(This is the anti-theft chapter.) Abnormal Chapters)

The saying that the dragon has nine sons has been around for a long time, but there is no theory about which nine animals are there, and it was not until the Ming Dynasty that various theories appeared. Some scholars' notes in the Ming Dynasty, such as Lu Rong's "Shuyuan Miscellaneous Records", Li Dongyang's "Huailu Tang Collection", Yang Shen's "Sheng'an Collection", Li Xu's "The Old Man's Writing of the Ring Nunnery", Xu Yingqiu's "Yuzhitang Tanyun", etc., have recorded the situation of the dragons, but they are not uniform. [4]

In ancient times, there was a legend that "dragons give birth to nine sons, do not become dragons, and each has its own good". But what the nine sons are, the statement is also different. We mainly use the "Chinese Auspicious Illustration" [5], which is older and has been compiled into a book by later generations, to understand which nine sons they are.

1. The boss is a prisoner cow, likes music, and squats on the piano head;

Eyebrow

Eyebrow

2. Lao Er 睚眦 (yázì), thirsty for killing and fighting, engraved on the knife ring and sword handle swallowing mouth;

3. The third laughs at the wind, resembles a beast, is dangerous and hopeful in life, and the beast on the corner of the temple is its posthumous image. Some people have always believed that it is a phoenix with dragon veins;

4. The four sons of Pu Prison, when they are hit, they roar loudly, as the beast button of the Hong Zhong Liang, to help it sound far away;

5. The five sons of the fox (suānní), shaped like a lion, like smoke and easy to sit, so the image generally appears on the incense burner, and then swallows smoke and spits smoke

Kiss

Kiss

6. Liuzi Baxia, also known as 赑屃 (bìxì), like a turtle with teeth, likes to bear weight, and is a turtle under the stele;

7. Seven sons 狴犴 (bìàn), resembling a tiger, good at litigation, with its image on both sides of the prison door or the main hall of the official office;

8. Eight sons negative 屃 (fùxì), body like a dragon, Yahao Siwen, coiled on the top of the stone tablet;

9. Lao Jiu 螭 Kiss (chīwěn), also known as the owl tail or 鸱 (chī) kiss, the mouth is moist and the throat is thick and easy to swallow, so it becomes a spine swallowing beast at both ends of the temple ridge, and it is used to extinguish the fire and eliminate the disaster.

Other:

Gluttony: One of the four murderers, originally the son of the Jinyun clan. [9]

Pixiu: A kind of mythical beast with auspicious energy.

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In the early days, the social productivity was low, people lived in the harsh natural environment, and they could not independently control the natural forces, nor could they explain their own origins, they were full of illusions, longings and even fears of the natural world, and worshiped various natural or supernatural forces that were more powerful than human beings, which was the social basis for the emergence of totems and ghosts. [10]

Pu Lao

Pu Lao

The reason for the formation of the dragon totem, one theory believes that it originated from the Yellow Emperor's Busan Hefu. "Historical Records: The Five Emperors" records that after defeating Emperor Yan and Chiyou, the Yellow Emperor toured the Quartet and "fit Busan". This "Hefu" not only unified the letter of the military orders of the various ministries and established the alliance on the political zhì, but also took some elements from the original totems of the tribes and combined them to create a new animal image - the dragon.

Since then, all tribes in the Central Plains have a common dragon totem, and the history of unified Chinese civilization has begun, so the Chinese are all "descendants of the dragon".

Although this story perfectly explains how the unnatural dragon became the ancestor of the Chinese nation, the discovery of the dragon image in the prehistoric cultural site has made it self-defeating.

Most modern scholars believe that the dragon totem evolved from other animal totems. In the early days, the "snake evolution theory" was widely representative, and when the snake evolved into a dragon, we naturally became "the descendants of the dragon". [10]

But in fact, the idea of a descendant of the dragon did not become popular until after May Fourth.

