DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.73431#0070
6o
Die Begriffsform im mythischen Denken
position of elder brother or the oldest ancestor, as the case might be. The west
is the younger brother of this; and in turn, the south of the west, the east of
the south, the upper of the east, the under of them all, while the middle division
is supposed to be a representative being, the heart or navel of all the brothers
of the regions first and last, as well as elder and younger. In each clan is to
be found a set of names called the names of childhood. These names are more
of titles than of cognomens. They are determined upon by sociologic and
divinistic modes, and are bestowed in childhood as the "verity names" or titles
of the children to whom given. But this body of names relating to any one
totem — for instance, to one of the beast totems — will not be the name of
the totem beast itself, but will be names both of the totem in its various con-
ditions and of various parts of the totem, or of its functions, or of its attributes,
actual or mythical. Now these parts or functions, or attributes of the parts
or functions, are subdivided also in six-fold manner, so that the name relating
to one member of the totem — for example, like the right arm or leg of the
animal thereof — would correspond to the north and would be the first in
honor in a clan (not itself of the northern group); then the name relating to
another member — say to the left leg or arm and its powers, etc. — would
pertain to the west and would be second in honor; and another member —
say the right foot — to the south and would be third in honor; and of another
member — say the left foot — to the east and would be fourth in honor: and
another — say the head — to the upper religions and would be fifth in honor;
and another — say the tail — to the lower region and would be sixth in
honor; while the heart or the navel and center of the being would be first as
well as last in honor....
With such a system of arrangement as all this may be seen to be, with
such a facile device for symbolizing the arrangement (not only according to
number of the regions and their subdivisions in their relative succession and
the succession of their elements and seasons, but also in colors attributed to
them, etc.) and, finally, with such an arrangement of names correspondingly
classified and of terms of relationship significant of rank rather than of con-
sanguinal connection, mistake in the order of a ceremonial, a procession or
a council is simply impossible, and the people employing such devices may be
said to have written and to be writing their statutes and laws in all their daily
relationships and utterances.
BEILAGE V
J. J. M. de Groot, Universismus. Berlin 1918, S. 119.
Das älteste medizinische Buch Chinas führt den Titel Su Wen und stammt
angeblich vom mythischen Kaiser Huang und seinen Ratgebern her; zwar zeigt
uns der Stil, daß es wohl nicht in der vorchristlichen Zeit abgefaßt sein kann,
aber nichtsdestoweniger überliefert es ganz gewiß viel chinesische Wissenschaft
sehr alter Zeiten. Dort wird im 67. Kapitel ausgeführt, daß Jang und Jin, das
Tao des Weltalls, hauptsächlich sich in fünf K'i, Odem oder Einflüssen, äußern,
nämlich Hitze oder Wärme, Trockenheit, Kälte, Wind und Nässe. Diese Ein-
flüsse walten, wie Huang von seinem weisen Ratgeber K'i-po' belehrt wurde,
natürlich auch in allen lebenden Wesen und wirken auf ihr Leben bestimmend
ein, je nach dem Verhältnis der Mischung, in der sie auftreten. Der Osten, so
Die Begriffsform im mythischen Denken
position of elder brother or the oldest ancestor, as the case might be. The west
is the younger brother of this; and in turn, the south of the west, the east of
the south, the upper of the east, the under of them all, while the middle division
is supposed to be a representative being, the heart or navel of all the brothers
of the regions first and last, as well as elder and younger. In each clan is to
be found a set of names called the names of childhood. These names are more
of titles than of cognomens. They are determined upon by sociologic and
divinistic modes, and are bestowed in childhood as the "verity names" or titles
of the children to whom given. But this body of names relating to any one
totem — for instance, to one of the beast totems — will not be the name of
the totem beast itself, but will be names both of the totem in its various con-
ditions and of various parts of the totem, or of its functions, or of its attributes,
actual or mythical. Now these parts or functions, or attributes of the parts
or functions, are subdivided also in six-fold manner, so that the name relating
to one member of the totem — for example, like the right arm or leg of the
animal thereof — would correspond to the north and would be the first in
honor in a clan (not itself of the northern group); then the name relating to
another member — say to the left leg or arm and its powers, etc. — would
pertain to the west and would be second in honor; and another member —
say the right foot — to the south and would be third in honor; and of another
member — say the left foot — to the east and would be fourth in honor: and
another — say the head — to the upper religions and would be fifth in honor;
and another — say the tail — to the lower region and would be sixth in
honor; while the heart or the navel and center of the being would be first as
well as last in honor....
With such a system of arrangement as all this may be seen to be, with
such a facile device for symbolizing the arrangement (not only according to
number of the regions and their subdivisions in their relative succession and
the succession of their elements and seasons, but also in colors attributed to
them, etc.) and, finally, with such an arrangement of names correspondingly
classified and of terms of relationship significant of rank rather than of con-
sanguinal connection, mistake in the order of a ceremonial, a procession or
a council is simply impossible, and the people employing such devices may be
said to have written and to be writing their statutes and laws in all their daily
relationships and utterances.
BEILAGE V
J. J. M. de Groot, Universismus. Berlin 1918, S. 119.
Das älteste medizinische Buch Chinas führt den Titel Su Wen und stammt
angeblich vom mythischen Kaiser Huang und seinen Ratgebern her; zwar zeigt
uns der Stil, daß es wohl nicht in der vorchristlichen Zeit abgefaßt sein kann,
aber nichtsdestoweniger überliefert es ganz gewiß viel chinesische Wissenschaft
sehr alter Zeiten. Dort wird im 67. Kapitel ausgeführt, daß Jang und Jin, das
Tao des Weltalls, hauptsächlich sich in fünf K'i, Odem oder Einflüssen, äußern,
nämlich Hitze oder Wärme, Trockenheit, Kälte, Wind und Nässe. Diese Ein-
flüsse walten, wie Huang von seinem weisen Ratgeber K'i-po' belehrt wurde,
natürlich auch in allen lebenden Wesen und wirken auf ihr Leben bestimmend
ein, je nach dem Verhältnis der Mischung, in der sie auftreten. Der Osten, so