ЛЕГЕНДА О БАШНЕ ЖЕЛТЫХ ЖУРАВЛЕЙ: ИЗ ИСТОРИИ КИТАЙСКОГО ОЙКОТИПА AATH 676

Abstract

In the second half of the 20th century, numerous tales belonging to the “Open Sesame” type (AaTh 676) were recorded in China. Many of them contain some elements that can also be found in medieval Chinese narrative prose. In this context, the article examines some contemporary records of an 11th – 12th centuries urban legend associated with a rock near the Huanghelou, or Yellow Crane Tower in Ezhou (a prefecture within the boundaries of modern Wuhan city in Hubei province), including a short monorhymic poem written by the poet Su Shi (1037–1101). It has been argued that this urban legend combines motifs found in two different groups of medieval mythological stories. The first group is based on the motif of the treasure hidden in the mountain, while the second has as its main motif an underground Daoist paradise full of immortals that can be reached by means of an acoustic signal. A possible connection between the legend and the local tradition of aurifiction (the imitation of gold) is noticed. The article discusses also an early Chinese written source that contains both an occurrence of the motif “Door opens in mountain” (D1552.0.1 according to S. Thompson), common to both groups, and a mention of the acoustic signal required to enter a magical cave. This source is “Xi yu ji”, or “Records on the Western Regions”, the travelogue written in the 7th century by the Buddhist monk and traveller Xuanzang. However, neither a treasure nor a Daoist paradise is mentioned in this text.