I never did Part B of the Chinese Fairytales unit because I was sick that week, so I decided to make it up this week!
I'm focusing on How the River God's Wedding Was Broken Off from The Chinese Fairy Book by R. Wilhelm.
For those who lived by the Yellow River, it was custom for the people to sacrifice a girl once a year to be a bride for the river god. When a girl would come of age in a wealthy family, sorcerers would claim it was her. Her parents would bribe them to spare her, and the sorcerers would accept the money. This continued until a family either would not or could not pay, and their daughter would be sacrificed.
When a man named Si-Men Bau came into office, he was appalled by this, and said that the next year he wanted to be present for the ceremony. The day came and the girl was about to be thrown into the river with the bridal riches when Si-Men stopped them. He said that someone must first go to the river god and tell him to come get his bride himself. He first threw a witch into the stream with this task, and she did not return. Next, he threw a sorcerer in, and he also did not return. When he was about to ask another sorcerer to go on this false errand, the rest of the sorcerers begged for mercy and promised to never sacrifice another girl to the river god.
I'm focusing on How the River God's Wedding Was Broken Off from The Chinese Fairy Book by R. Wilhelm.
For those who lived by the Yellow River, it was custom for the people to sacrifice a girl once a year to be a bride for the river god. When a girl would come of age in a wealthy family, sorcerers would claim it was her. Her parents would bribe them to spare her, and the sorcerers would accept the money. This continued until a family either would not or could not pay, and their daughter would be sacrificed.
When a man named Si-Men Bau came into office, he was appalled by this, and said that the next year he wanted to be present for the ceremony. The day came and the girl was about to be thrown into the river with the bridal riches when Si-Men stopped them. He said that someone must first go to the river god and tell him to come get his bride himself. He first threw a witch into the stream with this task, and she did not return. Next, he threw a sorcerer in, and he also did not return. When he was about to ask another sorcerer to go on this false errand, the rest of the sorcerers begged for mercy and promised to never sacrifice another girl to the river god.
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