Download or read book China Lore Legend and Lyrics written by Royal de Rohan Barondes and published by . This book was released on 1960 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Simply written presentation of many aspects of Chinese culture.
Download or read book Plant Lore Legends and Lyrics Embracing the Myths Traditions Superstitions and Folk Lore of the Plant Kingdom written by Richard Folkard and published by Library of Alexandria. This book was released on 2020-09-28 with total page 761 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE analogy existing between the vegetable and animal worlds, and the resemblances between human and tree life, have been observed by man from the most remote periods of which we have any records. Primitive man, watching the marvellous changes in trees and plants, which accurately marked not only the seasons of the year, but even the periods of time in a day, could not fail to be struck with a feeling of awe at the mysterious invisible power which silently guided such wondrous and incomprehensible operations. Hence it is not astonishing that the early inhabitants of the earth should have invested with supernatural attributes the tree, which in the gloom and chill of Winter stood gaunt, bare, and sterile, but in the early Spring hastened to greet the welcome warmth-giving Sun by investing itself with a brilliant canopy of verdure, and in the scorching heat of Summer afforded a refreshing shade beneath its leafy boughs. So we find these men of old, who had learnt to reverence the mysteries of vegetation, forming conceptions of vast cosmogonic world- or cloud-trees overshadowing the universe; mystically typifying creation and regeneration, and yielding the divine ambrosia or food of immortality, the refreshing and life-inspiring rain, and the mystic fruit which imparted knowledge and wisdom to those who partook of it. So, again, we find these nebulous overspreading world-trees connected with the mysteries of death, and giving shelter to the souls of the departed in the solemn shade of their dense foliage. Looking upon vegetation as symbolical of life and generation, man, in course of time, connected the origin of his species with these shadowy cloud-trees, and hence arose the belief that humankind first sprang from Ash and Oak-trees, or derived their being from Holda, the cloud-goddess who combined in her person the form of a lovely woman and the trunk of a mighty tree. In after years trees were almost universally regarded either as sentient beings or as constituting the abiding places of spirits whose existence was bound up in the lives of the trees they inhabited. Hence arose the conceptions of Hamadryads, Dryads, Sylvans, Tree-nymphs, Elves, Fairies, and other beneficent spirits who peopled forests and dwelt in individual trees—not only in the Old World, but in the dense woods of North America, where the Mik-amwes, like Puck, has from time immemorial frolicked by moonlight in the forest openings. Hence, also, sprang up the morbid notion of trees being haunted by demons, mischievous imps, ghosts, nats, and evil spirits, whom it was deemed by the ignorant and superstitious necessary to propitiate by sacrifices, offerings, and mysterious rites and dances. Remnants of this superstitious tree-worship are still extant in some European countries. The Irminsul of the Germans and the Central Oak of the Druids were of the same family as the Asherah of the Semitic nations. In England, this primeval superstition has its descendants in the village maypole bedizened with ribbons and flowers, and the Jack-in-the-Green with its attendant devotees and whirling dancers. The modern Christmas-tree, too, although but slightly known in Germany at the beginning of the present century, is evidently a remnant of the pagan tree-worship; and it is somewhat remarkable that a similar tree is common among the Burmese, who call it the Padaytha-bin. This Turanian Christmas-tree is made by the inhabitants of towns, who deck its Bamboo twigs with all sorts of presents, and pile its roots with blankets, cloth, earthenware, and other useful articles.
Download or read book Traditional Chinese Toggles written by Margaret Duda and published by Editions Didier Millet. This book was released on 2011 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a much-needed reference guide to the historical and cultural significance of Chinese toggles or zhuizi - carved pieces of jade, ivory, bone, wood, shell and semi-precious stones used by the Chinese in ancient times as counterweights to secure personal effects like tobacco pipes and money pouches to their belts. Over time, toggles became treasured objects of identity and expression, believed to bring the bearer good luck, happiness, fertility, longevity and health. The book explains how toggles were used in daily and ceremonial life, and interprets the designs that are fundamental to understanding these artefacts. Accompanied by stunning photography and detailed descriptions, Traditional Chinese Toggles: Counterweights and Charms will be the definitive illustrative guide to this little-known Chinese art form.
Download or read book Macau written by Jonathan Porter and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-02-23 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "For many people who have encountered it, Macau makes a deep impression on the imagination, as if the city were not entirely real or, rather, not of the real world. Macau often seems dreamlike, as though it were sustained by the effort of some powerful imagination." In this evocative essay on the cultural and social history of a unique and fragile city, Jonathan Porter examines Macau as an enduring but ever-changing threshold between East and West. Founded by the Portuguese in 1557, Macau emerged as a vibrant commercial and cultural hub in the early seventeenth century. The city then gradually evolved, flourishing first as a Eurasian community in the eighteenth century and then as an increasingly Chinese city in the nineteenth century. Macau became a modern manufacturing center in the late twentieth century and is now destined for reversion to the People’s Republic of China in 1999. The city was the meeting ground for many cultures, but central to this fascinating story is the encounter between an expansive, seaborne Portuguese empire and the introspective, closed world of imperial China. Unlike the other great colonial port cities of Asia, Macau did not provide natural access to the hinterland, and this geographical and historical isolation has fostered a unique balance of cultural influences that survives to this day. Poised on the periphery of two worlds, an isolated but global crossroads, Macau is a unique cultural and social melange that illuminates crucial issues of cross-cultural exchange in world history. Establishing Portugal and China as distinct cultural archetypes, Porter then examines the subsequent encounters of East and West in Macau from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. Avoiding the traditional linear chronological approach, Porter instead looks at a series of images from the city’s history and culture, including its place in the geographical context of the South China coast; the architecture of Macau, which reflects the memories of its historical passages; the variety of people who crossed the threshold of Macau; the material culture of everyday life; and the spiritual topography resulting from the encounters of popular religious movements in Macau. Jonathan Porter concludes his literary journey by reflecting on the character and meaning of the many cultural and social influences that have met and mingled in Macau. His words and photographs eloquently capture the essence of a place that seems too ephemeral to be real, too captivating to be anything but an imaginary city.
