The Legend of Darkness

The Legend of Darkness

China 8th century CE The Legend of Darkness The Legend of Darkness is an amalgamated creation story passed down orally through untold generations among the Han people in China and likely first written down during the Tang Dynasty. Traditionally sung during funerary...
Tale of the Heike

Tale of the Heike

Japan Oldest extant variant: 1309 (Engyōbon) Tale of the Heike The Tale of the Heike, often called “Japan’s epic,” is a long narrative describing the Genpei War (1180-1185), a civil conflict that rent Japan’s political structure and ushered in its medieval period, an...
Three Kingdoms (Sanguo yanyi)

Three Kingdoms (Sanguo yanyi)

China Written: ca. 1315-1400First published: 1522 Three Kingdoms (Sanguo yanyi) Three Kingdoms (Sanguo yanyi) can be read as a study of values in conflict, such as righteousness (yi) against loyalty (zhong), and filial piety (xiao) against brotherhood (xiongdi). In a...