User:Jdecker8/sandbox

Article Evaluation

 * Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
 * What else could be improved?
 * Is the article neutral? Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?


 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Jormungandr
The information found in the article about Jormungandr is relevant an there are no sections where they diverge away from it. However, the information is about other people's encounters with the serpent and not directly about the serpent itself. No information is outdated but the origins of the serpent is missing and could be added. The sections regarding the 3 stories of Thor could be better described and expanded upon. The article has no heavy bias and is very straight forward with how the stories went. The links for the citations work but one links to an online dictionary and another links to another Wikipedia article. the last link goes to a reliable website but doesn't give much information. The link that goes to another Wikipedia article might be reliable depending If that article's sources are reliable. the dictionary isn't very reliable. In the talk page, there are discussions related to the name, trivia, and etymology of Jormungandr. There doesn't seem to be any new ideas being discussed that isn't already in the article. The article is rated as a stub.

Article Selection

 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * Is it written neutrally?
 * Does each claim have a citation?
 * Are the citations reliable?

Nuwa
The article is relevant to the topic because the info covers the basic description of Nuwa and also explains her evolvement with Fengshen Yanyi.It is written neutrally and doesn't seem to be implying anything. Yes, each claim has a citation. Yes, all three sources are reliable but our textbook isn't one of them.

Niflheim
The article is relevant to the topic as they refer to different stories where Niflheim is described. It is written neutrally and very straight-forwardly. There are some citations but there seem to be some questionable citations in this article. Our textbook is not a source.

Jormungandr
The article is relevant to the topic by having explanations of encounters of Jormungandr in Gylfanginning. It is written neutrally. There are citations but most of them come straight from Gylfanginning which was written by Snorri.

Arranger of Marriages
Nüwa was born three months after her brother, Fuxi, to whom she later took as her husband; This marriage is the reason why Nüwa is credited with inventing the idea of marriage.

Creation of Man
Nüwa created mankind due to loneliness which in time grew larger and larger. The way in which she made some of mankind was by molding yellow earth, or in other versions yellow clay, to the shape of humans. These people later became the wealthy nobles of society because they were created by Nüwa's hands directly. However, the average majority of mankind was created by Nüwa dragging string across mud to mass produce humans. She did this because creating every human by hand was too time and energy consuming. This creation of mankind gives an aetiological explanation to the social divide between people in China. The batch of humans hand made by Nüwa believed that being directly made by the goddess gave them more importance than the majority who were massed produce because Nüwa took time to create them and they were directly touched by her hand. In another version of the creation of humanity, Nüwa and Fuxi were survivors of a great flood. By the command of the God of the heaven, they were married and Nüwa had a child which was a ball of meat. This ball of meat was cut into small pieces and the pieces were scattered across the world which then became humans.

Nüwa and Fuxi
Before the two of them got married, they lived on mount K'un-lun. A prayer was made after the two became guilty of falling for each other. The prayer is as follows,

" Oh Heaven, if Thou wouldst send us forth as man and wife, then make all the misty vapor gather. If not, then make all the misty vapor disperse. "

Misty vapor then gathered after the prayer signifying the two could marry. When intimate, the two made a fan out of grass to screen their faces which is why during modern day marriages, the couple hold a fan together. By connecting, the two were representative of Yin and Yang; Fuxi being connected to Yang and masculinity along Nüwa being connected to Yin and femininity. This is further defined with Fuxi receiving a carpenter's square which symbolizes his identification with the physical world because a carpenter's square is associated with straight lines and squares leading to a more straightforward mindset. Meanwhile, Nüwa was given a compass to symbolize her identification with the heavens because a compass is associated with curves and circles leading to a more abstract mindset. With the two being married, it symbolized the union between heaven and Earth. Other versions have Nüwa invent the compass rather than receive it as a gift.

Music
Nüwa invented multiple musical instruments: The Shenghuang, Saengwhang, and Hulusi gourd flute (all of these instruments are various reed pipes). Nüwa created the Shenghuang around the idea of reproduction; The Shenghuang is used in marriages and reproduction rites. With regards to the Saengwhang, Nüwa created this instrument to be in the shape of the god of music, Bonghwang. Based on the video from https://www.coursera.org/lecture/religions-society-china/creator-deities-fu-xi-and-nu-wa-HuWWA, Chinese musical theaters around the world have pictures of Nüwa decorating their interiors.

Things to follow up on later:

'''yellow earth - not specific, some versions say earth while others say clay. it is not a specific item'''

more sources - cant find much that is NEW but working on it

'''Bonghwang is said in the source to be the god of music however theres a Wikipedia page that uses that name with a Chinese bird. there is no reference to being the god of music anywhere in that page so im unsure whether I should hyperlink it to that page or not.'''

follow up on more modern customs and influences by Nuwa - found Nuwa influence on music, needs more research