One main element is the role of deities. As mentioned before, Pangu and Nüwa are important deities. Pangu's act of creating the basic structure of the world and Nüwa's creation of humans are crucial parts.
Sure. In Chinese mythology, the creation story often involves Pangu. Pangu was born in chaos. He separated the heaven and the earth by standing up and pushing them apart. As he grew taller, the distance between heaven and earth increased. After a very long time, he finally died. His body parts then became different parts of the world. For example, his eyes became the sun and the moon.
Chinese mythology was a rich and colorful part of Chinese culture. These stories inherited the wisdom and beliefs of the ancient Chinese people, reflecting their understanding of nature, mankind, and the universe. Some of the famous Chinese myths include Jingwei Reclaims the Sea, Nuwa Mends the Sky, Kuafu Chases the Sun, and Yugong Moves Mountains. The characters and plots in these stories were full of imagination and symbolism, representing the courage, wisdom, and perseverance of the Chinese people. Through these stories, people could understand the uniqueness of ancient Chinese culture and experience the values and philosophical ideas contained in it. Chinese mythology was a treasure of Chinese culture and an important part of the world's cultural heritage.
Greek mythology described the origin of the world at the beginning of creation. The original world was a dark and endless chaos. A series of gods were born in this chaos, including Gaia, Tartarus, Eros, Erebus, and Nyx. Mother Earth Gaia was the first god to be born. She had endless power and gave life to everything in the world. Tartarus was a gloomy and terrifying God of the Abyss, symbolizing eternal darkness. Eros was a powerful god of love who made the world full of vitality. The birth of these gods gradually brought light and happiness to the world, and there was a cycle of day and night. In general, the beginning of creation in Greek mythology described the process of the world from chaos to order, as well as the birth of a series of gods.
Well, in the Norse creation story, the important part is the existence of primordial elements. Muspelheim and Niflheim are crucial. Muspelheim's fire and Niflheim's ice played a huge role. Then there's Ymir. The gods killed Ymir and used his body parts to make the world. His skull became the sky. And the gods themselves, like Odin, Vili, and Ve, were also important as they shaped the world further and gave life and order to it.
The Greek mythology creation story has several key elements. Firstly, there is Chaos, a state of disorder from which all things began. Gaia, being the Earth, is central. She gives birth to mountains, seas, and all living things on the Earth in a way. Uranus, the sky, is her counterpart. Their union and the subsequent generations, including the Titans and the gods that came later, are all part of this elaborate creation story. It's a story full of family feuds, power struggles, and the shaping of the world as the Greeks perceived it.
Well, there is the idea of the cosmic egg (Hiranyagarbha). It is said to be the source from which the entire universe is born. From this egg, the first being or creator - god emerges. Another element is the concept of karma. Karma affects the cycle of creation as the actions of beings in one cycle influence their state in the next creation cycle. Also, the division of the cosmos into different elements like earth, water, fire, air and ether is a fundamental part of the creation story in Indian mythology.
The reasons for recommending ancient Chinese mythological storybooks were as follows:
1. Colorful storylines: Ancient Chinese fairy tales usually include many interesting stories, many of which have their own unique plots and backgrounds. These stories could be about the origins, growth, and adventures of mythological characters, or about their struggles with supernatural forces such as gods, ghosts, and demons. These stories usually had many different plots and endings, which were very interesting to read.
2. Profound cultural content: Ancient Chinese fairy tales usually convey many profound cultural contents, such as the values, moral values, and philosophical thoughts of traditional Chinese culture. Through these stories, readers can better understand the essence of Chinese culture.
3. It is suitable for readers of different ages: Chinese ancient mythological stories are usually more ancient, allowing readers to feel the feeling of history. At the same time, these stories are suitable for readers of different ages, including children, young people, middle-aged and old people.
4. Collection value: Some ancient Chinese mythological stories are also collectible because they are usually relatively rare books with high collection value.
Legend has it that Pangu was the founder of Chinese mythology who created the world. It was said that Pangu was born in the chaos and used his axe to cut open the world to create all things in the world. His body continued to grow, and finally, after his death, his body turned into mountains, rivers, earth, and his hair into stars. His internal organs turned into all kinds of animals and plants, and his soul dispersed into the universe.
The origin of this legend can be traced back to ancient Chinese myths and legends. In Chinese literature, the story of Pangu is often cited as a classic of Chinese culture. In addition, the image of Pangu was often used in various symbolic meanings in Chinese culture, such as representing the unopened chaos, primitive power, and so on.
The differences between Chinese and Western myths were mainly manifested in the following aspects:
1. Narrations: Chinese and Western myths usually use heroes, monsters, gods, etc. as the theme to convey some moral or philosophical ideas by telling their adventure stories. The difference between Chinese and Western mythology is particularly obvious in terms of narrative methods. Chinese mythology usually appears in the form of legends, such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas, while Western mythology appears in the form of novels and dramas, such as the Bible and the works of shakespeare.
2. Character image: The main characters in Chinese and Western mythology are also different. In Chinese mythology, heroes usually had the qualities of justice, courage, and benevolence, while monsters usually had the characteristics of evil and cruelty. In Western mythology, heroes and gods usually had more human characteristics, such as heroes in Greek mythology like Heracles and Austin, while the images of gods were more complicated, such as Zeus, who had rich personalities and contradictions.
3. Thematic meaning: The meanings of Chinese and Western myths are also different. In Chinese mythology, the relationship between man and nature and society was often emphasized, such as the concept of harmony between man and nature in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. In Western mythology, the relationship between individuals, gods, and the world was more emphasized, such as the relationship between God and humans in the Bible, and the relationship between gods in Norse mythology.
Mythology had a profound influence on the literary creation of later generations. Mythology not only provided inspiration and material for literary creation, but also conveyed certain philosophical thoughts or moral concepts through the creation of heroes and monsters. At the same time, the stories in the myths could also be used as a reference for later literary creations. For example, the image of Sun Wukong in Journey to the West and the image of Song Jiang in Water Margins were all influenced by Chinese and Western myths.