The Mythographist

Forbidden love, gender bending, deception, vows, humor, heartbreak, mystical transformations — while I can't say that every great story has to have these four elements, they're certainly prevalent in a lot of the stories we hold in high regard in the West, from Shakespeare to Bugs Bunny. Of course, these elements aren't bound by culture; they're part of the human experience, and this week, we'll l...

Even if you don't know anything else about China, if you're listening to this podcast, you've most likely heard of the Great Wall. It's often cited as one of the wonders of the world, and not without reason — it is genuinely a marvel of human workmanship. Like any structure of this scale, though, the Great Wall's construction was not without human cost, and this echoes through the pages of history...

This coming week, people all across Mainland China celebrate Duanwu, a holiday known here in the West as Dragon Boat Festival. They eat zongzi — little pyramid-shaped snacks made of glutinous rice, stuffed with something sweet or savory and wrapped in bamboo leaves. But the origin of this holiday is a little bit darker than the tasty food might lead you to believe. Last week, we looked at Question...

Today, we're looking at the story behind a poem. But don't skip this episode just yet, because this Chinese poem from two thousand years ago is unique — and uniquely relevant to this podcast — in that it tells us about the myths and legends that were important to the poet's audience, in a very particular style, for a very particular purpose. And the way it does that — well, you'll hear all about i...

Last week, we witnessed Gun, along with his friends the tortoise and the swallow, steal xirang, a magical living soil, from the heavenly realms in order to stop a cataclysmic flood — only to be struck down by the Supreme Divinity, along with all they worked to build. This week, the second half of the story: the struggle for survival against the unforgiving elements, continued by Yu as he works to...

Imagine the worst rain you've ever seen, and imagine that lasting for weeks, months, even years.  Cultures around the world tell stories like this — flood myths, we call them, and we've looked at a few from China already. This week and next week, though, we'll cover another one, possibly the most important: the story of a flood, a supernatural heist, and incredible dedication to the people and the...

War is an ugly thing — blood, pain, and loss are inevitably bound up on both sides of any conflict, in any era. But, as we know, humans are experts at making anything into a story, and fighting is no exception. The Trojan War; the three hundred Spartans at Thermopylae; the Normandy landing in the Second World War; Hannibal's defeat — our history books and entertainment alike are filled with dramat...

What gives a leader their power? The answer to that question is, ultimately, "the people following them" — a sentiment that's been expressed as "the consent of the governed," however that consent might be gained. So, if you're a monarch, what's one of the most important things you can do to stay king? You have to convince the people that you're the best person for the job. And, as with so many oth...

Have you ever been so mad at something that you decided you wanted to kill it? Has that thing ever been the ocean? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then you have a lot in common with the daughter of Yan Di, China's Flame Emperor. This week, we look at what I believe is one of the most important Chinese myths, and its genuinely surprising moral implications. Join me, Jaer Christie, a...

Last week, we began the story of Erlang Shen, the vagrant boy who tamed the dog that tried to eat the sun and, with his sister, was adopted by the mystic Yuding Zhenren. After many years of studying with the master, he reveals to them that their mother was a goddess who came to earth and suffered a mortal wound defending humankind from a terrible dragon. And this week, we complete that story, and...

This past week, on April 5, Mainland China celebrated Qingming Festival, which, although its name simply translates to "clear and bright holiday," in English goes by the name "Tomb Sweeping Day." That may conjure images of ghosts and graves, but in actuality it's traditionally a day that comes from a long history of showing respect and deference to your ancestors and family. In keeping with that t...

What makes you feel safe? Physical safety is one of our most fundamental needs, and generally speaking, we're a lot safer now than we were a thousand years ago — most of us aren't worrying about things like dirty water, disease, wild animal attacks, and the elements. But just as important as physical safety is emotional safety, the feeling of security that gives us peace of mind, and when it comes...

Exiled from civilized lands by Shun, the last sage king; feared by many for the curses that follow them, the Four Foul Fiends are wicked beasts, harbingers of times of darkness and vice, heeding the wishes of evildoers and spiteful toward the righteous. Beware of them, for exiled though they may be, what power has law over the lawless? Join me, Jaer Christie, as I explore the hidden legends that s...

This week on the Mythographist, we look at three stories that all make up parts of the most important flood myth in Chinese culture: the legend of Gonggong's fight against Zhuanxu; the story of how the goddess Nüwa fixed the hole in the sky; and the folktale of a brother and sister who survive a flood. This story is the basis for the 2021 Immortals: Fenyx Rising video game expansion, Myths of the...

What are the laws that govern the foundations of the universe? And what mysteries pass us by, day after day, perceived yet unknown and unseen by mere mortals like ourselves? The truth is deeper than we may ever grasp, but let us give names to the forces that we feel, that we might see the many shapes they take and better know them. In this episode, we look at the Four Constellations, a group of fo...

All things must begin somewhere, but where did the world come from? All people have been born, but where did the first people come from? These are the questions we have asked since the dawn of humanity, and answered with stories. These are the tales of the first things, and how they came to be. In this episode, we look at two of China's myths of creation: Pangu and the Creation of the Universe, an...

Near or far, wherever you may travel, whether upon the earth, through the skies, or over the seas, you will find creatures of strange forms and abilities. So in the heavens, too, are beasts of many different kinds. The Qilin, the Fenghuang, the Gui, and the Pixiu are creatures of mystical attributes that roam the skies and wild lands, heralds of luck, sought by kings and the wise and upright. May...

Kings and warriors, epic battles and impossible challenges — these are, quite literally, the stuff of legend, and that's where we're going on today's episode of the Mythographist. We'll look at two stories that lie just past the misty edge of recorded history, set well over four thousand years ago, when China was just beginning to coalesce into a single nation-state: The story of Xing Tian, and th...

In China, Spring Festival begins with Lunar New Year, when everybody frightens the monster Nianshou away, and lasts for the next two weeks. During that time, red lanterns are hung, riddles are written, and soup with balls of sticky rice is made, culminating on Lantern Festival, the final day of the festival, where dragons dance in the streets and paper lanterns are sent up into the sky, carrying w...

Even if you don't care about astrology, odds are pretty good that you know your star sign — I'm a Gemini, which is twins, and Ocho the cat, my co-producer, is a Cancer, the crab. But you may have heard that we just entered the Year of the Rabbit, which is part of the shengxiao, or Chinese zodiac. Based on a twelve-year cycle that's related to the lunar calendar, the Chinese zodiac and its relative...

Lunar new year is the start of a new annual lunar cycle,and it's celebrated all throughout Asia, from Mongolia to Vietnam. It's the focus of countless traditions, practices, and folktales that are familiar to literally billions of people, but are almost unknown in Western cultures. So today on The Mythographist, I want to take you to China, where the lunar new year celebration, called Spring Festi...