#THE FROGS OF LEGEND SKIN#

'Oh,' she said, 'you ugly frog, how can you help me? My golden ball has His head out of the water and said, 'Princess, why are you crying so Precious stones, my pearls, anything in the world.' At this a frog stuck 'I'd give anything, if only I could get my ball back: my clothes, my Horrified, the princess followed it with her eyes, but the well was soĭeep that she could not see its bottom. Hand with her fingers curved to catch it, but it fell to the ground and Into the air and catching it, but once it went too high. She took great pleasure in throwing a golden ball Once upon a time there was a princess who went out into a forest and sat Library of folktales, folklore, fairy tales, and mythology. A Frog for a Husband (William Elliot Griffis,.The Well of the World's End (Joseph Jacobs,.The Well of the World's End ( The Schools' Collection, Ireland).The Queen Who Sought a Drink from a Certain.A Story: A King in Ireland Who Had Three Daughters ( The Schools' Collection, Ireland).A Story: The Girl and the Frog ( The Schools' Collection, Ireland).The Princess and the Frog ( The Schools' Collection, Ireland).The Singing Frog (Evald Tang Kristensen, Denmark).Edgar Taylor, the translator, not onlyĬhanged the title, but altered the ending in a substantial and interesting The Frog King or, Iron Heinrich (Jacob and.

Chang E, the Moon Goddess and representative of women, turns herself into.Folktales of Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 440 That is why the ancients worshipped toads for procreation. The toad is a highly reproductive animal that can hatch twenty thousand eggs at a time, twice a year. (2) In the tale of the Moon Goddess, Chang E was transformed from a beautiful maiden into a toad. Li Guifeng pays close attention to the myth of Chang E as recorded in the Yishi Interpreting History). All of these meanings can be traced to the Chinese myth of the Moon Goddess, Chang E. In Chinese folklore and custom, frogs and toads symbolize fertility, regeneration, yin, and immortality. THE SYMBOLIC MEANING OF FROGS AND TOADS IN CHINESE MYTHS AND LEGENDS In contrast to the sign, the true symbol points to the thing symbolized by virtue of some quality in itself which is the same as that in the thing pointed to.' (1) The oral and textual transmission of Chinese myths and legends about frogs and toads allows us to explore and discover what they symbolize in Chinese communities and culture worldwide. Friedman states in his insightful article, 'To say a thing is a symbol does not necessarily mean that it is not what it is in itself but that it points beyond itself to something of still greater importance. For a better understanding, we need to both locate the animal in its cultural context and study the animal itself. In addition to wealth and prosperity, frogs and toads in Chinese culture have other symbolic folk meanings.

Liu Hai is thus worshipped as a god of wealth the three-legged golden toad is worshipped as an auspicious animal that can bring forth prosperity and blessings. In the story, Liu Hai obtains numerous gold coins with the help of the three-legged golden toad, which he then uses to help the poor.

#THE FROGS OF LEGEND SKIN#

Because the pattern on the skin of a toad resembles coins, it is believed to have the power of spitting gold coins out of its mouth. The stamp vividly depicts Liu Hai, a Taoist immortal, waving a string of coins and playing with a three-legged toad. On January 14, 2004, China Post issued a special stamp based on the traditional Chinese New Year woodcut Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad. The legend of the three-legged toad is associated with Liu Haichan, often shortened to Liu Hai, in the story 'Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad.' During the Ming dynasty, Liu Hai was listed as one of the eight immortals in the book Liexian quanzhuan Complete Biographies of Immortals) printed in 1600. In Chinese folklore, a three-legged toad biting a coin can bring wealth and good fortune to a household. The toad, seated on stacks of golden coins with another coin in its mouth, is a classic and popular folk symbol of wealth and prosperity. In Chinese restaurants around the world, it is common to see a golden toad displayed at the front counter near the cash register.

The frogs of legend