Tag Archives: jade emperor

The Tigers Come at Night

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Nathan

Tiger Honor, by Yoon Ha Lee – Considering how quickly some of these Rick Riordan Presents books come out, it’s a little weird, but understandable, that it took so long for Dragon Pearl to get a sequel. This one focuses … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Book Reviews, Chinese, Families, Korean, Magic, Maps, Mythology, Names, october daye, Rick Riordan, seanan mcguire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Self Called Erewhon

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Nathan

Erewhon and Erewhon Revisited, by Samuel Butler – The son of an Anglican priest, Butler spent some years as a sheep farmer in New Zealand, and both of those things influenced this work. “Erewhon” is almost “nowhere” spelled backwards, making … Continue reading →

Posted in African, Anglicanism, Authors, Book Reviews, Chinese, Christianity, Current Events, Humor, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Names, Politics, Prejudice, Religion, Rick Riordan, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Changing of the Gods

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Nathan

Stories of gods having to fight other gods for dominance over the world are quite common in mythology, but there are a few different sorts. Some have the new gods overthrowing older, established ones. Others have gods going to war … Continue reading →

Posted in Babylonian, Celtic, Chinese, Greek Mythology, Hinduism, Hittite, Monsters, Mythology, Norse, Religion, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

To Chop the Unchoppable Tree

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Nathan

I was already familiar with some of the Chinese myths retold in Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, but there were others I’d either never or rarely come across. One of these is the story of Wu Gang, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chinese, Greek Mythology, Mythology | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments