Nine
is one of the most important numbers in Chinese mythology. First and
foremost, this number symbolised the sky and heaven. Other examples
where the number nine is incorporated into mythology includes the
Nine Cauldrons and the Nine Songs.
The
Nine Cauldrons had magical qualities that allowed them to judge
whether an emperor's rule was good or bad, and then to change in
shape accordingly. So if the cauldrons appeared in a story as small
and heavy, the emperor was ruling well. If they were large and light,
the reign was bad.
The
Nine Songs is a myth sometimes called the Nine Summons. It related to
the music Kai (the son of one of the emperors of the Golden Age, Yu)
obtained from heaven. It was also thought to refer to the music used
in funerals, where the soul was being “summoned” to the
afterlife.
Other
significant numbers in Chinese mythology included two, which related
to the connection between yin and yang, and five. There were five
elements, five colours, five known planets, and five senses.
Some interesting pointers about the number nine!
ReplyDeleteThanks :-)
DeleteNine also contains within it the numbers three and four, considered by many to have a lot of spiritual power.
ReplyDeleteOh right, I didn't know that!
DeleteSo... 9 is the magic number...? :-)
ReplyDeleteHaha, looks like it!
DeleteAnd four represents death, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to look into the Nine Songs. That sounds fascinating!
Erin
I didn't know that about the number four, that's very interesting... I'll have to find out more!
Delete