The Myths Of Yü The Great And The Wheel Of Rangarhverfi

(The Myths of Yu the Great and the Wheel of Rangarhverfi)The present thesis has three main aims.Firstly,it is to serve as my Masters Thesis and therefore has the aim of advancing my learning as well as further developing research skills and expedance in the field of Classical Chinese Philology and particularly increase my familiarity with "The Heavenly Questions" of Qu Y(?)an's "Songs of Chu" through a thourough philological analysis and deep study of parts of it.Secondly,to contribute to the increasing diversity and richness of the field of Mythic studies,I would like to introduce to Chinese readers the icelandic scholar Einar Pálsson and his monumental research work "the Roots of Icelandic Culture"(In Icelandic:Raeturíslenskrar Menningar or RíM)and Mr.Pálssons attempt to create a A Universal Grammar of Myth,that is system encompassing all possible mythic elements,attributions and correspondances.Such an Universal Grammar of Myth would be a very useful tool for students of Myth and Religion in different historical cultures.Thirdly,I wish to further explore the possibility that the Myths of Da Y(?).are a transformation of early creation myths into those of the culture hero that Da Y(?).presents today. in the early days of the 20^thcentury,Henri Maspero,Gu Jiegang and other scholars proposed that the early history of China was largely mythical,and the early rulers more likely to be deities of an early Chinese pagan pantheon.As far as I know,a thorough study of Da Y(?).in such context has yet to be undertaken.