Books with title Myths and Legends of China

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

As a member of the Chinese government's Historiographical Bureau in Peking, as well as a former barrister and British consul in Foochow, E.T.C. Werner published "Myths and Legends of China" in 1922 to elucidate the ideas and beliefs that governed the daily lives of the Chinese people prior to the 20th century. These provocative and fantastical tales of Chinese history, myth and legend draw from many ancient texts and offer a glimpse into a world dominated by tradition and superstition. These stories include the myths of stars, thunder, lightening, water and fire, and various gods, Dynasties and Emperors. It also explains the significance the Buddhism and Taoism, Confucius, yin and yang, dragons, New Year, Spirit Festivals, The Tao Te Ching and much more. Complete with an introductory chapter on the sociology of the Chinese, this fascinating and informative book will appeal to any reader who wishes to receive a true, undistorted image of Chinese mythology.

“Myths and Legends of Japan”, written in 1913, was an immediate best-seller when it was first released. With the Meiji Restoration, Japan began a period of modernization in the late 19th century that would open up the country to the rest of the world for the first time. This allowed historians like F. Hadland Davis, the author of “Myths and Legends of Japan”, an unprecedented opportunity to study and introduce Japanese culture to Western audiences. Stories about creation, mystical creatures, and ghosts, as well as stories about Buddhism, folk tales, and other amazing tales grace the pages of this anthology. The information stored in this collection is not just entertaining, but also well-researched and accurate. Davis included anthropological tidbits as well about how the stories were representative of Japanese culture. Students of Japanese history or those wishing to learn more about Japanese culture will be delighted with this comprehensive collection of Japanese folklore. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Miss Judson has collected these myths and legends from many printed sources. She disclaims originality, but she has rendered a service that will be appreciated by the many who have sought in vain for legends of the Indians. There is an agreeable surprise in store for any lover of folk-lore who will read these books.Contents:PrefaceThe Raven MythThe FloodThe Origin Of The TidesHow The Rivers Were FormedThe Origin Of FireDuration Of WinterRaven's FeastCreation Of The PorcupineHow Raven Taught The ChilkatsRaven's MarriageRaven And The SealsRaven And PitchRaven's Dancing BlanketRaven And The GullsThe Land OtterRaven And CootRaven And MarmotThe Bringing Of The Light By RavenDaylight On The Nass RiverThe Naming Of The BirdsThe Origin Of The WindsDuration Of LifeGhost TownHow Raven Stole The LakeThe Killer WhaleOrigin Of The Chilkat BlanketOrigin Of Land And PeopleCreation Of The WorldOrigin Of MankindThe First WomanThe First TearsOrigin Of The WindsOrigin Of The WindNorth WindEast Wind And North WindCreation Of The Killer WhaleFuture LifeThe Land Of The DeadThe Ghost LandThe Sky CountryThe Lost LightThe Chief In The MoonThe Boy In The MoonThe Boy In The MoonThe Meteor (?)Sleep HouseCradle SongHow The Fox Became RedBeaver And Porcupine... and many more ...

This is a history of the fairy tales and folklore that originated out of Japan dating back millennia. From the intro:“Pierre Loti in Madame Chrysanthème, Gilbert and Sullivan in The Mikado, and Sir Edwin Arnold in Seas and Lands, gave us the impression that Japan was a real fairyland in the Far East. We were delighted with the prettiness and quaintness of that country, and still more with the prettiness and quaintness of the Japanese people. We laughed at their topsy-turvy ways, regarded the Japanese woman, in her rich-coloured kimono, as altogether charming and fascinating, and had a vague notion that the principal features of Nippon were the tea-houses, cherry-blossom, and geisha. Twenty years ago we did not take Japan very seriously. We still listen to the melodious music of The Mikado, but now we no longer regard Japan as a sort of glorified willow-pattern plate. The Land of the Rising Sun has become the Land of the Risen Sun, for we have learnt that her quaintness and prettiness, her fairy-like manners and customs, were but the outer signs of a great and progressive nation. To-day we recognise Japan as a power in the East, and her victory over the Russian has made her army and navy famous throughout the world.The Japanese have always been an imitative nation, quick to absorb and utilise the religion, art, and social life of China, and, having set their own national seal upon what they have borrowed from the Celestial Kingdom, to look elsewhere for material that should strengthen and advance their position. This imitative quality is one of Japan's most marked characteristics. She has ever been loath to impart information to others, but ready at all times to gain access to any form of knowledge likely to make for her advancement. In the fourteenth century Kenkō wrote in his Tsure-dzure-gusa:[Pg xii] "Nothing opens one's eyes so much as travel, no matter where," and the twentieth-century Japanese has put this excellent advice into practice. He has travelled far and wide, and has made good use of his varied observations. Japan's power of imitation amounts to genius. East and West have contributed to her greatness, and it is a matter of surprise to many of us that a country so long isolated and for so many years bound by feudalism should, within a comparatively short space of time, master our Western system of warfare, as well as many of our ethical and social ideas, and become a great world-power. But Japan's success has not been due entirely to clever imitation, neither has her place among the foremost nations been accomplished with such meteor-like rapidity as some would have us suppose.