All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

INTRODUCTION

IN THE VASTNESS OF MY

NATURE I PLACE THE

SEED OF THINGS TO
COME; AND FROM THIS
UNION COMES THE
BIRTH OF ALL BEINGS.
Bhagavad Gita, 14:3

highly creative, adding deities to the pantheon

and worshipping them as and when devotees

need specific help or guidance in their daily

lives. Figures from belief systems such as

Buddhism and Daoism have been added to

the pantheon – and there are even instances

of a Chinese version of Jesus being worshipped

in the temples of Chinese popular religion.

This is an endlessly inventive form of belief,

little known outside China and Chinese

communities in places such as Singapore.

In Japan, the original indigenous people – the

Ainu – have their own religion and mythology,

which contains numerous spirits of the natural

world. Their stories are told in oral epics in

which the spirits take the form of animals such

as bears and whales and interact with people.

The notion of a spirit world is central to

the more widespread Japanese belief system,

Shintoism – “the way of the gods”. Shintoism

is concerned with maintaining a balance

between humankind and the natural world. Its

myths – including important stories about the

sun deity and the origins of rice cultivation –

tackle this subject in many ways. As well as the

origins of rice-growing, the origins of such

essentially Japanese skills as silkworm breeding

are attributed to the work of a culture hero.

Even in today’s highly advanced – and in many

ways Westernized – Japanese society, these

stories still feature prominently in the country’s

culture, hold Japanese people’s imaginations,

and help shape their fundamental beliefs.

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