Download or read book The Folk lore of Plants written by T. F. Thiselton-Dyer and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2019-11-25 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Folk-lore of Plants by T. F. Thiselton Dyer is a handbook describing the lives and functions of various plants. Excerpt: "I. PLANT LIFE II. PRIMITIVE AND SAVAGE NOTIONS RESPECTING PLANTS III. PLANT WORSHIP IV. LIGHTNING PLANTS V. PLANTS IN WITCHCRAFT VI. PLANTS IN DEMONOLOGY VII. PLANTS IN FAIRY-LORE VIII. LOVE-CHARMS IX. DREAM-PLANTS X. PLANTS AND THE WEATHER XI. PLANT PROVERBS XII. PLANTS AND THEIR CEREMONIAL USE XIII. PLANT NAMES XIV. PLANT LANGUAGE XV. FABULOUS PLANTS XVI. DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES XVII. PLANTS AND THE CALENDAR XVIII. CHILDREN'S RHYMES AND GAMES."
Download or read book Under the Sacred Canopy written by JD Walker and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2023-04-08 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tap into the Magick of Sacred Trees Around the World From the Norse Yggdrasil and the Christian Tree of Knowledge to the Buddhist bodhi tree and the Jewish Sephiroth, mystical trees have become intertwined with our history and spirituality. This book invites you to not only explore the deep roots of their influence throughout time and across continents, but also use their spiritual energy in your magickal practice. Under the Sacred Canopy introduces you to Universe Trees, as well as Trees of Life and Wisdom from an array of cultures, including the Mayan ceiba tree, Mesopotamian huluppa tree, and Greek oracle oaks. JD Walker also provides modern ways to celebrate these trees and connect with your local landscape. Featuring in-depth information on tree spirits, botanical terminology, and magickal uses for more than a dozen common trees, this book helps you engage with arboreal symbology for a more enchanting and harmonious life.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures written by Theresa Bane and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This exhaustive volume catalogs nearly three thousand demons in the mythologies and lore of virtually every ancient society and most religions. From Aamon, the demon of life and reproduction with the head of a serpent and the body of a wolf in Christian demonology, to Zu, the half-man, half-bird personification of the southern wind and thunder clouds in Sumero-Akkadian mythology, entries offer descriptions of each demon's origins, appearance and cultural significance. Also included are descriptions of the demonic and diabolical members making up the hierarchy of Hell and the numerous species of demons that, according to various folklores, mythologies, and religions, populate the earth and plague mankind. Very thoroughly indexed.
Download or read book Books Added to the Libraries written by William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library and published by . This book was released on 1962 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Library Journal written by Melvil Dewey and published by . This book was released on 1960 with total page 1360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes, beginning Sept. 15, 1954 (and on the 15th of each month, Sept.-May) a special section: School library journal, ISSN 0000-0035, (called Junior libraries, 1954-May 1961). Issued also separately.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth Legend and Folklore written by Theresa Bane and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2016-05-09 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Here there be dragons"--this notation was often made on ancient maps to indicate the edges of the known world and what lay beyond. Heroes who ventured there were only as great as the beasts they encountered. This encyclopedia contains more than 2,200 monsters of myth and folklore, who both made life difficult for humans and fought by their side. Entries describe the appearance, behavior, and cultural origin of mythic creatures well-known and obscure, collected from traditions around the world.
Download or read book New Mexico Quarterly written by and published by . This book was released on 1960 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The New Mexico Quarterly written by and published by . This book was released on 1960 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book American Book Publishing Record written by and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 1558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Philosophy East West written by and published by . This book was released on 1959 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Luzac s Oriental List and Book Review written by and published by . This book was released on 1959 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Cumulative Bibliography of Asian Studies 1941 1965 Asia written by and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 788 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Nectar and Ambrosia written by Tamra Andrews and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2000-10-26 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A publishing first, Nectar and Ambrosia presents an encyclopedic treatment of the magic properties and uses of food by mortals and immortals alike, from the pages of myth and legend. Now, for the first time, the magic properties and uses of food by both mortals and immortals as represented in the world's myths and legends are brought together and explained in Nectar and Ambrosia. This A–Z volume is filled with an abundance of exotic lore and legend.
