The traditional story of fish lanterns

It is mentioned in Sima Qian's Historical Records that in the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, the lamp made of mermaid cream is said to last for thousands of years. For thousands of years, countless people have been curious about the so-called? Mermaid? What the hell does that mean?

Mermaid ointment is a kind of candle.

Because the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor cannot be excavated, people can only imagine how magnificent the layout of the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is through Sima Qian's description of the underground palace of the Han Dynasty. Among them, regarding the lighting facilities of the underground palace, the historical records mentioned such a sentence:? Take mermaid cream as a candle, and it will last for a long time. .

Historical records? Biography of Qin Shihuang:? At the beginning of the emperor's accession to the throne, he passed through Mount Li and merged with the world. More than 700,000 people were sent to the world, through three springs, under the copper, and through the palace. Let the craftsman make a crossbow, and people who wear it at close range need to shoot it. Take mercury as a hundred rivers and seas, instill machines, there is astronomy on the top and geography on the bottom. Take mermaid cream as a candle, and it will last for a long time. ? As we all know, in the enclosed space of the underground palace, even the candles produced by modern industry will be extinguished because of the exhaustion of oxygen, and it is impossible to reach the level of immortality for thousands of years. So many people speculate that the mermaid cream here must be a very magical material, and only oil lamps made of this material can be used for a long time.

(2) What is a mermaid?

So, what is the mermaid mentioned by Sima Qian and does it really exist in real life? As we all know, when we talk about mermaids, we all think of mermaids. It is recorded in Shan Hai Jing. Face fish? Creatures, such as Shan Hai Jing? Nanjing in Hainan mentioned one? A country of one person? , said:? The Miao nation is building muxi, which is a fish for everyone, but it is not enough. ?

In addition to people, Jiao Ren is also recorded in Ji Shen. Beyond the South China Sea, there is Jiao Ren, which lives in the water like a fish and has not wasted its achievements. Its eyes will cry and produce beads. ? This image is like Nami in League of Legends, which makes people talk about it. The poet Li Shangyin once quoted Jiao Ren's allusion that tears can be turned into pearls? Mermaids shed pearl-like tears on the moon-green sea, and the blue fields breathe their jade to the sun? That famous saying. ?

But on the whole, the existence of this mermaid combination is more like a mythical creature.

(3) giant salamander or whale

So when we return to reality from myth, there are two kinds of animals in nature that are more in line with this speculation. One is the giant salamander, commonly known as the giant salamander, and the other is the whale that dominates the ocean. So which of these two creatures is more in line with Sima Qian's records?

I suspect that mermaid belongs to giant salamander because there is a saying in Records of the Historians:? Mermaids are like catfish, with four legs? This sentence is very directional. A fish with four feet is nothing more than? Baby fish? This view was affirmed in Justice in Historical Records:? This giant fish sounds like a child crying. It has four feet and is shaped like a herring.

However, there is another sentence in "The History of Foreign Things":? Mermaid looks like a human figure, more than a foot long and unpalatable. The skin is good for sharks to saw wood, and there is a small wear on the neck, from which qi comes out. The first emperor's tomb only used mermaid as a candle, that is, this fish also. Out of the East China Sea, there is one in Taizhou today. ? The three characteristics of fish skin, water spray and life in the sea mentioned here transfer the object to whales that are more in line with the characteristics.

In addition, the document "Tai Lan" also agrees with this view, saying that the first emperor burned whale paste as a lamp. ? On this basis, some people speculate? Mermaid cream? It's an ointment made of whale brain oil, which is more scientific than giant salamander ointment. It has also been scientifically confirmed that candles made of whale brain oil can burn 7.78 grams per hour, and every cubic meter of whale brain oil can burn for several years.

Therefore, if inferred from this record, mermaid cream seems to refer to whale cream.