Q. Hey I missed class, I know we talked about oracle bones but what are they?
A. Remember how we saw the gravedigger always search for luck and depend on the spirits for financial help? The oracle bones are like that except done thousands of years ago. Evidence of this has been found all the way back to the 4th millenium bc! The kings would ask a question to their ancestors and when they roasted the bones over fire in a certain way, they could interpret the resulting cracks as the ancestors response. The questions could range from when to go to war or if the weather will be good tomorrow. The living could try to butter up the ancestors by sacrificing animals to them. Kings had massive farms so they could have a source of animals to sacrifice. The system had some major flaws. The worst one is that the answers can only be yes or no. This means specific answers about the future cannot be obtained. This idea of decisions being guided by the ancestors fits in with the gravedigger who believed his life was controlled by luck.
Q. So you are in some Chinese mythology class. I heard you mention oracle bones but what are they?
Hello person who does not know much about this subject! I will explain the concept generally. Ancient Chinese people believed that their ancestors were still present and interacted with their descendants. It was the job of those who were still alive to take care of and honor the ancestors. The relationship went both ways. Whenever the emperor had a question about the weather, if he should go to war or anything else, he would ask the ancestors. The process they used was oracle bones. They would drill holes in the bones, put them in fire and interpret the cracks as an answer to their question. The answers were only yes or no so the questions could not be too specific.By our modern standards we do not believe in this at all. But for the ancient Chinese person who believes that spirits are a big part of daily life, it fits in nicely with their world view. While the future telling power of oracle bones is doubtful, the knowledge they give helps us today because the bones have lasted through time when paper would have disintegrated.
