Spring Festival travel rush B didn't say anything about the sheep. What are some interesting legends about sheep?

Sheep are very common animals around us, and its influence covers all fields of human society, such as diet, clothing, language, writing, folk customs, religion, history and so on. 20 15 is the last year of the traditional calendar year in China, which is also the year of the sheep. The year of the horse is coming, and the year of the sheep is coming. Let's talk about sheep.

An animal of early humans.

In the animal kingdom, sheep belong to mammals, Artiodactyla, Bovine and sheep. Sheep animals include sheep, goats, wild sheep, rock sheep and other genera, and each genus includes several species, with many members and complex composition. Most of them live in grasslands and mountainous areas and adapt to the relatively dry geographical environment. Now farmed sheep and goats have become the main body of the sheep family, and the proportion of wild sheep is very small, but they all originated from local wild sheep.

About 10000 years ago, human society entered the Neolithic Age from the Paleolithic Age, and profound and remarkable changes gradually took place in the economic and social fields. Among them, the emergence of agriculture and animal husbandry can be called the first social change in human history, and it is the beginning for human beings to produce food and gradually control their own destiny. In the development of animal husbandry, the domestication of sheep is undoubtedly of great significance.

The domestication of sheep took place in central and western Asia eight or nine thousand years ago. Archaeologists unearthed cave murals related to sheep bone fragments abandoned by sheep and people in ancient sites in Iraq and Jordan about 12000 years ago. Judging from the remains of sheep bones excavated in Ehlts Cave and Bert Cave, people began to domesticate sheep around 7000 BC. On the pottery unearthed in Mesopotamia, there are images of sheep domesticated in 4000 BC. On the clay pot unearthed in Baghdad, there is a picture of people raising sheep in 3500 BC.

Before domestication, sheep were good at running and fighting, which once caused human fear and even worship; Domesticated sheep are gentle, and goats are brave, lively, agile and witty, which are deeply loved by people. Besides being used as food, they also have a profound and diverse impact on human society at the spiritual and cultural levels. Since the Neolithic Age, people have made many pottery, amulets, seals and sculptures related to sheep to express their reverence and love for them. In particular, the national seals of Minoan culture in ancient Egypt and Crete are carved with solemn ram heads, which shows their high status. In China, since the Yangshao culture in 5000 BC, sheep bones have appeared more and more near people's homes; Tao Yang was discovered in Peiligang, Hemudu and other sites. By the time of Longshan culture in 2000 BC, sheep had become one of the indispensable livestock.

The medium of supernatural gods

In the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, sheep were widely used for sacrifice and divination besides food. Sacrificial sheep bones have been found in Erlitou, Luoyang, Erligang, Zhengzhou, Yinxu and Anyang. Especially in the use of "Tai Prison" (cattle, sheep, pigs), "Shao Prison" (sheep, pigs) and other high-standard sacrificial ceremonies, sheep is an essential sacrifice. In divination activities, tortoise shells with psychic functions and shoulder blades of cattle and sheep are used as divination tools. Firstly, the shoulder blades of sheep are trimmed, and then drilled and fired. By observing the cracks on the bone surface, we can perceive the good or bad luck in the future. The Chinese character "Bu" actually comes from the shape of cracks in Oracle Bone Inscriptions. Finally, the clergy carved Jabba's process and the development of events on sheep bones as records. It is precisely because of the Oracle Bone Inscriptions unearthed in Anyang Yin Ruins that we have a more in-depth and detailed understanding of the history of Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago.

Because sheep played an indispensable role in sacrifice and divination, many ritual vessels in Shang and Zhou Dynasties were decorated with the image of sheep. There are not only simple sheep, but also animal face images that combine typical features such as horns and other local features of other animals. They are not only a kind of beautification and decoration, but also the embodiment of media and even gods. On the bronze claw surface unearthed in Dayang Prefecture, Xingan County, Jiangxi Province, the head of the claw is curled and the eyes are ministerial, showing typical sheep characteristics. Jade sheep's head unearthed from Muhao Tomb in Yinxu, Anyang, is carved from warm and white jade, which shows the meekness, kindness and loveliness of sheep. The phoenix sheep in the late Shang Dynasty collected by Fujita Art Museum in Japan is a rare three-dimensional bronze sheep statue. This object is shaped like a sheep, with dragons and birds on its back and Feng Niaowen on its sides. Complex decoration and exquisite modeling make it look gorgeous, solemn and powerful.

The most famous bronze sacrificial vessel with sheep as its decorative theme is the square statue of four sheep collected by the National Museum of China. 1938 the four sheep square statue unearthed in ningxiang, Hunan province, is tall and majestic, with a strange shape. Its shoulders, abdomen and feet are decorated in the shape of a sheep with its head facing outwards. Four sheep live in a corner, which increases the dynamic charm of the whole instrument, but at the same time it is solemn and elegant. In the sacrificial activities of Shang Dynasty, Fang Zun was given wine pulp to sacrifice to the gods. Fang Zun's animal images, including sheep, are the medium of communication between man and god, conveying people's demands for God. Siyang Fangzun realized the perfect combination of function and shape of bronze ritual vessels, and it is one of the most precious cultural relics in Shang Dynasty.

In the concept of ancient ancestors, sheep can not only communicate with the gods, but also have insight into right and wrong, distinguish good from evil, and even punish the wicked on behalf of the gods. There is a story in Mozi: King Zhuang of Qi has two courtiers named He Zhong. They sued each other because of a lawsuit, and they couldn't get the result for three years. The King of Qi couldn't bear to kill innocent people and didn't want to treat criminals lightly, so he ordered them to make an oath in front of the shrine and leave it to the gods to decide. They cut off the neck of a sheep, sprinkled sheep's blood in front of the shrine, and then read the complaint in front of the shrine respectively. After watching Wang Liguo, the sheep didn't respond; Halfway through the reading, the dead sheep jumped up and touched Zhong Li with its horn. The truth came out-the criminal was Zhong, so he was executed. This supernatural story represents people's worship of sheep.

