Chapter XI

SUPERSTITIONS REGARDING THE POWERS OF NATURE.

The Sun, Moon and Stars, and Beliefs regarding them—The Lunar
Goddess, Frog, Toad, Hare, &c.—Planetary Influences—Cosmical
Phenomena and Native Records—The “Old Man of the Moon”—The Goddess
of the Moon—The Lunar Hare and its Legend—The Moon and Tides—The
Sun and Chinese Beliefs regarding it—Stars and Planets, Chinese
Legends respecting them—The Mirage—Meteors and their Portentous
Attributes—Thunder and Lightning—The God of Fire—A Peking
Legend—“Fire Pigeons”—Mountains and their Presiding
Divinities—Legends respecting the Formation of Islands—The Rain God
and his Misdeeds—A would-be “Rain-priest”—Superstitions as to
Tides—Earthquakes—Natural Hairs—Blood from the Sky—The Legend of
Lake Man—Emission of the Chiao—Blood from the Earth—Dragons and
Waterspouts—Human Beings Transformed into Stone—A Fall of Chinese
Manna, pp. 115–128.