64 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. X. 



holes. Some say that they come from Lei-chou in Kuang-tung 1 and 

 from Tsi-chou fu in Shansi (Ho tung shan) where they have been found 

 after a storm with lightning and thunder. Many resemble an axe. 

 They are dark (or green) in color with black streaks and hard like jade. 

 It is stated by several that these are stone implements made by man 

 and presented to the celestial deities, a matter the truth of which 1 

 ignore." 



Now Li Shih-chen himself takes the word: "The Book on Light- 

 ning (Lei shu) says: 'The so-called thunder-axes are like ordinary 

 axes made of copper or iron. The thunder washing-blocks (lei chen) 

 resemble those of stone in real use; they are purple and black in color. 

 The thunder hammers weigh several catties. The thunder gimlets 

 are over a foot in length, and are all like steel. They have been used 

 by the God of Thunder in splitting things open or in striking objects. 

 The thunder rings are like jade rings; these have been worn as girdle- 

 ornaments by the God of Thunder and have subsequently fallen down. 

 The thunder beads are those which the divine dragon (shen lung) had 

 held in its mouth and dropped. They light the entire house at night.' 

 — In the Po wu chi (a work by Chang Hua, 232-300 a. d.) it is said: 

 'Fine stones in the shape of small axes are frequently seen among the 

 people. They are styled axes of the crash of thunder (pH-li fu) or 

 wedges of the crash of thunder (p'i-li hieh).' — In the Hiiian chung ki 

 (by Kuo-shih of the fifth century) it is narrated: 'West of Yii-men 

 (near Tun-huang, Kansu) there is a district with a mountain on which 

 a temple is erected. There the people of the country annually turn 

 out gimlets to offer to the God of Thunder as a charm against lightning. 

 This is a false practice, for thunder partakes of the two forces of Yin 

 and Yang (the female and male power) and has accordingly a loud and 

 a low voice, so that it can produce in fact divine objects (shen wu). 

 Thus, numerous objects come to light out of hidden places, like axes, 

 gimlets, washing-stones, hammers, which are all real things. 2 If it is 

 said that in Heaven conceptions arise, and that on earth forms arise, 3 

 we have an example in stars falling down on earth and being stones 

 there. And so it happens that it rains metal and stone, millet and 

 wheat, hair and blood, and other queer things assuming shape on 

 earth. There are certainly in the universe (lit. the great void) divine 



1 The name Lei-chou means Thunder-City. Whether it received this name from 

 the finds of thunder-stones, or whether it is credited with the latter for the sake of 

 its name, I cannot decide. The God of Thunder is much worshipped in that pre- 

 fecture (Hirth, Chinesische Studien, p. 140; Cl. Madrolle, Hai-nan et la cote con- 

 tinental voisine, p. 79, Paris, 1900). 



2 Compare Memoires concernant les Chinois, Vol. IV, p. 474. 



3 Quotation from Yi king. 