Historical OriginsEdit

Paleontologists have long believed that the horned dragon is a fictional image of ancient ancestors, which only exists in myths and legends. However, the fossil of the "New Chinese Dragon" unearthed in Xinpu Township, Guanling County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province in 1996 has a pair of symmetrical "dragon horns" on the dragon's head, which is very similar to the mythical dragon, which has attracted the attention of paleontologists. [11-12]

The fossil is collected in the Xingwei Paleontology and Fossil Museum in Anshun City, Guizhou Province, it is very well preserved, the total length is 7.6 meters, the dragon horn grows from the widest part of the head on the left and right sides, the double horns are symmetrical, about 27 centimeters long, slightly arc-shaped, this pair of "dragon horns" is upturned on the dragon's head, which resembles the image of the legendary dragon. The "dragon horn" of the "New Chinese Dragon" fossil in Guanling, Guizhou Province was discovered for the first time in China, which provides physical evidence for the long-horned dragon in ancient legends, and provides a new idea for the study of the origin of the dragon's image, which has important scientific and historical value. [13]

New shop "New Chinese Dragon"

New shop "New Chinese Dragon"

It can be seen that perhaps there are real or roughly real ancient prototypes in the form of the "dragon", but the function is mythologized.

As a totem, the dragon is different from ordinary totems, not a single animal but a collection of multiple animals, which prominently reflects the great national spirit of the Chinese nation - the idea of harmony. The earliest gods of ancient mythology were not humans, but animals - totems. Primitive people can't distinguish the boundary between humans and animals, and think that a certain animal is their ancestor and protector, which is the totem. As the ancestor and symbol of the clan and tribe, the totem is generally a single animal, and the clan tribe has a annexation war, and the victor often destroys its totem at the same time after capturing the other party, and the newly created tribe still has a single totem. [14]

The ancient Chinese were the first to realize human nature, abandon the concept of the jungle, and highlight this human nature in the formation of the dragon totem. That is: in order to unite and get close to those who have been annexed to the clans and tribes, after eliminating this clan or tribe, they do not completely eliminate their totems of spiritual worship and cultural sustenance, but add part of the totems of the losers to their own totems. Therefore, the image of the dragon is a symbol of harmony and unity, showing an extremely precious spirit of harmony of the ancient ancestors of the Chinese nation, and is a source of the spirit of the Chinese nation.

The image of the dragon contains a variety of animal elements, and many people have discussed its origin based on only one characteristic, so various theories have been given about the prototype of the dragon. One of the most influential is that the prototype of the dragon is said to be a snake. Famous scholar Wen Yiduo in the 20th century in the 40s to discuss the prototype of the dragon, according to its research, the original prototype of the dragon totem is the snake totem, after the elimination of the cow totem, the deer totem of the clan, the horns or antlers added to the head of the snake, and later added the head of the pig or the head of the horse, plus the legs of the tiger or crocodile, the claws of the eagle, the scales of the fish, the tail of the flower, after a long period of development, the collection of many totems has formed the image of the Chinese dragon totem. After hearing more, many scholars also believe that the prototype of the dragon is a snake. [14]

There is also a saying that the prototype of the dragon is a crocodile, and the first to propose that the prototype of the dragon is a crocodile is Wei Juxian, an expert in ancient Chinese history. In his book published in 1934, he said that "the dragon is the crocodile", and some foreign scholars also believe that the dragon is a crocodile.

In addition, some people believe that the basic form of the dragon's trunk is a snake, a lizard, and a horse, while others believe that the dragon evolved from lightning or a rainbow. [15]

The image of the dragon contains a variety of animal elements, and many people have discussed its origin based on only one characteristic, so various theories have been given about the prototype of the dragon. One of the most influential is that the prototype of the dragon is said to be a snake. Famous scholar Wen Yiduo in the 20th century in the 40s to discuss the prototype of the dragon, according to its research, the original prototype of the dragon totem is the snake totem, after the elimination of the cow totem, the deer totem of the clan, the horns or antlers added to the head of the snake, and later added the head of the pig or the head of the horse, plus the legs of the tiger or crocodile, the claws of the eagle, the scales of the fish, the tail of the flower, after a long period of development, the collection of many totems has formed the image of the Chinese dragon totem. After hearing more, many scholars also believe that the prototype of the dragon is a snake. [14]

There is also a saying that the prototype of the dragon is a crocodile, and the first to propose that the prototype of the dragon is a crocodile is Wei Juxian, an expert in ancient Chinese history. In his book published in 1934, he said that "the dragon is the crocodile", and some foreign scholars also believe that the dragon is a crocodile.

In addition, some people believe that the basic form of the dragon's trunk is a snake, a lizard, and a horse, while others believe that the dragon evolved from lightning or a rainbow. [15] (To be continued.) )