Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore
Attention of Late Bestowed on the Study of Folk-lore—China Presents a most Interesting Field of Enquiry—Little as yet Done to bring together what is Known upon the Subject—Similarity between Chinese and Western Beliefs—Our Own Recent Emancipation from Superstition—The Myth-mak...
Attention of Late Bestowed on the Study of Folk-lore—China Presents a most Interesting Field of Enquiry—Little as yet Done to bring together what is Known upon the Subject—Simil...
2. CHAPTER II.Superstitions as to Day and Hour of Birth—Practices to Ascertain Sex of Expected Child—Frightening Away Demons—Three Children at a Birth—Binding the Wrists—Cutting the Cord of t...
3. CHAPTER III.Lucky and Unlucky Days—The Chinese Sabbath—Persian Derivation—Congratulating the Moon—Unlucky Days in Each Month—Tabular Arrangement of Ditto—New Year’s Day—The “First Foot”—St....
4. CHAPTER IV.Upsetting the Oil Jar—Crows, Magpies and Ducks—Dogs and Cats—Crowing Hens—Swallows—Owls—Setting an Even Number of Eggs—Superstitions as to Mirrors—Crooked Paths—Eclipses, Comets...
5. CHAPTER V.Attempted Cure of Diseases by Charms and Incantations—Magic Mirrors—Fire-Crackers as Charms—Exorcising the Spirit of an Executed Criminal—Firing Cannon at the Pei-ho—Shooting Ar...
6. CHAPTER VI.The Hare and Its Attributes—Discovery of Drowned Bodies—Casting Salt into the Water—The last Piece left upon a Plate—Fêng-shui—Value of Human Blood and Flesh as Medicinal Aids—C...
7. CHAPTER VII.Prominent Part played by Ghosts on the Chinese Stage—The False Ghost at Chinkeang—Chinese Terms for Ghosts; Their Shapeless Form—Candles Burning Green in the Presence of Ghosts—...
8. CHAPTER VIII.Antiquity of Witchcraft in China—Witches not Persecuted in China—Summoning Genii—Chinese Ideas of Genii—Taoistic and Confucian Opinions respecting them—Celebrated Genii—Isles of...
9. CHAPTER IX.Chinese Ideas regarding Fairies—Fairy Haunts—Storm Fiends—Rip van Winkle Legends and Fairies—The Fairy Home—Brownies—The Shan-sao—Stealing the Fairy Dress—Fairy Flies and Bees—C...
10. CHAPTER X.The Serpent and Universal Legend—Healing Qualities of Serpents’ Flesh—Human Beings assuming Serpent form—British Parallels—The Fuhkien Snake Story—Serpent Worship and its Temple...
11. CHAPTER XI.The Sun, Moon and Stars, and Beliefs regarding them—The Lunar Goddess, Frog, Toad, Hare, &c.—Planetary Influences—Cosmical Phenomena and Native Records—The “Old Man of the Moon”...
12. CHAPTER XII.Numerous Legends current amongst the Chinese—The Yangtsze and Yellow River—The Entrance to Purgatory—The Demons of Teng-chow—Imprisoned Genii—The Golden Cup of Hercules and Pei-...
13. CHAPTER XIII.Chinese Fables numerous—Absence of Native Collections of Fables—Indo-Chinese Fables—Mr. Thom, and his Translation of Æsop—The Earliest Chinese Fable—Comparative Antiquity of the...