123 



§ 2. Yao and Kao Tsu were sons 6f dragons. 



The jEmperor Yao w as said to be the so n of a red dragon, 

 who came _ J:oErs ^ ^^h ftr^ hp,a.rin g^on his back the inscriptio n: 

 ^'^Tou al so recei ve ^eaven's protectio n". Darkness and wind arose 

 on all sides, and the dragon touched her, whereupon'she -became 

 pregnaut aDd"after~tf months gave birth to Yatr iu Tan -Hng^ 

 ""^'T^— similar Bt o i^y is l uld -abeia^-^a;o''-Tsn!''XBrTr'2Q6— 195)", the 

 founder of the Han dynasty. T'ai kong, his father, saw a hiao 

 lung above his wife amidst thunder and lightning and black 

 darkness, while she was asleep on the bank of a lange pond; 

 She dreamt that she had intercourse with a god, and afterwards 

 gave birth to Kao Tsu. This Emperor, who was very fond of 

 wine, was always protected by a dragon, when he was drunk ^. 



§ 3. Shun was visited by a yellow dragon. 



JT he Emperor _^lnin,J!£3.o!a_faimous successor, was visited by a 

 ye1jo w~^ragnn, ~ wliip.h __Qame__iloJLJE£ 3^ it o c c aly- 



arraour the inscription: "Shun shall asce nd the Throne" was 



visibleT ~~ 5iw^ have _afien-abaKfi^3he_ same holy sovereign inst i- 

 tut ed the "Jlcagon -rearer fa jnJLgi", wliose^ members had the t ask 

 "ofrearing dragons for the Emperor. _ 



§ 4. Tii drove in a carriage drawn by dragons, and was assisted 



by a ying lung, 



YH, the celebrated founder of the Hia dynasty, drove in a 

 carriage drawn by two dragons, which had descended in his 

 court-yard, because with him the virtuous power of Hia was at 

 its highest point *.' When he had completed the regulation of the 

 waters, blue dragons stopped in the suburbs of the capital ^. 

 According to a later tradition a ying lung assisted Yu at the 

 work by marking the ground with its tail ". 



1 Bamboo Annals, Ch. II, Legge, 1. )., p. 112. 



2 Historical Records, Ch. VIII C^ ijf|_), p. 2; Chavannes', 1.1., Vol. II, pp. 325 sq. 



3 Yuh fu shui i'u, ^ J^ ^ ; T. S., same section, Ch. 128, ^ ^ Zl , 

 p. 26. 4 Poh wuh chi, Ch. II, p. 2a. 



5 Bamboo Annals, Ch, III, Legge, 1. 1., p. 117: ^ hI it "f ^ „ 



6 San ts'^ai fu hwui, ^^ yf' ^ 1^, in the Wakan sansai zue, Ch. XLV, p. 

 675. According to the Bamboo Annals (Ch. Ill, 1. 1.) the spirit of the Ho river, a man 

 >vith a fish body, gave him 3, chart of the Ho, 



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