1 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind production of My 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind. 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Joe McCormick, and 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:20,920 Speaker 1: we're back with part two of our series about cauldron's. 5 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: That's right. In the last episode, we talked about cauldrons, uh, 6 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: and mostly an introduction into the idea of the cauldron 7 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: is both a mundane tool for heating water and making soup, 8 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 1: but also getting in a little bit to the idea 9 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: that okay, this is something that also ends up taking 10 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: on sacred and supernatural characteristics in various traditions. Um. But 11 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: for the most part, we we talked about soup technology, 12 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: which in and of itself is pretty fascinating. Yeah. We 13 00:00:52,200 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: pondered the foggy distant prehistory of salmon soups in Japan. Yeah. 14 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: So a lot of this episode is going to look 15 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: at the cauldron in Chinese traditions and in Chinese history 16 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 1: and mythology. So in Chinese culture and history, the ancient 17 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: cauldron is known as the ding a cooking cauldron with 18 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: two looped handles and three or four legs. The three 19 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: legged ones tend to have a more of a circular pot, 20 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 1: while the four legged ones tend to have a rectangular 21 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: pot and appear more like what we might think of 22 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: as a chest or something in Western traditions, it's maybe 23 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: a little less recognizable as a cauldron if you're basing 24 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: your expectations just on cauldrons in Western traditions. Yeah, it 25 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: made me wonder, like, wait a minute, why are pots 26 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: always round? I mean, they don't have to be. So 27 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: this is a pot that's that's got corners and it 28 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: looks like something that link would pop open and pull 29 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: a treasure out of. Oh it's the hook shot. Yeah. Well, 30 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: I mean these are ultimately artifacts that have a number 31 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: of supernatural associations with them. But in terms of actual 32 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: Chinese cauldrons or ding that have survived, uh, for instance, 33 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: one example of that that that came up in my 34 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: researches from the Warring States period around from around four 35 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: thirty three b c e. Found in the Lego Doun 36 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 1: tombs in central China. Upon its discovery, it still had 37 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: ox bones inside it and soot on its base, meaning 38 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 1: that it was apparently used for cooking, perhaps as part 39 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: of a funerary feast. It was made of bronze and 40 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: also included lifting hooks and a ladle lifting hooks, Does 41 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: that mean something you'd like put some some hooks in 42 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,919 Speaker 1: to move it out of the fire. Correct in this 43 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: In this case, now, when we get into later discussions 44 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: of of cauldrons, you also get into the idea of 45 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: flesh hooks for your cauldron. They have to do with 46 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: the obviously, for the manipulating of flesh. Uh, you know, 47 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: some sort of meat that you're cooking inside of said cauldron. 48 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: But these I believe, Yeah, we're just to to move 49 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 1: the cauldron around while it was heated. Okay, So a cauldron, 50 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: we know, can be used for the chores that sustain 51 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: everyday life, cooking food and washing and so forth. But 52 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: in Chinese traditions, cauldrons have a much more culturally and 53 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,239 Speaker 1: religiously charged significance. Even though they could be used for 54 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,839 Speaker 1: those same mundane tasks, they might also decide the very 55 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: fate of your existence. That's right, and and uh and 56 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: and I do want to stress that a lot of 57 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: this will also end up lining up with traditions in 58 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: the West as well, that we'll get into much later. 59 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: But but yeah, this this thing that for all intents 60 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: and purposes, is about heating water for soup or maybe 61 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: for laundry or something like that ends up taking on 62 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: greater significance. So in Chinese tradition, the ding became associated 63 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: with power and landownership, and it was used not only 64 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: for food production and also for oridge. It was also 65 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: used to make sacrifices to the gods. And the idea 66 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: of gods here might also well include ancestral spirits, right 67 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: They're sort of a blurring of the distinction there that, 68 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: like appeasing one's ancestors, was believed to play a role 69 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: in determining your fortune. Right now. One of the sources 70 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 1: I was looking to for for this episode is an 71 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: article titled Visions of Hell in Asia from eighteen published 72 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: in the Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia by 73 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: scholar Paul Morabel, and in it the author writes, quote, 74 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: in ancient China, the cauldron was the alchemical recipient par 75 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: excellence for the sacrifices animals and humans required in order 76 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: to transmute them into immortal creatures when mixed with certain 77 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: minerals and metals. Now, I want to stress that he's 78 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: he's talking very broadly here. This is not to imply 79 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: that all of these various cauldrons, including the specific one 80 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: I just mentioned, was used for any thing like human sacrifice. 81 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: But of course human sacrifice is something that one encounters, 82 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: uh in the ancient traditions of of every human culture. 