Myths and Legends of China

The Gods and Spirits of Chinese Tradition

E. T. C. Werner

• Publisher: Aeneas Press
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Social Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9785501598454
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: Social Sciences

The Chinese pantheon set out in order - the gods of thunder, of the walls and ditches, of literature and the hearth - with the stories that go with them. Werner spent decades in the Chinese consular service and worked from Chinese sources rather than from other Europeans. This edition adds a gallery of 27 plates of Chinese painting and decorated porcelain, with works after Chen Hongshou and images of Laozi and Ci Fei, alongside 32 illustrations restored and coloured for this volume.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Myths and Legends of China
• Preface
• Chapter I. The Sociology of the Chinese. Racial Origin
• Southern Origin Improbable
• Expansion of Races from North to South
• Arrival of the Chinese in China
• The K’un-lun Mountains
• Provisional Conclusion
• Inorganic Environment
• Organic Environment
• Sociological Environment
• Physical, Emotional, and Intellectual Characters
• Marriage in Early Times
• Marriage in Monarchical and Republican Periods
• Parents and Children
• Political History
• General Government
• Laws
• Local Government
• Military System
• Ecclesiastical Institutions
• Professional Institutions
• Accessory Institutions
• Bodily Mutilations
• Funeral Rites
• Laws of Intercourse
• Habits and Customs
• Sports and Games
• Domestic Life
• Industrial Institutions
• Arts
• Agriculture and Rearing of Livestock
• Sentiments and Moral Ideas
• Religious Ideas
• Superstitions
• Knowledge
• Achievements of the Chinese
• Chapter II. On Chinese Mythology. Mythology and Intellectual Progress
• The Chinese Intellect
• The Influence of Religion
• History and Myth
• Chinese Rigidity
• The Prerequisites to Myth
• Stimulus Necessary
• Persistent Soul-expression
• The Character of Chinese Myth
• Periods Fertile in Myth
• Sources of Chinese Myth
• Phases of Chinese Myth
• Tso-ch’iu Ming and Lieh Tzŭ
• The T’ang and Sung Epochs
• Myth and Doubt
• Myth and Legend
• Chapter III. Cosmogony-p’an Ku and the Creation Myth. The Fashioner of the Universe
• The Sun and the Moon
• P’an Ku and Ymer
• P’an Ku a Late Creation
• Nü Kua Shih, the Repairer of the Heavens
• Early Cosmogony Dualistic
• The Canon of Changes. The Five Elements
• Monism
• Chou Tzŭ’s “T’ai Chi T’u”
• Chu Hsi’s Monistic Philosophy
• Lao Tzŭ’s “Tao”
• Confucius’s Agnosticism
• Mo Tzŭ and Creation
• Mencius and the First Cause
• Lieh Tzŭ’s Absolute
• Chuang Tzŭ’s Super-tao
• Popular Cosmogony still Personal or Dualistic
• Chapter IV. The Gods of China. The Birth of the Soul
• The Populous Otherworld
• Worship of Shang Ti
• Worship of T’ien
• Confusion of Shang Ti and T’ien
• The Otherworld Similar to this World
• The Three Religions
• The Super-triad
• Worship of the Living
• Confucianism
• Confucius not a God
• The God of Literature
• Wên Ch’ang and the Great Bear
• Wên Ch’ang and Tzŭ T’ung
• Heaven-deaf and Earth-dumb
• Image of K’uei Hsing
• Mr Redcoat
• Mr Redcoat nods his Head
• Mr Golden Cuirass
• The God of War
• The Meat-seller’s Challenge
• The Oath in the Peach-orchard
• Buddhism in China
• Buddha, the Law, and the Priesthood
• Diamond Kings of Heaven
• Legend of the Diamond Kings
• Hua-hu Tiao devours Yang Chien
• The Three Pure Ones
• The Three Causes
• Yüan-shih T’ien-tsun
• An Avatar of P’an Ku
• Yü Huang
• The Cask of Pearls
• The Legend of Yü Huang
• T’ung-t’ien Chiao-chu
• Immortals, Heroes, Saints
• The God of the Immortals
• Hsi Wang Mu
• The Feast of Peaches
• The First Taoist Pope
• The Founder of Modern Taoism
• The Peach-gathering