The incarnation of good luck.

After the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, civilized society has been evolving, people's superstition of gods has been decreasing, and the status of sheep in sacrificial activities has also weakened. However, with the increasingly rich material life, people's demand for sheep in terms of diet, clothing, etc. has greatly increased, and the relationship between people and sheep has become closer and closer, and the cultural implications about sheep have become richer and richer.

At least since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, mutton has become a favorite delicacy on people's tables. At first, tasting this delicious food was a luxury for ordinary people. Eating mutton even changed the situation of two wars. According to Historical Records, during the Spring and Autumn Period, in four years, Zheng cut the Song Dynasty. Hua Yuan, the general of the Song State, led the army to resist. Before the war, Huayuan killed sheep to reward soldiers in order to boost morale, but his coachman complained bitterly because he didn't get mutton soup (a kind of mutton with juice). When the two armies were at war, the coachman drove Huayuan's chariot straight into Zheng Jun, which led to a crushing defeat and Huayuan was captured alive.

This is not the only tragedy caused by a bowl of mutton soup. According to the Warring States Policy, one day during the Warring States Period, Sun Yat-sen, the monarch of the country, gave a banquet to entertain his ministers. Sima Zi attended the meeting, but he didn't drink delicious mutton soup. Therefore, Sima Zi fled in a rage and went to Chu, the sworn enemy of Zhongshan, to persuade the king of Chu to crusade against Zhongshan. Later, when Sun Yat-sen died and was displaced, he could not help but sigh: "What is given to others is not how much, but whether it is appropriate; It is not the depth that hurts others, but whether it hurts their hearts. That's why I went bankrupt because of the uneven distribution of a bowl of mutton soup! "

During the Han and Jin Dynasties, the image of sheep was widely seen in daily necessities and funerary objects such as pottery, jade, porcelain and portrait bricks, and there were countless cultural relics related to sheep, such as pottery sheep, jade sheep, sheep portrait bricks, pottery sheep pens, porcelain sheep candlesticks and porcelain sheep statues. At this time, people often use the words "sheep" and "auspicious" in Chinese characters, and "auspicious sheep" means "auspicious". Many vessels are engraved with images of "sheep", "auspicious sheep" or sheep to pray for good luck. There are four pictures of sheep's heads carved on the lintel of the front room of a Han tomb in Jinan, Shandong Province. A portrait of a sheep engraved with the words "Fude Sheep" was found in Xiang Miaoyu's tomb in Pengcheng, Pixian County, Jiangsu Province. The sheep is strong, with its horns coiled, a bird on its back and a forest on its right, which clearly expresses the theme of praying for good luck. 1976 A celadon goat candlestick from the Eastern Jin Dynasty was unearthed in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. This porcelain sheep is round and plump, with four legs adducted, slightly raised head and neck and bright eyes, which makes the image of the sheep very vivid and vivid.

After the Tang and Song Dynasties, with the rapid development of Chinese painting, some painters tried to integrate sheep into their paintings, leaving many classic paintings related to sheep. In the Tang Dynasty, both Yan's Gongtu and Manyi Gongtu can see the scene of foreigners leading sheep to pay tribute. Zhang Zhongzhong's "Four Sheep Map" in the Southern Song Dynasty shows the scene of four goats frolicking, which is full of fun and lively. In addition, according to the concept of "three", many painters have created paintings with "three yang" as the main body to symbolize auspiciousness. Zhu Zhanji's Three Yang Kai Tai Tu in Ming Dynasty and ShiNing Lang's Kai Tai Tu in Qing Dynasty are his representative works.

Interesting ancient sheep cart

With the deepening and spreading of sheep culture, some nobles even drive sheep away as pets. Small animal-drawn carts have been unearthed in Yin Ruins in Anyang and Jin Hou Cemetery in Shanxi, and their height is obviously not suitable for riding. Maybe they are the earliest sheep carts or deer carts. Ping Ling III, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty, once unearthed a four-sheep cart from a grave pit, which is really a practical sheep cart. Jin Shu? According to the Biography of Empresses, there were many concubines in the harem of Sima Yan, Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty, who often had a headache about where to sleep. So he came up with a way: get on the goat cart, let it walk around the harem, stop there, and it will feast and sleep there. Later, in order to compete for favor, the harem concubines ordered people to put bamboo leaves at the door and sprinkle salt water on the ground (sheep like to lick salt) to attract the sheep cart that Emperor Wu of Jin took. Coincidentally, according to "Southern History? According to the Biography of Empresses, Song Wendi and Liu Yilong used to drive a sheep cart through the harem.

In addition, there are also images of herding sheep in Han Dynasty stone reliefs. It seems that emperors and nobles who are used to riding horse-drawn carriages may indeed have a whim and occasionally ride sheep carts.

For thousands of years, sheep and the Chinese nation have already formed an indissoluble bond. It complements the traditional Chinese agricultural society, which not only nurtures the Chinese nation, but also derives rich and colorful cultural connotations. Nowadays, whenever sheep are mentioned, people will not only think of a series of beautiful spiritual qualities such as kindness, meekness, purity and modesty, but also think of a series of exquisite and gorgeous cultural relics left by great ancestors, which is the essence of China sheep culture.

(Author: Zhai Shengli)