Folk stories and myths about the Yellow River

1. Whipping the Yellow River

It is said that a long time ago, Li Er came to Jiyuan, Henan to control the water. Since he was working hard on flood control for days, he wanted to take a rest in Wangwu Mountain. Li Er blocked the newly diverted Yellow River water at the foot of Fenghuang Mountain, and made an appointment with a friend who worked with him to control the water, and played chess in a cave. It was raining, raining, and Li Er suddenly remembered that he had not brought the water from the Yellow River over yet.

Li Er pushed away the chessboard and came to Fenghuang Mountain to take a look. The Yellow River water, which was originally diverted and blocked at the foot of Fenghuang Mountain, had secretly bypassed Tongguan and Fenglingdu from the west and headed eastward towards the sea. . The water was raging, roaring, and it looked like no one could stop it.

When Li Er saw it, he was very angry. He immediately lit the oven, picked up the hammer, and beat it on his knee into a large iron whip dozens of feet long. Then, he took the iron whip, stepped forward with his legs whistling in the wind, and quickly caught up with the rolling waves and the roaring water of the Yellow River.

Li Er rushed forward, raised his iron whip high, and shouted: "Good luck with this wild water!" He struck the whip with a "snap", shaking the mountains and shaking the earth, and scared the water of the Yellow River. I didn't dare to flow forward in the whirlpool, so I rolled and got sidetracked. From then on, after being broken up by Li Er with an iron whip, the Yellow River flowed eastward obediently.

2. Empress Beach and Prince Beach

In 192 BC, several generals led some strong warriors to protect a pregnant concubine who secretly left the palace. After a hard journey, they arrived at the territory of the Xiongnu. Suddenly, a large river lay in front of them. In panic and despair, they unexpectedly saw a small island in the river. They had no choice but to hide here in a desperate move.

However, they still had lingering fears. After the child was born, the clever and meticulous concubine moved the child to another island, and either you or she could breastfeed the child to prevent accidents. Twelve years later, a young man walked out of the island, returned to the palace, and sat in the Dragon Court.

He was Emperor Liu Heng of Han Dynasty, who was hailed as the "Government of Wen and Jing" by later generations. The generals who protected them back then were three brothers. It is said that these three people were Li Guang, Li Wen and Li Gong, who were famous in Chinese history.

Three years after Liu Heng ascended the throne, he took his mother back to the palace, and enfeoffed these two islands and the land of more than a thousand miles west of the Yellow River to the Li brothers, and no one was allowed to occupy it. It is said that this "policy" has continued for more than a thousand years. This is why Niangniang Beach and Prince Beach are named after this.

3. Looking at the ocean and sighing

According to legend, a long time ago, there was a river god in the Yellow River, known as He Bo. He stood on the bank of the Yellow River. Looking at the water of the Yellow River flowing from west to east, he said excitedly: "The Yellow River is so big. No other river in the world can compare with it. I am the greatest water god!" Someone told him: "What you said is wrong. To the east of the Yellow River is There is a place called Beihai, which is really big."

Hebo said, "I don't believe that no matter how big the Beihai is, can it be bigger than the Yellow River?" The man said, "Don't mention it. The Yellow River, even the water from several Yellow Rivers flowing into the North Sea, cannot fill it." He Bo still didn't believe it. The man was helpless and told him: "If you have a chance, go and see the North Sea, and you will understand what I mean." When He Bo came to the mouth of the Yellow River, his eyes lit up, and Poseidon welcomed him with a smile. He Bo looked around and saw The North Sea is vast and boundless.

He stared blankly for a while, and then said to Bei Hairuo with deep feeling: I only know a few principles and think that no one can compare with me. This is what I am saying. If I hadn't seen the North Sea with my own eyes today, I would have thought that the Yellow River was unparalleled in the world! If so, wouldn't I be laughed at forever by knowledgeable people? ”

4. Lu Ban built the General Pillar

The Yellow River flows rapidly in the Sangyuan Gorge, but there is a large stone standing in the rapids of the Yellow River in the middle section of the Sangyuan Gorge. The people call it the General. It is said that this general pillar was built by Lu Ban when he traveled around the country and came to the edge of Sangyuan Gorge. In order to facilitate the communication between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Lu Ban chose the location of the general pillar.

From then on, Lu Ban went out early and came back late to take charge of the construction. Half a year later, the bridge piers gradually grew taller.

One day, Lu Ban's wife brought food to the shore. After waiting for a while, Lu Ban was not seen, so she went to the shore to take a look. Unexpectedly, she saw a giant standing in the river on the shore, holding a huge stone in one hand and a hammer in the other. While working, his wife screamed. Lu Ban panicked and hit his leg with a hammer. The stone in his hand also flew to the mountain on the other side, and the bridge was not built.

To this day, there is a very smooth stone on the general pillar, which seems to be imprinted on the whole person's back. In the middle is the spine, which divides the stone into two, as if it was left when resting for a long time. of. Legend has it that this was what Luban left behind when he built the bridge.

5. Feng Yi became He Bo

In ancient times, there was a man named Feng Yi in Tong Township, Huayin. He was restless in farming and wanted to become an immortal. He heard that if a person drinks the juice of daffodils for a hundred days, he can transform into a fairy body. So I looked for daffodils everywhere.

Feng Yi ran around looking for daffodils, often crossing, crossing, and crossing the Yellow River, and often dealing with the Yellow River. Ninety-nine days later, he found a daffodil and sucked its juice for a day, and he became an immortal. Feng Yi was very proud and crossed the Yellow River to a small village to find daffodils. The water here was not deep, so Feng Yi waded across the river. When he reached the middle of the river, the water suddenly rose. He panicked, slipped, fell into the Yellow River, and drowned alive.

After Feng Yi died, he was full of grievances and resentment. He hated the Yellow River with gnashing of teeth, and went to the Jade Emperor to complain about the Yellow River. The Jade Emperor was also very angry when he heard that no one was controlling the Yellow River, and it was flowing wildly everywhere, endangering the people. Seeing that Feng Yi had sucked the juice of the ninety-nine-day narcissus flower and was about to become an immortal, he asked Feng Yi if he would like to become the Yellow River Water God and regulate the Yellow River. Feng Yi was overjoyed. Fulfill your wish to become an immortal. Become a Hebo.