Category Archives: Taoism

How We Pierced the Forest

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Nathan

Perceforest: The Prehistory of King Arthur’s Britain translated by Nigel Bryant – I had heard about this epic work a few years ago, but couldn’t find it until recently, at a link on the Arthurian Preservation Project at Tumblr. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthurian Legend, Authors, Book Reviews, British, Chinese, Christianity, England, Fairy Tales, Families, Games, History, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Names, Norse, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan, Sports, Taoism, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Big Four

Posted on September 14, 2024 by Nathan

I looked up the Four Immortals from Vietnamese mythology, who were mentioned in Van Hoang’s Girl Giant and the Monkey King, and I noticed that the Wikipedia page doesn’t have a whole lot of information. A few other sites did … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Chinese, Feminism, Monsters, Mythology, Relationships, Religion, Taoism, Vietnamese | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who You Gonna Quell?

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Nathan

Zhong Kui, known as the Demon Queller, is a popular figure in Chinese folklore, and a very popular subject in art. Indeed, when I searched for information on him, most of the links were to paintings, and many others to … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Buddhism, Chinese, Dreams, Holidays, Japanese, Mythology, Religion, Taoism, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hell-thy, Wealthy, and Dead

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Nathan

The expression “you can’t take it with you” apparently dates back to the first half of the nineteenth century, but the idea is older than that. Not all cultures have believed this, however. We know that the tombs of wealthy … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Authors, Buddhism, Chinese, Christianity, Egyptian, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Norse, Religion, Taoism, Tom Holt | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mellow Yellow

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Nathan

When you go back far enough, it can be difficult to tell real personages from mythical ones. Lists of kings often include some far-fetched entries toward the beginning, like people who ruled for centuries. One of the most significant quasi-historical … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, China, Chinese, Conspiracy Theories, History, Monsters, Mythology, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Turtle Whirl

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Nathan

I was looking for information on the Black Tortoise of Winter who played a significant role in Grace Lin’s When the Sea Turned to Silver, and it turns out that he’s pretty closely tied to a god called Xuanwu, a … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Chinese, History, Mythology, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Jaded Monarch

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Nathan

The Jade Emperor is a significant character in Journey to the West, in which Sun Wukong challenges his rule over the universe for no real reason other than because he wanted recognition. He’s more or less the head of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Chinese, L. Frank Baum, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Monk and the Monkey

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Nathan

Journey to the West, by Wu Cheng’en, translated and edited by Anthony C. Yu – This classic of Chinese literature, first published in the sixteenth century, is quite loosely based on the real-life pilgrimage of the seventh-century Buddhist monk Xuanzang … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Buddhism, China, Chinese, History, India, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The Tao Te Ching Industrial Average

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Nathan

Since we looked at Confucius last week, it only makes sense to move on to his supposed contemporary Lao-Tzu. Not a whole lot is known about him, and even what is known might not be accurate. The name Lao-Tzu, or … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Historical Personages, History, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Going Up

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Nathan

Today is another Christian holiday that doesn’t get much press these days, Ascension Thursday. This is when Jesus, after being resurrected on Easter Sunday and hanging around for forty days, ascended bodily into Heaven. I’m sure we’ve all seen the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Greek Mythology, Hinduism, Holidays, Islam, Judaism, Mythology, Religion, Taoism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments