Overview

In this book, Valdis Gauss anthologizes the Formosan anthropogonic myths from all of Taiwan’s Austronesian tribes. Over 250 origin texts, sourced from dozens of linguistic, anthropological, historical, and mythological corpora as well as other publications have been collated and analysed rendering the present literary survey far more comprehensive than any prior study on this subject. Over 100 Formosan myths, many of which were never previously available in English have been translated here for the first time. In the absence of longstanding traditional orthographical records, the Austronesian tribes that inhabit the island of Taiwan have relied on the transmission of oral literatures for the preservation of historical events since the dawn of time. The earliest historical events that are still recited by tribal elders relate to the origins of the gods and first ancestors of mankind. This anthology continues the tradition of collecting and transcribing these myths for everyone interested in the corpus of literature from Taiwan’s aboriginal peoples.

Full Product Details

Author:   Valdis Gauss
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   04
Weight:   0.001kg
ISBN:  

9789004733831

ISBN 10:   9004733833
Pages:   230
Publication Date:   05 June 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements About the Author List of Tables and Figures Preface 1 In the Beginning …  1 Framing the Myth-Time  2 The Importance of Origin Myths 2 The Anthology of Anthropogenic Myths  1 The Amis Myths  2 The Atayal Myths  3 The Bunun Myths  4 The Favorlang Myths  5 The Hla’alua Myths  6 The Kanakanavu Myths  7 The Kavalan Myths  8 The Paiwan Myths   8.1 Paiwan Creation Motifs   8.2 Paiwan Genesis Motifs  9 The Pazeh Myths   9.1 †The Kaxabu Myths  10 The Puyuma Myths  11 The Rukai Myths  12 The Saisiyat Myths  13 The Sakizaya Myths  14 The Seediq Myths  15 The Siraya Myths  16 The Truku Myths  17 The Tsou Myths  18 The Yami/Tao Myths 3 Salient Origin Motifs  1 Cosmogonic Motifs  2 Theogonic Motifs  3 Creation Motifs   3.1 Singing and Speaking   3.2 Transformation   3.3 Offspring of the Gods   3.4 God-Human Hybrids   3.5 Transcendental Conception   3.6 The Sons of God   3.7 Human-Animal Hybrids   3.8 Animal Ancestor   3.9 Intermediary Animals as Creation Catalysts   3.10 Creation by People  4 Genesis Motifs   4.1 Stone Genesis   4.2 Tree Genesis   4.3 Feces Genesis   4.4 Chthonic Genesis   4.5 Bamboo Genesis   4.6 Smoke Genesis   4.7 Lily Genesis 4 Drift Origin Themes  1 Amis Drift  2 Bunun Drift  3 Kavalan Drift  4 Ketagalan Drift   4.1 †Liulang Drift  5 Makatao Drift  6 Paiwan Drift  7 Puyuma Drift  8 Rukai Drift  9 Saisiyat Drift  10 Sakizaya Drift  11 Siraya Drift  12 Trobiawan Drift  13 Truku Drift  14 Yami/Tao Drift 5 Conclusions  1 Through the Origin Myth Lens  2 Motives for the Creation of Man  3 Creation En Masse  4 Seeds of Men  5 Interdictions  6 The Death Curse  7 Cosmic Vessels in Formosan Creation Myths   7.1 Sounds of the Cosmic Vessels  8 Instructions of the Gods  9 Final Remarks Appendix A: Formosan Origin Myths Corpus Appendix B: Note on Translations Appendix C: Origin Myths References Cited Index

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Author Information

Valdis Gauss is an Assistant Professor with the Department of English at National Taitung University in Taiwan (ROC). His notable works include The Formosan Great Flood Myths: An Analysis of the Oral Traditions of Ancient Taiwan (Mellen Press, 2022) and The Formosan Shooting the Sun Myths: Oral Histories of the Aboriginals on Taiwan (forthcoming).

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