Shans at home . centre of the world is fire. All the burningplaces are there, where the wicked are for a timepunished for their sins. The four gods who created the world made our firstparents. Each god made one man and one these human bodies were formed, of damp clay,they were placed round the celestial fire to dry; thatis how heat entered into man. One man and onewoman were soon removed from the fire ; that is howwhite people were made. Another pair were left alittle longer near the fire and became slightly browned;that is how Shans and Chinese people got their com-plexions. Burman
Shans at home . centre of the world is fire. All the burningplaces are there, where the wicked are for a timepunished for their sins. The four gods who created the world made our firstparents. Each god made one man and one these human bodies were formed, of damp clay,they were placed round the celestial fire to dry; thatis how heat entered into man. One man and onewoman were soon removed from the fire ; that is howwhite people were made. Another pair were left alittle longer near the fire and became slightly browned;that is how Shans and Chinese people got their com-plexions. Burmans and really dark people descendfrom a pair who were well baked, and the last pairwere so long beside the fire that they became quite This fable varies according to the notions of the version is that Mount Meru rests on the back of an elephant ;the elephant upon a dragon ; the dragon on a turtle ; the turtle ona lake or ocean, and the ocean on wind, or, as some say, on nothingat all.—W. W. C,. MOUNT MBRU RESTING ON THE GREAT FISH, THE SUN (A PEACOCK) ANDTHE MOON (a hare) CIRCLING ROUND IT. FROM A SHAN PAINTING. 305 2o6 SHAN COSMOGONY AND THE CREATION burned; that is the reason why some people areblack. The breath of the gods made the first men andwomen live, and it is the same till this day, for whenthe breath of the gods is taken from us, we die. The elephant, the monkey, and the bulbul are coevalwith man, having been created at the same time, beforethe other creatures. They are wiser than otheranimals, because they have lived longer on the earth,some time elapsing before the others were created. In all, counting insects, reptiles, birds, and beasts,there are 100,000,000 creatures. After all the animals had been created they presentedthemselves before the gods and begged that a kingshould be given to rule over them. The doves had aking, the monkeys have always had a king, and eachrace of creatures had its own ruler, but it was not easyto choose that one who
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