Joseph Campbell's books, but he seemed to focus most of his myth comparison studies on near eastern and european cultures.


Posted By: xu huang
Date Posted: 30-May-2010 at 19:19
Wikipedia has an entry about Epic Of Darkness.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_darkness - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_darkness
 
I did not know this existed until Willard pointed it out.


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Military intelligence, 2 words combined that don't make sense


Posted By: Willard
Date Posted: 30-May-2010 at 20:01
Wow this is amazing. I was thinking for 5000 years the chinese culture should have a creation myth uninfluenced by outside influence.


Posted By: dick
Date Posted: 31-May-2010 at 17:02
Originally posted by Willard


I am writing a fantasy novel featuring Chinese gods. however being Asian, I have to respect the gods that are worshipped and since I dun have the liberty with Gods that Marvel has with Thor.
Its not like Chinese in China today actually do that at all. I mean try some real live series, these gods were distorted beyond proportion, much more than marvel Thor.


Posted By: DreamWeaver
Date Posted: 01-Jun-2010 at 05:54

[/QUOTE]
Its not like Chinese in China today actually do that at all. I mean try some real live series, these gods were distorted beyond proportion, much more than marvel Thor.[/QUOTE]
 
 
Im not so sure, I think you under estimate the Chinese


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Posted By: RollingWave
Date Posted: 07-Jun-2010 at 19:46

There is myth on the Chinese Pantheons, but its more of a folktale thing, it's not something that is deeply tied together with the entire ruling class like the Greek mythology was with the Greek city states.

The true center of Chinese religion center revolve around ancestral worship. that is the one true common ground for everything. the Emperor's worship revolve around his ancestor's spirits and the heaven and earth. 

 



Posted By: snowybeagle
Date Posted: 10-Jun-2010 at 00:43
You might consider figures such as Chi-You as a representative of a "forgotten god".   Or even Yan as a defeated god.
 
Actually, you won't find much about gods in Daoism - Dao De Jing is a metaphysical text on philosophy rather than about gods.
 
The pantheons known today were mostly developments that matured in much later eras rather than antiquities.



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