83 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:13,039 Speaker 1: Just about so. But yeah, this idea that we we 84 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: touched on very briefly in the last episode, that what 85 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: is a cauldron, what is a cooking pot, but other 86 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: than something that transforms one thing into another state, Right, so, 87 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: it might transform a say, a tough piece of game 88 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 1: meat into a nutritious broth and a much more tender 89 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: piece of meat. And it might transform various ingredients living 90 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: and dead into a bunch of fumes, a pillar of smoke, 91 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: or a burnt offering that would be seen as pleasing 92 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:46,279 Speaker 1: to the gods or to one's ancestors. Correct. Now, when 93 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: it comes to the sacred thing, there is like we 94 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, it also has this this this prestige with it. 95 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 1: It signifies power, and it can also signify divine right 96 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,160 Speaker 1: of rule. And in this there's no greater example than 97 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:05,480 Speaker 1: the nine cauldrons of You the Great. Now we've discussed 98 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: You the Great before and stuff to blow your mind, 99 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: as he as the legendary Um ruler of the Shia 100 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: dynasty of the second and third millennium BC, born um 101 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: from the belly of his father's corpse. He said to 102 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: have quelled the great floods and established dynastic rule in China. 103 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:27,799 Speaker 1: His control of the flood is attributed differently in different tales, 104 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 1: but I think we can summarize it as entailing the 105 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: defeat of monsters, the possible prometheum, theft of the sacred self, 106 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: renewing soil from the gods, the help of various gods, 107 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: and also the use of damn and irrigation technology. So 108 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: he's you know, he's a culture bearer. And oh, he's 109 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: also said to have measured the earth, and in some 110 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: accounts he stands eight feet tall. But the other feet 111 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: attributed to you the great is that he also cast 112 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: the nine cauldrons upon rising to power as young and 113 00:07:00,360 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: in Turner discussed in the Handbook of Chinese Mythology quote, 114 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: those cauldrons had the divine function to teach people to 115 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: distinguish between faithfulness and treachery, and to keep evils and 116 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: demons from harming people. So they were treated as national 117 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: treasures and I believe it's uh that this story is 118 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: related to the idea that the cauldron itself is a 119 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: sort of symbol of power, both in a literal and 120 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: metaphorical sense, like that in the literal sense that you 121 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,800 Speaker 1: would have to be a rich and powerful person in 122 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 1: ancient China to own one or more of these cauldrons, 123 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: and also that the cauldron was kind of like a 124 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: symbol of someone's power or political dominance, right, right. And 125 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 1: in this case, they're they're nine of them because they 126 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: were nine cauldrons for the nine provinces, but then nine 127 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: also had um cosmologically important connections as well. There's also 128 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: this tradition of saying that the nine cauldrons uh sometimes 129 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: are scattered and lost and uh, and it was said 130 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: that whoever wished to claim imperial power and reign by 131 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: the mandate of heaven would need to collect all these 132 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 1: nine cauldrons. Yeah. I think I recall reading somewhere that 133 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: there's an expression means something like seeking after cauldrons or 134 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: something that means like ambition for power. Yeah. Yeah, there 135 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: There's really are a number of different sayings in in 136 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: in Chinese tradition that allude to cauldrons and and make 137 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 1: use of the smoke. TIF in the book Chinese Mythology 138 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: and Introduction and Barrel ads that while you the great 139 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: forge the vessels, they are said to have been cast 140 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: by feeling the Dragon, god of wind. The cauldrons could 141 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:44,400 Speaker 1: and would change weight and size, or even vanished completely 142 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: or reappear at will, quote according to the virtue or 143 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: decadence of the dynasty possessing them. Whoa, so yeah, this 144 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,000 Speaker 1: gets pretty interesting. Forens, if a dynasty is virtuous, then 145 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 1: the cauldrons would become so massive that they would be 146 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,959 Speaker 1: almost impossible to lift. It was said that when the 147 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: child people overthrew the shang, the child's virtue was such 148 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 1: that it took ninety men to lift a single cauldron. 149 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: But then when the Chin overthrew the chow, one of 150 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,559 Speaker 1: the cauldrons just like immediately flew into the river. Oh 151 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,200 Speaker 1: so the inanimate objects have a will of their own. 152 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 1: It's almost like the one ring, except the cauldrons are virtuous, 153 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: whereas the ring is wicked. Yeah. Yeah. It's also specifically 154 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: noted that it is the weight that is important, not 155 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 1: the size, So you you might have a dynasty that 156 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: is corrupt. Uh, and the cauldrons might look enormous, but 157 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:42,560 Speaker 1: they weigh a little uh, thus signifying that you know 158 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: that they're morally impoverished. But then the opposite is also true. 159 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: You might have a noble dynasty and the cauldrons are 160 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: very small, but it would