• Chang Tao-ling’s Great Power
• Kings of Heaven
• T’ai I
• Goddess of the North Star
• Snorter and Blower
• Blue Dragon and White Tiger
• Apotheosized Philosophers
• Fanning the Grave
• Husband and Wife
• Canonized Generalissimos
• The Three Musical Brothers
• The Dragon-boat Festival
• Chiang Tzŭ-ya
• The Battle of Mu Yeh
• A Legend of Chiang Tzŭ-ya
• No-cha defeats Chang Kuei-fang
• Tzŭ-ya goes to K’un-lun
• He receives the List of Immortals
• The Soaring Head
• The Ancient Immortal saves the Situation
• Ch’iung Hsiao’s Magic Scissors
• Chiang Tzŭ-ya defeats Wên Chung
• The Red Sand Battle
• Further Fighting
• Thousand-li Eye and Favourable-wind Ear
• How the Brothers were Defeated
• Celestial Ministries
• Protectors of the People
• The Ch’êng-huang
• Ts’an Nü
• The God of Happiness
• The God of Wealth
• The God of Longevity
• The Door-gods
• Chinese Polytheism
• Chapter V. Myths of the Stars. Astrological Superstitions
• Various Star-gods
• Shooting the Heavenly Dog
• The Sun-king
• The Steep Summit
• The Divine Archer
• Vanquishes the Wind-spirit
• Dispels the Nine False Suns
• Marries the Sister of the Water-spirit
• Slays Various Dangerous Creatures
• Builds a Palace for Chin Mu
• Kills Chisel-tooth
• The Sun-palace and the Bird of Dawn
• Shên I visits the Moon
• Star-worship
• The Herdsman and the Weaver-girl
• The Twenty-eight Constellations
• A Victim of Ta Chi
• Myths of Time
• The Planet Jupiter
• Legend of T’ai Sui
• Worship of T’ai Sui
• Chapter VI. Myths of Thunder, Lightning, Wind, and Rain. The Ministry of Thunder and Storms
• The President of the Ministry of Thunder
• The Duke of Thunder
• Lei Kung in the Tree
• The Mysterious Bottle
• Lei Chên-tzŭ
• The Mother of Lightning
• The Origin of the Spirit of Lightning
• The God of the Wind
• The Master of Rain
• The One-legged Bird
• Ma Yüan-shuai
• Chapter VII. Myths of the Waters. The Dragons
• The Dragon-kings
• The Foolish Dragon
• The Ministry of Waters
• An Unauthorized Portrait
• The Shipwrecked Servant
• A Battle and its Results
• The Dragon in the Pond
• The Spirits of the Well
• The Dragon-king’s Daughter
• Golden Dragon Great Prince
• The Old Mother of the Waters
• The Magic Vermicelli
• Hsü, the Dragon-slayer
• The Spiritual Alligator
• The Great Flood
• The Marriage of the River-god
• Legend of the Building of Peking
• Chu-ti
• The Sealed Packet
• A Desolate Region
• The Prince opens the Sealed Packet
• The City is Founded
• General Prosperity
• A Drought and its Cause
• The Prince’s Dream
• The Pursuit of the Dragons
• An Unexpected Flood
• The Waters Subside
• The Origin of Chên-shui T’a
• Chapter VIII. Myths of Fire. The Ministry of Fire
• A Conflagration
• C’ih Ching-tzŭ
• The Red Emperor
• Hui Lu
• The Fire-emperor
• Chapter IX. Myths of Epidemics, Medicine, Exorcism, Etc. The Ministry of Epidemics
• The President of the Ministry
• The Plague-disseminating Umbrellas
• The Five Graduates
• The Emperors Strategy
• The Musicians are Slain
• The Emperor Tormented
• The Graduates Canonized
• The Ministry of Medicine
• The Medicine-gods
• The Ministry of Exorcism
• The Exorcism of ‘Emptiness and Devastation’
• Chapter X. The Goddess of Mercy. The Guardian Angel of Buddhism
• The Buddhist Saviour
• Miao Chuang desires an Heir
• Prayers to the Gods
• The Murder of the Tais
• A Message for Yü Huang
• Birth of the Three Daughters
• Miao Shan’s Ambition
• Her Sisters Marry
• Miao Shan’s Renunciation
• She is Exiled to the Garden
• The Nunnery of the White Bird
• Her Reception at the Nunnery
• She makes Offering to the Buddha
• Spiritual Aid
• The Nunnery on Fire
• The Execution of Miao Shan
• Miao Shan visits the Infernal Regions
• Hell a Paradise
• A Test of Virtue
• Miao Shan attains to Perfection
• A Ruse
• The Transformation of Shan Ts’ai
• ‘Brother and Sister’
• The King’s Punishment
• The Disguised Priest-doctor
• Strange Medicine
• A Conspiracy that Failed
• A Confession and its Results
• The Gruesome Remedy
• Half-measures
• The King Cured
• The King’s Daughter
• The King and Queen taken Prisoners
• The King’s Repentance
• Sackcloth and Ashes
• The King renounces the Throne
• Pardon of the Green Lion and the White Elephant
• Miao Shan becomes a Buddha
• Chapter XI. The Eight Immortals. Pa Hsien
• Li T’ieh-kuai
• Chung-li Ch’üan
• Lan Ts’ai-ho
• Chang Kuo
• Ho Hsien Ku
• Lü Tung-pin
• Han Hsiang Tzŭ
• Ts’ao Kuo-chiu
• Pa Hsien Kuo Hai
• Chapter XII. The Guardian of the Gate of Heaven. Li, the Pagoda-bearer
• An Avatar of the Intelligent Pearl
• A Precocious Youth
• The Slaying of the Dragon-king’s Son
• An Unruly Son
• Drastic Measures
• No-cha draws a Bow at a Venture
• Another Encounter
• No-cha commits Hara-Kiri
• A Habitation for the Soul
• Li Ching destroys his Son’s Statue
• No-cha consults his Master
• A New No-cha
• A Battle between Father and Son
• Peace at the Last
• Chapter XIII. A Battle of the Gods. Multifarious Versatile Divinities
• Chun T’i
• The One-eyed Peacock
• Arrangements for the Siege
• Impediments
• Offence and Defence
• Attempts at Revenge
• The Golden-bearded Turtle
• The Battle Won
• Buddhahood
• Chapter XIV. How the Monkey Became a God. The Hsi Yu Chi
• Legend of Sun Hou-tzŭ
• A Rod of Iron
• Grand Master of the Heavenly Stables
• Grand Superintendent of the Heavenly Peach-garden
• Double Immortality
• Sun Hou-tzŭ Captured
• Sun escapes from Lao Chün’s Furnace
• Broad-jump Competition
• Conditions of Release
• Sha Ho-shang
• Sha Ho-shang becomes Baggage-coolie
• Chu Pa-chieh
• Hsüan Chuang, the Master
• The Released Carp
• The Chuang Yüan Murdered
• Hsüan Chuang finds his Grandmother
• The Murderer Executed
• The Carp’s Gratitude
• Pai Ma, the White Horse
• Perils by the Way
• The Grove of Cypress-trees
• A Proposal of Marriage
• Blind Man’s Buff
• The Lotus Cave
• The Monkey under the Mountain
• The Magic Gourd
• The Magic Rope
• The Master Rescued
• The Red Child Demon
• A Prospective Feast
• The Generals Tricked
• The Demons of Blackwater River
• The Slow-carts Country
• Restraints on Freedom
• Immortal for Suffering
• The Saviour of the Buddhists
• Anger of the Buddhist Priests
• Sun bestows Talismans
• The Magic Circle
• Help from Ju Lai
• The Fire-quenching Fan
• The Power of the Magic Fan
• Defeat of the Ox-demon
• The Lovely Women
• An Awkward Predicament
• How the Master was Rescued
• The Spiders and the Extinguisher
• Shaving a Whole City
• The Return to China
• The Travellers Honoured
• Chapter XV. Fox Legends. The Fox
• Fox Legends
• Friendship with Foxes
• The Marriage Lottery
• The Magnanimous Girl
• The Boon-companion
• The Alchemist
• Chapter XVI. Miscellaneous Legends. The Unnatural People
• The Pygmies
• The Giants
• The Headless People
• The Armless People
• The Long-armed and Long-legged People
• The One-eyed People and Others
• The Feathered People, etc.
• The People of the Punctured Bodies
• The Women’s Kingdom
• The Land of the Flying Cart
• The Expectant Wife
• The Wild Men
• The Jointed Snake
• The Casting of the Great Bell
• The Cursed Temple
• The Maniac’s Mite
• The City-god of Yen Ch’êng
• The Origin of a Lake
• Miao Creation Legends
• The Dream of the South Branch
• Ch’un-yü Fên enters the Locust-tree
• He marries the King’s Daughter
• He writes to his Father
• He takes Office
• He meets with Disasters
• He returns Home
• Ch’un-yü Regenerate
• Why the Jung Tribe have Heads of Dogs
• Two Tribes at War
• The Chief’s Promise
• A Strange Contract
• The Chiefs Curiosity
• The Origin of a Custom
• And of a Worship
• Conclusion
• The Pronunciation of Chinese Words
• Sound
• Tone
• Rhythm
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• Y
• About the Author