Images of 'Bad Weather' in the Folk Mythology of Asia and Europe (Based on Chinese and Serbian Traditions)

In: Вестник Пермского университета. Российская и зарубежная филология, Band 13, Heft 4, S. 52-62

Abstract

The article deals with mythological characters that represent 'bad weather' phenomena such as drought, hail, whirlwind, thunder, and lightning. Folk 'lower' mythology pays much attention to the manifestations of bad weather, which reflects the understanding of nature by man. Many ancient Chinese myths and legends originated in Shandong province, where numerous meteorological mythological motives were created. At that time, human life depended on weather, therefore a lot of folklore rich in meteorological mythological motives and imagery was created. The representations of bad weather in Shandong province studied in the paper are based on Chinese literature related to ancient mythology. As to Serbian culture, it has accumulated the beliefs of various ethnic groups of the Balkans. The Serbian cultural and linguistic space has strong ties with adjacent folk traditions – Bulgarian, Montenegrin, Bosnian, Herzegovinian, etc. Accordingly, Serbian mythology reflects the culture of the Balkan Slavs. The article analyzes common and individual features in mythologies concerning unfavorable weather conditions in Shandong and Serbia. The etymology of the names, myths and legends associated with the characters personifying 'bad weather' phenomena is investigated. The connection with local rituals, customs and ethnoculture of Shandong province and Serbia is indicated. The study is based on the methods of the Moscow ethnolinguistic school and the materials presented in the ethnolinguistic dictionary Slavic Antiquities. The paper discusses the isofunctionality of the Chinese and Serbian mythology of bad weather. The purpose of this study is to supplement the cultural and linguistic picture of bad weather phenomena through involving data from two unrelated cultures at the level of mythological memory.