Category Archives: Myths

Sacred narratives

Hou Yi Shooting Down the Sun

Interviewee:

According to Chinese mythology, in ancient times, there were ten suns in the sky. With all ten blazing at once, human life was nearly impossible. The land was scorched, crops couldn’t grow, and rivers and streams had dried up. People were barely surviving under this condition.

Then, a legendary character Hou Yi stepped up. Witnessing the suffering of the people, he decided to climb to the top of Mount Kunlun and, with incredible precision, shot down nine of the ten suns all at once, leaving only the one sun we know of today. Yeah, it’s the sun that rises in the east and sets in the west. I was told that he wanted to keep one of the suns because humans need light and heat to survive.

Because of Hou Yi, humanity was saved, so people revered him and called him a hero.

(This myth was told in Chinese and translated.)

Context: I learned this myth as a child when my father told me of it. My interpretation is that every culture has their own hero, and this (Hou Yi) is like the Chinese deity of the sun. I think Hou Yi’s story explains why we only have one sun in the sky now, and society needs to have somebody to be that “heroic” figure to kind of pay our respect to, without whom we couldn’t have our lives now. I think people’s attitudes towards Hou Yi are often quite grateful and positive, even till today.


Analysis:

Myth as an explanation of nature: This myth is an etiological myth—it looks at natural phenomena using a humanistic lens, naming the person who has done something that has led to a natural phenomenon to occur. Every time someone watches the sun rise in the east and set in the west, this myth of Hou Yi shooting down the other nine suns provides a human explanation for it, bridging humanity and nature. In addition, Hou Yi’s choice to keep one sun because humans need sun and light adds a personal and emotional texture to this myth that makes him revered as a “savior” of humanity or a hero.

Restoration of Energy and Cosmic Order: In Chinese culture, it is emphasized to restore energy and order—having “too much” of anything is considered a bad thing, compared to having “just the right amount.” This myth exemplifies this cultural belief. Hou Yi, by shooting down excessive suns that have led to natural disasters, restores the cosmic order, and this “restoration of energy” is praised in this myth.

The Monster Nian, Chinese New Year, and Red

Age: 19

Text:

Interviewee:

On the first day of Chinese Spring Festival (New Year’s Eve), my family and I would set off firecrackers and fireworks, and it’s best if they are very loud ones. It was then that I was told about the myth of a monster named Nian. The physical appearance of Nian looks like a lion, with pointed teeth and a scary, ugly face. According to the myth, on the first day of the Chinese Spring Festival, Nian will come out from the mountains to the neighborhoods of every Chinese family. Nian will be hunting for children to eat.

In the past, people had no idea what to do when Nian came, until one day, someone set off a firecracker exactly when Nian visited their house. It was then that the firecracker brought out “fire,” and Nian was very scared of fire, so it ran away.

There are other sayings about what drove Nian away. Some people say that Nian is very scared of the color red. Therefore, during Spring Festival, everyone will wear clothes in red in order to drive the monster away and protect themselves and their families. For instance, I was born in the Year of the Pig, and my grandmother always tells me to wear red socks during the Year of the Snake, because the two zodiac signs conflict (snake eats pig), according to Chinese traditional beliefs.

Red also became a symbol of good luck in the context of the Lunar Chinese New Year. For instance, people will hang up red lanterns to decorate the house, elders will prepare red envelopes to give out Lucky Money or [压岁钱 ya sui qian] to children in the family, and the window papercut we use specifically to celebrate Chinese New Year is always red.

Context:

The interviewee learned the myth of monster Nian as a child, around 6 or 7 years old. This myth was shared by the elders of his family when they were celebrating the Chinese New Year together. The interviewee’s thoughts: he found Nian a scary figure as a child, but got used to this belief (and the rituals around wearing clothes in Red during Chinese New Years) gradually as he grew up.

Analysis:

Myth as an explanation for ritual: Monster Nian’s story is an example of how a myth has led to the emergence of a ritual, long practiced by the Chinese when celebrating the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) every year.

Temporal Liminality: New Year is a threshold moment, marking the end of the old year and the beginning of a new year, and Nian comes exactly on New Year’s Eve. This is representative of liminality being a time when the line between the human world and the supernatural world gets blurred. Nian’s presence on New Year’s Eve makes the distance between the human world and the supernatural world closer and thinner.

