File:玄武 Xuánwǔ, turtle and snake.svg
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Summary
| Description |
The Chinese symbol of the turtle winded by the snake (玄武 Xuánwǔ). While the snake, as the dragon, represents the primordial power of the universe, 氣 qì, and the constellation Draco (天龙 Tiānlóng) at the north ecliptic pole; the turtle represents the cosmos (the round carapace representing the dome of the skies and the squarish plastron the squared earth). Source: Didier, John C. (2009). "In and Outside the Square: The Sky and the Power of Belief in Ancient China and the World, c. 4500 BC – AD 200". Sino-Platonic Papers. Victor H. Mair (192). Volume III: Terrestrial and Celestial Transformations in Zhou and Early-Imperial China, p. 128. At the same time they represent two of the four constellations which perfectly enclose, in a square, the north ecliptic pole centred in Draco: the constellations Snake (drawn in Corona Borealis + northern stars of Hercules + northern stars of Bootes), Turtle (Cassiopeia), Sword (central stars of Cygnus) and the Big Dipper. They are represented around the central square in Han-dynasty coins. Source: Maeder, Stefan (2011). "The Big Dipper, Sword, Snake and Turtle: Four Constellations as Indicators of the Ecliptic Pole in Ancient China?". In Nakamura, T., Orchiston, W., Sôma, M., and Strom, R. (eds.). Mapping the Oriental Sky. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Oriental Astronomy. Tokyo, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. pp. 57–63. The North ecliptic pole is, in the Chinese tradition and other cultures, the supreme God of Heaven. |
| Date | |
| Source | Own work |
| Author | Aethelwolf Emsworth. |
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I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. |
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
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| current | 19:19, 7 March 2018 | | 498 × 468 (27 KB) | Æo | {{Information |Description=The Chinese symbol of the turtle winded by the snake (玄武 ''Xuánwǔ''). While the snake, as the dragon, represents the primordial power of the universe, 氣 ''qì'', and the constellation Draco (天龙 ''Tiānlóng'') at the north ecliptic pole; the turtle represents the cosmos (the round carapace representing the dome of the skies and the squarish plastron the squared earth). '''Source:''' Didier, John C. (2009). "In and Outside the Square: The Sky and the Power of Belief in Ancient China and the World, c. 4500 BC – AD 200". ''Sino-Platonic Papers''. Victor H. Mair (192). ''[http://sino-platonic.org/complete/spp192_vol3.pdf Volume III: Terrestrial and Celestial Transformations in Zhou and Early-Imperial China]'', p. 128. At the same time they represents two of the four constellations which perfectly enclose, in a square, the north ecliptic pole centred in Draco: the constellations Snake (drawn in Corona Borealis + Square of Pegasus + northern stars of Bootes), Turt... |
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