Sexual Mythology Aesthetics

Author: Li Chuanlong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Heaven and Earth, in terms of material substance, belong to natural objects. However, in ancient times, many people personified Heaven and Earth, believing them to possess human-like qualities. They referred to Heaven as male and Earth as female, pairing them as a couple, known as the "Heaven-Earth Marriage." P6 In ancient myths and legends, due to the personification of Heaven and Earth, various myths of "Heaven-Male and Earth-Female" emerged. The Lisu ethnic group in China has a myth that tells of the Sky God Mubupai separating from his family and using "sky mud" to create the Earth. From then on, Heaven enveloped the Earth, and the Earth supported Heaven. Heaven was male, and Earth was female, forming a marital couple. Another myth from the Lhoba ethnic group in China states that in the beginning, Heaven was bare, and Earth was bald, with nothing else except the two. Because Heaven was male and Earth was female, they were mutually attracted and fell in love. They discussed, "We are too lonely; we must make the universe flourish." Thus, they became a married couple. In some myths, when infusing sexual elements into Heaven and Earth, they are often deified. In such cases, Heaven becomes the Sky God (male), and Earth becomes the Earth Goddess (female), and their union represents the marriage of the male Sky God and the female Earth Goddess. In Yunnan, the Achang ethnic group has a myth that tells of an ancient time when there were no Heaven or Earth, only chaos. Chaos emitted light, creating brightness and darkness, which in turn gave rise to Yin and Yang. The union of Yin and Yang gave birth to Zhepama and Zhemima. They lit bonfires on two mountain peaks, and the thick smoke from the fires converged in the sky, merging into one stream. Thus, following the will of Heaven, they married. In this myth, Zhepama is the male god who created Heaven and the embodiment of Heaven, while Zhemima is the female goddess who wove the Earth and the embodiment of Earth. The marriage of Zhepama and Zhemima is both the union of the male Sky God and the female Earth Goddess and the union of Heaven and Earth. In foreign myths, the deification of Heaven and Earth is also common. In Greek mythology, Gaia emerged from chaos as a goddess. She is the Earth Goddess and the embodiment of the Earth. She gave birth to Ouranos. Ouranos is a god. He is the Sky God and the embodiment of Heaven. Later, Gaia and Ouranos married, representing the union of the Earth Goddess and the Sky God, or the union of Earth and Heaven. In Indian mythology, Indra is both the Sky God and the manifestation of Heaven. Parvati is both the Earth Goddess and the manifestation of Earth. Therefore, the marriage of Indra and Parvati is both the union of the Sky God and the Earth Goddess and the union of Heaven and Earth.