Development of a set of rituals, including ones related to fireworks and the color red: The development of a set of rituals following Nian’s story is representative of a growing Communitas: a community spirit or “togetherness” that grows from a ritual or being in a liminal zone together. This applies to the practice of setting off fireworks or putting on clothes in red when it’s Chinese New Year—as this became a ritual, everyone around is doing the same, and going through the same “liminal” phase of entering the new year.

Swallowing Gum

Text:

If you swallow gum, it will stay in your system for 7 years.

Context:

This was told to the informant as a child, and it caused her to be very aware and cautious whenever she chewed gum.

Analysis:

This is a common thing told to children, and can sometimes be believed well into adulthood. It is used to dissuade children from swallowing gum rather than spitting it out. The informant also mentioned how she was told this to prevent her from swallowing gum in her sleep, as she would chew it late at night sometimes. It was more out of safety than anything else.

The Sage of Room 108

Age: 50

Text (The Story): TT (my mother) told me a story from her college days in India about a particular dorm room, Room 108, which students treated almost like a sacred site.

Years before she arrived on campus, an older student, known simply as “the Sage of 108”, had lived in that very room. No​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ one was able to recall his original name. It was said that he was a very quiet, withdrawn, and even reclusive a philosophy scholar, who was so much absorbed in his meditation that he almost never spoke, hardly ate, and didn’t seem very attracted to the usual college life.

According to one version of the myth, he arrived at jivanmukti which is the freedom of the spirit during life. Another one suggested that he was able to foresee things way before time: a professor’s sudden resignation, a student’s family emergency, or even an exam question weeks before it was written. 

It was whispered that he could be none other than the very Dattatreya, the Hindu god who is the wandering teacher. Dattatreya is a character who is said to go about the world very quietly, and be there when you least expect it, in different guises, to help people. Stories on the campus, however, say that the person living in Room 108 and carrying the same vibe as Dattatreya. He was detached, loving, and very much aware without being told. 

During the last days of his final year, the Sage just went off the campus without informing anyone of his intention. He left hauling with him a single cloth sack one morning and walked out through the college gate. When someone came to his room a few hours later, they found it empty with the exception of a piece of cloth neatly folded on the ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌desk.

After that, strange things were reported. Students claimed the room smelled faintly of incense even when no one entered. One girl told TT that she stepped inside room 108 and felt a pressure, a kind of overwhelming stillness that made her leave immediately.

The administration eventually sealed Room 108. They gave practical explanations such as “structural damage” and “student safety”, but none of the students believed that. Everyone knew the real reason: the room was too spiritually charged. Too many people reported intense emotions inside it. Too many believed the Sage had left something behind.

When TT attended college, students had already begun a tradition:

Before any major exam, they would slip into the hallway, fold their hands, and offer a quick prayer outside the locked door of Room 108.

Some just tapped the door frame.

Some left flowers or pens on the ground.

Some whispered the Sage’s name, though no one could agree on what it was.

TT herself admitted that before her final board exams, she walked there with a group of friends in the early morning. They didn’t really know what they were praying for, whether it was luck, calmness, clarity, or perhaps the presence of someone who achieved spiritual awakening.

She​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ mentioned that the corridor outside 108 had this weirdly quiet vibe all the time, like the sounds were muffled. When she and her schoolmates meet for reunions, there is always a person who talks about “the Sage of 108,” and all the others acknowledge it by a nod as if it were a shared ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌secret.

Context: TT told me this story while reminiscing about her college years in India. This memorate is typically shared among alumni, usually during nostalgic conversations about exams, early adulthood, or campus myths.

The setting, an Indian university, makes belief in holy men, gurus, reincarnation, and spiritual presence feel normal rather than supernatural. Indian campuses often blend secular life with sacred spaces, and Room 108 became one such hybrid: part dorm room, part shrine, part student ritual.

This story also fits a larger South Asian cultural context where certain numbers (such as 108, a sacred number in Hinduism and Buddhism) carry deep spiritual significance.

The Teller’s Thoughts: TT treats the story with a mix of nostalgia and respect. She doesn’t necessarily claim the Sage was literally an incarnation of Dattatreya, but she believes he had a spiritual depth that left an imprint on the campus. She describes Room 108 as a place students approached with sincerity, not fear and something in between superstition and faith.

She said, “We all felt calmer after praying there. Maybe that’s all that mattered.”

My Thoughts (Analysis): This memorate blends campus legend, reincarnation belief, and folk religion into a single story.

This story functions as a sacred space on a secular campus, a rite of passage before exams, and a blending of Hindu spiritual motifs with student life. The association with Dattatreya deepens the story’s symbolic power. Dattatreya is the wandering divine teacher who appears in humble forms, and the idea that a spiritually advanced figure might quietly live in a college dorm room fits this motif perfectly.

The closure of Room 108, the lingering incense scent, and the informal prayer ritual all add to the all add to the mysterious atmosphere that made Room 108 feel like more than just a dorm room.. The story also shows how students use legend to navigate stress and this transforms anxiety about exams into a communal ritual that is rooted in cultural spirituality.

Personally, I think the story beautifully captures how folklore forms in modern environments. A single individual, remembered only in fragments, becomes a symbol of calm, wisdom, and hope for generations of students who never met him.

The Igbo Creation Story

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Story:

Me: Could you tell me about the Igbo beliefs on the creation of the world?

PA: Ah, my child, in our Igbo way, we know that the world was made by Chukwu, the supreme god. Chukwu is the source of all things before anything existed, there was Chukwu. He created the heavens, the earth, the seas, the sky… everything you see and even what you cannot see.

Me: So Chukwu created not just the world but also the people?

PA: Yes, yes. He made the land and placed people on it to live, to care for it. But he did not leave the world empty, he also created the Alusi, the gods, to oversee different parts of life. Each one has their own role.

Me: Can you tell me more about these gods?

PA: There is Igwe, the god of the sky and the sun. Ala, the earth goddess, she is the one who gives life and watches over fertility. Then Amadioha, the god of thunder and justice. These are just a few. They serve Chukwu’s will, making sure the world stays in order.

Me: Was Chukwu worshiped directly?

PA: Hmm, not in the way people worship today. Chukwu is beyond us, too great, too vast for human understanding. He is in the sun, in the earth, in the breath we take. The people honored him by respecting the balance of the world, by making offerings to the gods he placed in charge. That was our way, before the white man came with his own beliefs.

Me: So before colonization, these beliefs were very strong?

PA: Oh yes. People knew that to live well, you must respect the forces that Chukwu put in place. There were shrines, prayers, sacrifices. Not for fear, but to keep harmony. It was how we lived, how we understood the world. Chukwu made all things, and so all things belong to him. That is what we believed.

Context:

This belief system was shared with me by a local elder from the Igbo community, who recalled the creation story passed down through generations. The elder explained that this creation story was part of the pre-colonial Igbo worldview, before the introduction of European influences and Christianity, which altered many indigenous beliefs. The informant shared that, in their youth, this story was commonly told in family settings, especially during ceremonies and celebrations, to help young members understand the origins of life and their place in the universe.

The informant described this creation story is integral to the Igbo community’s understanding of spirituality, nature, and morality. They emphasized that Chukwu’s creation of the world was seen as a model of harmony and balance. The elders in their community used this creation story to teach values such as respect for nature, harmony with other deities, and the importance of maintaining balance in one’s life.

My Interpretation:

The myth of Chukwu and the creation of the world is central to the Igbo worldview. It explains the origins of existence and highlights Chukwu as the supreme creator who maintains balance and order. This story not only describes the beginning of humanity but also reinforces the Igbo people’s deep spiritual connection to the earth and the cosmos. It reflects their belief that the physical and spiritual worlds are closely linked, with humans, ancestors, and spirits influencing one another.

Chukwu represents divinity in all aspects of life including creation, fertility, and governance. The emergence of other deities from Chukwu shows a structured spiritual system. Though Christianity and colonization changed many religious practices, the core ideas in this myth which are respect for a supreme god and the connection between the natural and spiritual worlds, still shape Igbo spirituality today.