take like ninety thousand men 161 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 1: to lift a single one of them, because such is 162 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: the virtue of these rulers. Oh that that resonates in 163 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:00,559 Speaker 1: a very pleasing way, because you imagine and like an 164 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 1: evil dynasty having these giant cauldrons that are easily blown 165 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,319 Speaker 1: over by the wind, the big surface area and very 166 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: little mass. Yeah, yeah, I think it works on so 167 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:13,079 Speaker 1: many levels. Uh. They're said to have been cast in 168 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:16,520 Speaker 1: iron and also said to be illustrated with images of 169 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: the gods and forged from metals offered up by the 170 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:24,400 Speaker 1: nine regional stewards. There's also discussion of them being important 171 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: to distinguish malign creatures, which are sometimes translated as goblins 172 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 1: and trolls. So I'm not sure if that's meant to 173 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: mean that the cauldrons also depicted these uh quote unquote 174 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: adverse beings. But because it doesn't seem like it's explicitly stated, 175 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: but um, at the very least they had images of 176 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:46,960 Speaker 1: gods on them. Now, as for the use of cauldrons 177 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: and sacrifice, and borough includes a wonderful passage from the 178 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: ancient text the Book of Songs or the Classic of Poetry. 179 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: The passaging question is celebrating the agricultural culture hero and 180 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 1: god Huji a k lord millet. Here is part of 181 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: it in translation, of course, describing the sacrifice, our sacrifice. 182 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 1: What is it like some pound, some bail, some sift, 183 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:18,080 Speaker 1: some tread. We wash it soaking, soaking wet. We steam it, piping, 184 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 1: piping hot. Then we plan with thoughtful care, gathering southern wood, 185 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: offering rich fat. We take a ram to make the 186 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: wayside sacrifice, roasting and broiling to usher in the new year. 187 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 1: The bronze pots filled the brim, the bronze pots and cauldrons. 188 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:39,319 Speaker 1: As soon as their aroma rises up, God on High 189 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: enjoys it with pleasure. The rich fragrance is right and proper. 190 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:47,840 Speaker 1: For Hoji inaugurated the sacrifice with no fault or blemish. 191 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 1: His people have continued it to the present day. I 192 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: like the line on here about has the aroma rises up, 193 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 1: God on High enjoys it with pleasure because that that 194 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:01,680 Speaker 1: is not unique to this poem or two Chinese religious traditions. 195 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:06,559 Speaker 1: It's a it's a common feature of many religions mentioning God, 196 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: enjoying God, or God's enjoying the smell of a burning sacrifice. Yeah. 197 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: So yeah, there's a there's a lot of this that 198 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 1: is that is ultimately a universe universal Um. It's it's 199 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: fascinating than now for the second episode in a row, 200 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:31,079 Speaker 1: I'm going to also cite a children's book. Uh, this 201 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: is another children's book. This one is titled Two of Everything, 202 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 1: and Chinese American author Lily toy Hong wrote this It's 203 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: fun and she credits it as being based on a 204 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:46,040 Speaker 1: Chinese folk tale. Um and I'd love to read another 205 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:48,080 Speaker 1: telling of it, but I haven't been able to find 206 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 1: find what. I'm sure it's out there, but it does 207 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 1: involve some sort of a magical pot or cauldron in 208 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: this story, which is which has some some wonderful illustrations 209 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 1: an elderly couple in in China. And this has a 210 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:03,120 Speaker 1: historical setting, by the way, so it's not I don't 211 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: think it's supposed to be like modern China. But this 212 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,440 Speaker 1: elderly couple they happen to happen upon this pot or 213 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:12,560 Speaker 1: this cauldron, and they quickly find out that anything you 214 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,960 Speaker 1: drop or place inside the cauldron comes out duplicated. So 215 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:19,959 Speaker 1: you can imagine how this story goes. You know, food, 216 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: gold gets duplicated, and finally somebody's gonna fall in that cauldron. 217 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,000 Speaker 1: The old man falls in the cauldron, and now there 218 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:30,319 Speaker 1: are two old men. So the story ultimately ends on 219 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: a happy note, with a couple deciding, Okay, we're gonna 220 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 1: put the pot away. We're not gonna use it unless 221 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 1: we absolutely have to. But by this point they're living 222 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:42,000 Speaker 1: side by side with their own doppelgangers who have a 223 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: replica of everything that they have. So I was looking 224 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:47,960 Speaker 1: around to try and find another version of this story 225 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: and I was not able to. But in the process 226 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:54,920 Speaker 1: I found another story that includes cauldrons as a as 227 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: a key plot point that I think will transition into 228 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: something else we can talk about in a bit. It's 229 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:03,079 Speaker 1: a a wonderful little story called the Wizard's Lesson. The 230 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,760 Speaker 1: story appeared in the book Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies, 231 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,960 Speaker 1: ed edited and translated by Moss Roberts, a professor of 232 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:14,320 Speaker 1: East Asian Studies at n y U H. The original 233 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 1: title is to zoo Chun and it is included uh 234 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 1: in the sus Swan Kuai Lu, an early ninth century 235 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: CE collection compiled by Li Fu Yen Uh, though there 236 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 1: seemed to be some disagreements on the exact date of 237 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 1: when this this original text was was published or written. 238 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: This story is awesome. Yeah, um, I think at times perplexing. 239 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 1: I've seen some some online like some sort of blog 240 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: style discussions where people are like, what is this about? 241 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,040 Speaker 1: But um, but it but it has some some wonderful 242 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: wizardry in it. So basically the story goes like this, 243 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: we have this character to zoo Chun, and he's a scoundrel. Basically, 244 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 1: he's spent all his money. He's burned all his friends 245 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: and family members, you know, borrowing money and so forth. 246 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 1: So he finds himself on the street with nothing, and 247 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 1: then up comes an old man and ask him, hey, 248 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 1: look there, buddy, how much money would it take to 249 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:12,160 Speaker 1: set you right? Like how many how many strands of 250 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: coins will it take? And Tuzuchon names a sum and 251 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 1: the old man just kind of scoffs and he's like, 252 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: you should probably go higher than that, and he gives 253 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: him another sum, and the old man agrees, and he's 254 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 1: he gives him enough cash on the spot for a 255 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:29,640 Speaker 1: night's rest somewhere and says, meet me tomorrow in the 256 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: market and I'll give you the full amount. So this 257 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 1: goes exactly as promised, and the next day he receives 258 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: his first millions from the old man like it's a 259 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: it's a true fortune, enough for him to have a real, 260 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: you know, proper start at rebuilding everything in his life, 261 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: and then some but you can imagine what happens next. 262 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 1: He immediately blows it all on a lavish lifestyle, and 263 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: before long he's back on the street again. Then here 264 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 1: comes the old man approaches him again, and this basically 265 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: the same thing happens one more, only this time he 266 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 1: squanders an even greater fortune. The third time, however, the 267 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: old man warns him that an even greater fortune won't 268 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: do the trick this time. Then there's clearly no helping him. 269 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: So finally Tuzo Chun has a change of heart. He 270 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: finally realizes, okay, who this old man has been so 271 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: kind and patient with me and just overly generous, and 272 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 1: I've done nothing for him. Uh. He has this change 273 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:28,160 Speaker 1: of heart and realizes that he shouldn't be spending this 274 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: all on himself. He should try and do some good 275 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 1: in the world. And he tells the old Man that 276 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: he is going to do this. He's going to go 277 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 1: help the widows and the orphans, he's going to make 278 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: amends with family members and uh. And then at the end, 279 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 1: he's going to meet up with the old Man once 280 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,840 Speaker 1: more and do right by him as well. Okay, so 281 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: you might expect this to be the end of the story. 282 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: He's learned his lesson, but no, it keeps going. And 283 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: I I you know, this might be a situation where 284 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 1: you have sort of combined stories, you know, they become 285 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: one at some point. But um, what happens next is 286 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: the old man Uh. He you know, he goes out 287 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 1: in the world, he does all the things he's gonna do, 288 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: and he meets up with the old Man again. The 289 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: old Man takes him up to the mountain to a 290 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 1: splendid residence and inside here's an alchemist furnace, guarded by 291 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:17,680 Speaker 1: a white tiger and a black dragon. Uh. It's written 292 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:21,040 Speaker 1: that jade, white fairy women stand by, and the old 293 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 1: Man is no longer dressed like like the old man 294 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:25,679 Speaker 1: that he met in the market. Those uh, those of 295 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 1: three times. No, now he's dressed in yellow and scarlet robes. 296 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 1: He's dressed as a dallast wizard. Oh so immediately at 297 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,119 Speaker 1: this point, I'm like picturing him as played by Chining 298 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:41,520 Speaker 1: Lamb from the Mr. Vampire movies. Yeah, yeah, that that 299 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:45,880 Speaker 1: would be a wonderful stern performance of this character. So 300 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,639 Speaker 1: at this point, he presents Touzun with a beaker of 301 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: wine and three white pills. He tells him to take 302 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:56,199 Speaker 1: the pills, and no matter what happens, no matter what 303 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 1: he sees and the visions that are about to hit him, 304 00:17:59,119 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: he must not speak. Okay, I'm gonna read a quote 305 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:04,480 Speaker 1: from the story here. Take care not to speak. The 306 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: wizard cautioned, be it revered spirit, vicious ghost, demon of hell, 307 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 1: wild beast, hell itself, or even your own closest relatives, 308 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 1: bound and tormented in a thousand ways, nothing you see 309 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:20,240 Speaker 1: is truly real. It is essential that you neither speak 310 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:23,359 Speaker 1: nor make any movement. Remain calm and fearless, and you 311 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,680 Speaker 1: shall come to no harm. Never forget what I have said. 312 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 1: With that, the wizard departed okay, so none of it's 313 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: going to be real. As long as you keep your 314 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 1: mouth shut, you'll be all right, right, And then the 315 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,480 Speaker 1: visions begin to hit him, so it's it's just kind 316 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,360 Speaker 1: of like one wave of visions after the other. So 317 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 1: first a swarming army rides up on him in a 318 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 1: ten foot tall general and armor is just referred to 319 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 1: as the General comes up on an armored horse and 320 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 1: demands that he tell to identify himself. He remains quiet. 321 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,280 Speaker 1: The general leaves in a rage. And then and then 322 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: to Tuzochone is tormented by snakes and spiders and other beasts. 323 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: There's a there's he's harassed by storms. This is the 324 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,960 Speaker 1: devil rides out. This is the Christopher. Lee is like, 325 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:12,520 Speaker 1: he's got him in the circle. Yeah yeah, instead, only 326 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,560 Speaker 1: this time it's the circle is silence. He cannot break 327 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 1: that silence. Tuzu Chune, I'd rather see you dead than speak. 328 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:25,640 Speaker 1: So after the storms, the general returns, and this time 329 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,399 Speaker 1: he has his men place a great cauldron in front 330 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:32,440 Speaker 1: of Tuzu Chun and uh and in the story it's 331 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: written the general return this time leading an ox headed 332 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,320 Speaker 1: sergeant and his soldiers of hell together with other weird 333 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: faced ghosts. They placed a huge cauldron of boiling water 334 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,200 Speaker 1: before tuzu Chun and closed in on him with spears, 335 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: swords and pitchforks, and so at this point they threatened 336 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:51,480 Speaker 1: and they say, look, identify yourself or we're going to 337 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:55,200 Speaker 1: boil you alive. He doesn't speak, So then they drag 338 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:57,119 Speaker 1: his wife before him and they start beating her, and 339 00:19:57,119 --> 00:19:59,560 Speaker 1: he still refuses to speak, so they chop her up 340 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:01,920 Speaker 1: into a little pieces, and he still doesn't say anything. 341 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:05,439 Speaker 1: And finally the general denounces him as a quote master 342 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:08,560 Speaker 1: of the Black Arts and has his soldiers behead him. 343 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,639 Speaker 1: Well the scott gory, Yeah, it gets it gets gory, 344 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,040 Speaker 1: and hurry this story. Yeah, but but we've got to 345 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:17,040 Speaker 1: remember what was said at the beginning. The Taoist wizard 346 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,160 Speaker 1: promised him none of this is going to be real. 347 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 1: It's just visions. Just don't say anything, right, So then 348 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 1: to zu chun soul passes on and he become and 349 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: he comes before the King of the Dead, who identifies him. 350 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: He says, hey, you're that heretic and orders him cast 351 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,199 Speaker 1: into the Hell's quote zu Chun tasted the torments of 352 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:42,400 Speaker 1: hell to the fullest molten bronze, the iron rod, pounding grinding, 353 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 1: the fire pit, the boiling cauldron, the hill of knives, 354 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:48,679 Speaker 1: the forest of swords. But he kept the wizard's words 355 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: firmly in mind and bore the pain without letting a 356 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: moan pass his lips. Then the tortures reported to the 357 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: king that the punishments were completed. And at this point 358 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,120 Speaker 1: the King of the dead says, Okay, that's good. Uh, 359 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,199 Speaker 1: he can go on and be reincarnated. Now, let's have 360 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: him reincarnated as a woman. And so he's born again 361 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: as a small female child. And now the female to 362 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:16,679 Speaker 1: Zoo Chun as an infant, still doesn't cry out, grows 363 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:22,119 Speaker 1: up a mute Mary's has a child herself at this point, 364 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 1: and then her husband finally like has an episode and 365 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: and and accused and accuses her of being improper by 366 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 1: refusing to speak to him, and murders their child before her. 367 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,639 Speaker 1: So finally, after a life and it's yet, it's it's brutal, 368 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:41,000 Speaker 1: and after a life time of silence, now she finally 369 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:44,240 Speaker 1: breaks her vow and unleashes a cry of anguish. And 370 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,040 Speaker 1: at this point the whole vision collapses, and once more, 371 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: Here's to Zoo Chun himself again, still seated in the 372 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,680 Speaker 1: Wizard's pavilion, with an empty wine flask in his hand, 373 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:56,960 Speaker 1: and the wizards just cursing at him for failing. He 374 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: tells him, if he'd only remain silent a little longer, 375 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: you have been able to purify yourself of all your passions. 376 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:06,680 Speaker 1: You'd already purified yourself of all your passions except for love, 377 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:09,399 Speaker 1: and you blew it. And now you're not going to 378 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 1: be immortal. That is harsh, you know, he already he 379 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 1: got killed, He had watched all his people get killed. 380 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: He got killed, he got sent to hell, tortured in hell, 381 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: then lived a whole other life. But but the Wizard 382 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 1: is like, you just had to hold out a little 383 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:25,080 Speaker 1: bit longer. How was he supposed to know how long 384 00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:27,919 Speaker 1: it would be? Yeah, he had no idea. He was 385 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: just supposed to keep going. But supposedly he was close, 386 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 1: like this was the last testing. It was not able 387 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 1: to overcome it. Remember how this started with this guy 388 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:41,080 Speaker 1: like blowing all his money on parties. Yeah, yeah, it 389 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: is a it's a weird story. And when I may, 390 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 1: I may have to look into more to see if 391 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,200 Speaker 1: I can, uh, you know, grasp the some of the 392 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:52,200 Speaker 1: the deeper meanings involved here, but on the surface level, 393 