The Evolution of Female Images in China Mythology

In ancient times, the living environment of primitive residents was harsh. In that era when the means of production were extremely low, people could not understand birth, illness, death and some natural phenomena. Facing the dangerous natural environment, people wish to have some supernatural power to give them shelter, so the myth worship in ancient times came into being.

In addition, in ancient times, it was the matriarchal clan period. Ancestors worship their mothers and children, so most gods are goddesses. With the deepening of the ancestors' understanding of nature and their own individual cognition, the function of the goddess is constantly changing. With the changes of the times and social system, the goddess gradually gave way to the male god, and her identity gradually changed from the dominant to the dependent.

From the change of identity cognition in mythology, we can not only see the position and evolution of women in history, but also see the tragic characteristics of women in the Millennium patriarchal society.

The goddess generation with shining stars:

In ancient times, ancestors were in the matriarchal clan period. Ancestors worshipped unknown nature, motherhood and reproduction, so early gods were goddesses or goddesses' sons.

Creator: Nu Wa

"Shuo Wen Jie Zi": "You, the saint of ancient times, are also the people who transform everything."

Nu Wa is the god of creation in China traditional mythology, also known as the mother god. Her main achievement is to make people out of clay and make the sky out of stones. According to the myth, the original world was chaotic and there was no human existence. Nu Wa made man from loess. She dipped the willow branches in the soil and sprinkled them everywhere, thus human beings were born between heaven and earth.

The water god * * * competed with Zhuan Xu for the throne, but after the defeat, * * * * was furious and could not reach Zhoushan, which led to the sky falling and the human flood raging. Nu Wa can't bear the disaster of life, so she tries to catch up with the five-color stone.

As the ancestor of human beings, Nu Wa occupies an extremely important position in mythology, and is also the highest-ranking goddess in ancient mythology.

The God of Resistance: Jingwei

Shan Hai Jing Bei Shan Jing: "Its shape is like a bird, white howling, barefoot, and it is called Jingwei ... The wood and stone of Chang Jiexi Mountain are buried in the East China Sea."

In fact, similar Kuafu Daily and Jingwei Reclaiming the Sea reflect the rebellious spirit of our ancestors' tenacious struggle with nature, but the goddess at this time has obvious differences in both external image and rebellious spirit.

First of all, in appearance, Jingwei is a petite and weak bird, while Kuafu is a tall and powerful man. Secondly, in terms of the reasons and ways of struggle, Jingwei resisted after being persecuted, while Kuafu took the initiative to challenge authority.