Textual Research On The Mythologization And Historization Of The Figures In Biographic Sketches For Five Emperors In Records Of The Grand Historian

Amid the title of this thesis "textual research on the mythologization and historization of the figures in Biographic Sketches for Five Emperors in Records of the Grand Historian" "the mythologization" means "the history’s mythologization"while "the historization" means "the mythology’s historization",and here all includes the introduction and five other chapters.The introduction illustrates all referring concepts:the mythology,the history,the mythology’s historization,as well as the history’s mythologization,and gives a overview of the mythology’s historization and the history’s mythologization.Of course,it also presents the research scope,target of this thesis.Chapter one mainly focuses on the textual research of the mythology’s historization,the history’s mythologization and their correlations.First,it responds to the suspicion of the mythology’s historization from academia.Second,having explored further in the meaning of the history’s mythologization,it puts forward the existence of the unconscious history’s mythologization and the conscious history’s mythologization.Third,it recounts the confused,separated,and blend correlations between the mythology’s historization and the history’s mythologization.Chapter two textually researches on the mythologization and historization of Yellow Emperor,Yan Emperor,Chi You and their wars.Firstly,it discusses on the mythical images,the prototypes,the process of mythologization and historization of Yellow Emperor,Yan Emperor,and Chi You,pointing out that the original of Yellow Emperor is jade-god,and the formation of the comprehensive image relates to the developments of Yellow Emperor’s tribes.Then,the article makes distinctions of Yan Emperor and Shen Nong,likewise explores the relationships between Chi You and Yan Empero,indicating that Yan Emperor doesn’t utterly equal to Shen Nong,and Chi You has also once been Yan Emperor.Next,it researches on the myths and historical materials of the wars among Yellow Emperor,Yan Emperor,and Chi You.Chapter three pays attention to the mythologization and historization of Zhuan Xu and Gong Gong.It firstly discusses on the mythical images,the prototypes,the process of mythologization and historization of Zhuan Xu and Gong Gong,making it clear that the original of Zhuan Xu ought to be the sun-god while Gong Gong is the snake-god.The formation of their comprehensive identities is aslo taken into consideration.In the next place,this chapter demonstrates the myths and historical materials of the throne fights between Zhuan Xu and Gong Gong.Chapter four shows the study of the mythologization and historization of Emperor Ku,Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun.The explanation is that Emperor Ku is just the Emperor Jun in the Mountains-Seas Book,who is often identified as birds-god and sun-god,and his process of mythologization and historization is also included in the following analyses.After that,conclusion that Emperor Shun doesn’t equally mean Emperor Ku is drawn by distinguishing the two as the front and rear gods of the same tribes.Thirdly,by referring to the myths of "Yao’s shooting down suns" and "Yao’s being imprisoned by Shun",it probes in the relationships between Yao and the clan of Ku and Shun,concluding that Emperor Yao belongs to the same clan of Ku and Shun,and in-fightings may have taken place thus lead to the divinization of Shun by restoring himself to his tribe identity.Fourthly,during the the mythologization and historization of Yao and Shunm,the mythical features of Yao and Shun are unapparent,which may be on account of their mythologization from tribal chiefs,differing with others who transformed from totems.The last chapter concentrates on Xi He and the myths of Hou Yi’s shooting down suns.During the process of historization,Xi He has changed from the sun-god in myths to the sun-official in the historical legends.Then,the chapter talks about the relationships between the mythological stories of Hou Yi shooting down suns and the legendary historical stories of Yin’s sending a punitive expedition against Xi He and Hou Yi’s replacement of Xia Dynasty,and besides,makes the holistic interpretions of Hou Yi’s shooting down suns.