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:56,400 Speaker 1: like coming back to cauldrons, it does feature cauldrons twice, 394 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:00,159 Speaker 1: and both of them in a very threatening manner. The 395 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:02,680 Speaker 1: idea that if you don't speak, I'm going to boil 396 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,200 Speaker 1: you alive, and then once you're in Hell you may 397 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,919 Speaker 1: be boiled as well. Well, this would not be the 398 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:12,840 Speaker 1: only vision of of hell or negative afterlife that involved boiling, 399 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: and in fact, there are some famous boiling uh puddles, 400 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,959 Speaker 1: ponds and rivers in Dante's Inferno, though I don't recall 401 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,080 Speaker 1: there ever being a cauldron. Maybe there is. I think 402 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:28,679 Speaker 1: they're just various boiling rivers and puddles. Well, Paul Morabelais 403 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:32,399 Speaker 1: mentions this the things just as a brief aside, because 404 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: you know, I think for starters the papers mostly mostly 405 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: dealing with Asian visions of hell, but mentions that there 406 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 1: are certain saints who had visions of hell and they 407 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,680 Speaker 1: might mention boiling, but they don't mention cauldrons. And part 408 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:50,399 Speaker 1: of that could be the legacy of sacred cauldrons in 409 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,560 Speaker 1: some of the European traditions, the pre Christian European traditions 410 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,280 Speaker 1: that will discuss in the future, like the idea being 411 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 1: that if the cauldron is sacred, you would not find 412 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,400 Speaker 1: that in hell, and of course that might you might 413 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:03,560 Speaker 1: well ask, well, what are you guys talking about? You 414 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 1: just you've already talked about sacred cauldrons in Chinese traditions, 415 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,440 Speaker 1: and here they are popping up in Chinese Hell. What's 416 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: going on there? Well, I we'll get back to that, 417 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,919 Speaker 1: and I think it will ultimately wind up making sense. 418 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:20,480 Speaker 1: But yeah, clearly, whatever it's particular religious significance, I think 419 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:23,159 Speaker 1: it's also got to be highlighted in this story just 420 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: because it's like a horrific way to threaten somebody with 421 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: death right. And and you know, certainly when we start 422 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 1: talking about weird forms of capital punishment and execution, I 423 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:40,399 Speaker 1: mean that the line between that and human sacrifice is 424 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: often a bit blurred. You know, both spectacles are are 425 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:49,080 Speaker 1: doing something beyond simply uh, killing an individual or burning 426 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:51,440 Speaker 1: a piece of meat, that sort of thing. Yeah, and 427 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 1: sometimes in history they appear to have been sort of 428 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,920 Speaker 1: the same thing that, like some human sacrifice in history 429 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:00,399 Speaker 1: was clearly carried out on people who were leave to 430 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:03,400 Speaker 1: have committed some kind of crime, or people who were 431 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:06,679 Speaker 1: like prisoners of war right, and so death by boiling 432 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: pops up many times in global tales and traditions, often 433 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: as often as a meanance of state execution for all 434 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:20,120 Speaker 1: sorts of things like sorcerers, bandits, counterfeiters, poisoners, and traders. Uh. 435 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 1: Some accounts maybe legendary, but there are plenty of very 436 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:29,320 Speaker 1: believable historic cases of boiling executions, and it was practiced 437 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:32,199 Speaker 1: into the sixteenth century in France and Germany as a 438 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,640 Speaker 1: punishment for clipping coins. This is when you would scrape 439 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:38,200 Speaker 1: the edges off of coins and then melt those scrapings 440 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:41,560 Speaker 1: down to make new coins, a practice that was finally 441 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:45,199 Speaker 1: defeated by milling the edges of coins. Yeah, several of 442 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:48,920 Speaker 1: the main examples I found of actual use of capital 443 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 1: punishment by boiling took place in England and the sixteenth century, 444 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,480 Speaker 1: where it was apparently used as a as a punishment 445 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: for poisoning. There was famously a guy named Richard Rousse 446 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:02,199 Speaker 1: who made some horridge that they I think he was 447 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,879 Speaker 1: a cook, and he made some poison porridge that poisoned 448 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 1: like a bishop, and then just a bunch of other 449 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:10,960 Speaker 1: people who happened to eat it, and at least a 450 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: couple of people died and he was put to death 451 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 1: through a public boiling. It was pretty curaresome, very criesome. 452 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 1: It's it's interesting, like I guess with the with the 453 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:23,480 Speaker 1: with the clipping of coins, they're sort of, hey, if 454 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 1: you you boil clippings from our money, will boil you. 455 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: Sort of a thing like you you melt money, you 456 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 1: get melted. I'm not sure exactly what the poisoning thing is, 457 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 1: excepted like poisoning was just something they really wanted to to, 458 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:40,000 Speaker 1: uh to to to draw a line on, you know, 459 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,000 Speaker 1: and say, look, this is really bad and therefore you 460 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:44,520 Speaker 1: get boiled if you do it. Yeah. I can't prove this, 461 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:49,160 Speaker 1: but I have a gut suspicion, and it's that poisoning 462 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:52,760 Speaker 1: is a type of crime that is especially horrifying to 463 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:57,119 Speaker 1: kings and royal people. Uh you know, it's it's the 464 00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 1: kind of thing they could imagine happening to them. Don't 465 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 1: mess with the king's money or the king's food. Both 466 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 1: must be deterred in the strongest sense. Um. It's also 467 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: interesting looking at the the European use of boiling executions, 468 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:20,359 Speaker 1: because you would see this tradition later on as you know, 469 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:23,359 Speaker 1: tales were being told of what what is surely going 470 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,159 Speaker 1: on in various foreign parts of the world, be at 471 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: Africa or Asia. Uh, you know there would be the 472 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:31,120 Speaker 1: especially in like sort of the pulp era. Uh, this 473 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: idea of of boiling people is something that the other does, 474 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,360 Speaker 1: whereas history tells them. I mean, certainly there are examples 475 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: of boiling in various cultures, but but clearly there was 476 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 1: a long history of it occurring in Europe as well. 477 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, clearly you can see that as just part 478 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,080 Speaker 1: of a fiction that sort of exotic sizes other parts 479 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: of the world by imagining like horrific, horrific things that 480 00:27:54,080 --> 00:28:04,400 Speaker 1: might happen there, probably without any evidential basis than now. 481 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 1: Turning briefly to Greek mythology, of course, we have to 482 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 1: remember that, uh, this is boiling alive is the way 483 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 1: that the master artificer uh Datalust kills King Minos, trapping 484 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:20,359 Speaker 1: him in a bath that boils him alive. Um clever, 485 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 1: And this it seems like the very sort of revenge 486 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 1: that data List would use against his enemy. Oh, I 487 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 1: didn't remember that part of the story. That's interesting. I 488 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:32,920 Speaker 1: believe it is depicted in one of the Jim Hinson 489 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,800 Speaker 1: Greek storyteller episodes. They have I think two different ones 490 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:40,440 Speaker 1: that involved data lists. But back to Eastern depictions of Hell. 491 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,840 Speaker 1: So um, there's that line in Big Trouble in Little China. 492 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 1: I believe it's from the Uh, the character Eddie who says, uh, 493 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,600 Speaker 1: the Chinese have a lot of Hell's um. And indeed 494 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: you'll you find Eastern depictions of Hell. Often they will 495 00:28:54,840 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: include generally eighteen different um die you or under worlds. 496 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 1: And the exact nature of these hell's or underworld's vary 497 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 1: from text to text, but each one has a different flavor. 498 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:12,560 Speaker 1: They are different, like this is where you encounter the 499 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,360 Speaker 1: hill of knives, or this is the one where you 500 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,520 Speaker 1: encounter the boiling feces, that sort of thing. Several of 501 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,960 Speaker 1: them were listed in that passage I read earlier from 502 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:25,280 Speaker 1: the story of the Wizard's Lesson, and I actually don't 503 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: know the answer here with these. Also, like in some 504 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: of the classic Christian depictions of Hell, have specific tortures 505 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 1: for people who's depending on their characteristic sin. Yes, absolutely, 506 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 1: and in case in this case, the the hell of 507 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,600 Speaker 1: of oil cauldrons would be reserved for thieves and a 508 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 1: few other kind of related transgressions. Now at this point, 509 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 1: I'd like to come back to that Paul Marabelais article 510 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,680 Speaker 1: Visions of Asian Hell, in which he discusses Asian visions 511 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 1: of hell at length, and as as mentioned previously, he 512 00:29:56,600 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 1: singles out the alchemical nature of cauldrons and Chinese traditions, 513 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,960 Speaker 1: which is, it seems very key here. So on the 514 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 1: mundane level, it is a piece of technology that allows 515 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,040 Speaker 1: us to transform the nature of various ingredients into food, 516 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:12,320 Speaker 1: and then on the sacred level, it allows us to 517 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 1: transform flesh into something befitting of a god. And so 518 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:19,640 Speaker 1: Marabola discusses examples of boiling cauldrons and the hells of 519 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 1: Tibetan buddhism Um, which, to remind everyone, does center around 520 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 1: the continuation of souls within the wheel of sam Sorrow, 521 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:31,200 Speaker 1: which is a karma based system in which souls tumble 522 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:34,520 Speaker 1: through incarnations that may be human or animal, but may 523 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:38,120 Speaker 1: also be incarnations such as you know, hungry ghosts, heavenly 524 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:41,800 Speaker 1: and powerful davas or in or indeed you might be 525 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: reborn into the hell realms of Naraka. And the goal 526 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 1: is ultimately, in the grand scheme of Buddhism, to remove 527 00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:53,800 Speaker 1: oneself from this endless wheel and attain freedom from the 528 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: cycle of death and rebirth, because that's the only way 529 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 1: to just sort of win. I guess you would say, like, 530 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,760 Speaker 1: if you keep playing the game of sam Sara, you're 531 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:06,280 Speaker 1: just gonna pinball around, you know. So you might, you 532 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 1: might ascend on high into the form of a demigod adeva. 533 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 1: But then perhaps all that power and wrath that you 534 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: have at your disposal that ends up corrupting you and 535 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:20,200 Speaker 1: propels your soul back down into the hell realm. So 536 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 1: the hell's in this case, they're not really It's not 537 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:27,040 Speaker 1: about permanent suffering like you encounter in some interpretations of 538 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:30,200 Speaker 1: Western depictions of Christian hell, where it's like, well, you 539 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,720 Speaker 1: screwed up, you went with the wrong side, now you're 540 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:35,800 Speaker 1: in hell. For let's say, ever, uh No, in this case, 541 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 1: hell is a place you're moving through. Your soul is 542 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 1: moving through here, and you'll uh in all likelihood be 543 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 1: reincarnated into a different incarnation in one of these other realms. So, 544 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:52,680 Speaker 1: as Miroboli discusses these visions often depicted in art, they 545 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:57,440 Speaker 1: already have this um this this feel of transformation or 546 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,760 Speaker 1: purging to them. Um So demonic beings might be cooking 547 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,200 Speaker 1: human souls, but to what end? Right, we have to 548 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:07,400 Speaker 1: remember that cooking is a transformation, and the form of 549 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:12,080 Speaker 1: cooking in the cauldron of sacrifice is supernaturally so oh interesting, 550 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,160 Speaker 1: So I think I see the connection he's making here 551 00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 1: the same way you might, uh say, in in some 552 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,800 Speaker 1: Chinese traditions use a ding or a cauldron to to 553 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:24,320 Speaker 1: make a burnt sacrifice um to the gods in order 554 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:28,920 Speaker 1: to to appease them to improve your fortune. In for example, 555 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:32,960 Speaker 1: this Buddhist vision of Hell, you may also be put 556 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 1: into a cauldron yourself, but in this in a similar way, 557 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:40,880 Speaker 1: are transformed into something potentially holier. Yes, And this ends 558 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:45,040 Speaker 1: up being reflected in Dallas traditions as well, which Endaoism 559 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:48,160 Speaker 1: is perhaps more concerned with transformation of the soul or 560 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:52,200 Speaker 1: self and immortality, but it ends up being influenced by 561 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:56,960 Speaker 1: Buddhism when Buddhism Uh enters into China from India roughly 562 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 1: two thousand years ago. Uh And so, in considering images 563 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 1: of cauldrons in Hell and the Chinese temple of ching 564 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: Hwong in Linza Shoe in western China, Mirabel says quote, 565 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:12,320 Speaker 1: in fact, we could interpret the dallast Hell as some 566 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 1: enormous cauldron into which have been poured the ingredients necessary 567 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:20,960 Speaker 1: to permutate the present state of imperfect beings into their 568 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:28,200 Speaker 1: possible perfection by long and painstaking alchemical assimilations. Interesting. Yeah, 569 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: so I really love that, uh, that idea. And again 570 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,520 Speaker 1: it comes back to again that question question. You might ask, well, 571 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:37,640 Speaker 1: if if the if some Europeans were hesitant to take 572 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:41,800 Speaker 1: take a sort of divine um legacy of the cauldron 573 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,080 Speaker 1: and then place it into pictions of hell, even if 574 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:47,880 Speaker 1: you're dealing sort of different religious traditions, why would you 575 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:49,719 Speaker 1: see it in Chinese traditions? And I think it is 576 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:52,840 Speaker 1: because you have this different view of what what Hell 577 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:57,000 Speaker 1: is doing, this idea that these depictions of torment are 578 00:33:57,040 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 1: not about like in game suffering, they are about changing 579 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:04,440 Speaker 1: you into something else, which is the purpose of the daying, 580 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:06,600 Speaker 1: the purpose of the cauldron, whether you're dealing with the 581 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 1: process on Earth or something more celestial or indeed something 582 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:13,759 Speaker 1: in one of the hell's And I should also point out, yeah, 583 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:16,759 Speaker 1: that you also see this this these visions of of 584 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:20,200 Speaker 1: hell outside of Chinese traditions and and outside of of 585 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:23,960 Speaker 1: Indian divisions, is also pops up in Japanese views of 586 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:26,799 Speaker 1: of of Hell and so forth. All Right, we're gonna 587 00:34:26,840 --> 00:34:29,399 Speaker 1: go ahead and close out this episode then, but I'd 588 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 1: love to hear from everyone out there if you have 589 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:38,120 Speaker 1: additional things you'd like to add about Chinese traditions of cauldrons, 590 00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:41,239 Speaker 1: be they the you know, the nine cauldrons of You 591 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,600 Speaker 1: the Great, or or these various depictions of Dallast and 592 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:49,320 Speaker 1: Buddhist hell. Uh. I'd love to hear from anyone out there. Likewise, 593 00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 1: any any sort of pop culture and fiction related treatments 594 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:55,839 Speaker 1: of cauldrons that kind of match up with what we've 595 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:58,920 Speaker 1: discussed here today totally. In the meantime, if you want 596 00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:01,120 Speaker 1: to check out other episodes of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, 597 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,799 Speaker 1: you can find those episodes and the Stuff to Blow 598 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:07,160 Speaker 1: your Mind podcast feed. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we publish 599 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:09,920 Speaker 1: our core episodes. Those are the main episodes of Stuff 600 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:12,319 Speaker 1: to Blow Your Mind. And then on Monday's we do 601 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:15,200 Speaker 1: listener mail. On Wednesday's we do a short form monster 602 00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:18,520 Speaker 1: fact or artifact episode. In on Friday's, uh, you know, 603 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,000 Speaker 1: we cut loose, We put aside most serious concerns and 604 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:23,879 Speaker 1: we just talk about a strange film huge thanks as 605 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:27,839 Speaker 1: always to our excellent audio producer Seth Nicholas Johnson. If 606 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:29,560 Speaker 1: you would like to get in touch with us with 607 00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:32,320 Speaker 1: feedback on this episode or any other, to suggest a 608 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:34,400 Speaker 1: topic for the future, or just to say hello, you 609 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:37,160 Speaker 1: can email us at contact at stuff to Blow your 610 00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:47,400 Speaker 1: Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind. It's production 611 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:50,240 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. 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