The nine-headed bird, also known as the nine phoenixes, the nine phoenix divine birds, the ghost car, and the ghost birds, is a phoenix with nine heads, and is a sacred bird worshiped by the ancestors of Chu in the Warring States Period. The legend of the nine-headed bird was born from some ancient myths in "Chu Ci" and "Classic of Mountains and Seas". The nine-headed bird has nine heads, red in color, like a duck, with a human head and a bird's body; after the Han Dynasty, it gradually degenerated from a godhead to a demon bird that collects people's souls. Hubei has a proverb of "nine-headed bird in the sky, Hubei Yankee on the ground", and the Chu people have the tradition of worshipping the phoenix, which refers to the Hubei people.

legend

The legend of the nine-headed bird is actually born from some ancient myths in the "Chu Ci" and the "Classic of Mountains and Seas". The appearance of the image of the nine-headed bird first originated from the nine-phoenix divine bird of the Chu people. The "Classic of Mountains and Seas", written by the Chu people from the Warring States period to the early Han Dynasty, is the earliest document that records the image of the nine-headed bird.

Origin

The most basic characteristic of a nine-headed bird is that it has nine heads. But there are also many different theories about these nine heads. Some say it was supposed to have ten heads. For example, Tang Duancheng's "Youyang Miscellaneous" volume 16 "Feather": ghost car bird, according to legend, this bird used to have ten songs,...... One is devoured by dogs. Song Zhoumi's "Qi Dongye Yu" Volume 19: Ghost Car, commonly known as the Nine-headed Bird,...... It is rumored that there were ten songs of this bird in the past, one of which was devoured by dogs, and so far the blood drops are the blame for the disaster. ...... The body is round like a basket, ten rings are clustered, nine of them have heads, and one of them is unique and there is a drop of blood, as the world has passed down. Ming Yang Shen's "The Complete Works of Yang Sheng'an" Volume 81 "Ghost Car" Article: "Novel": Zhou Gong lived in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, heard of this bird, and ordered the court to shoot it, one of the blood songs, and the remaining nine songs. Others say that it originally had only nine heads, and that one of the heads was wounded and dripped blood, never healing. As quoted above, "The Classics of the Three Kingdoms": There are nine-headed birds in the back garden of Qi,...... All nine heads are singing. and Tang Liu's "Ridge Table Record Difference" Juan Zhongyun: Ghost Car ,...... Or the nine heads of clouds, once one of the dogs, often dripping blood. Among the above legends, the appearance of the "Ten Necks (Neck) Nine Heads" recorded in the "Qi Dongye Yu" is the most terrifying, just imagine that in addition to the nine bird heads, there is also a bird neck where blood is dripping, how terrible is that? Formerly known as the "ghost car", it has ten necks and nine heads, and it is said that its tenth head was shot off by Zhou Gongdan on the order of the hunter. The headless neck was dripping blood, and the ancients declared that if the nine-headed bird flew by, they would blow out the lights and let the dogs drive it away. Some legends claim that the nine-headed bird has a pair of wings for each head, but the 18 wings crowd each other and all of them are useless. Historically, Zhou and Chu were indeed bitter enemies. King Zhao of Zhou led his army to conquer in person, but died in the Han River and became a ghost in a foreign land. The hatred of the Zhou people for the Chu people can be imagined. We know that the gods of a nation are bound to be said to be demons to their rival peoples. For example, the Egyptian god Saud became Satan in the Hebrew Bible. The Zhou people said that the nine phoenix totems of the Chu people were monsters, and made up the story of the Tengu breaking one of them, which is also in line with the basic law of comparative mythology, as for whether the Zhou Gong himself did have this matter, or whether the folklore attached to the Zhou Gong, it does not matter.

"Taiping Yulan" volume 927 quotes "Three Kingdoms Classics": "There are nine birds in the back garden of Qi, red in color, like ducks, and all nine are singing. "Tang Liu Sui's "Ridge Table Record Difference" volume in the clouds: "Ghost cars, between spring and summer, a little cloudy, will fly by." There are many outside the ridge. Love into the soul of others.

Or the nine heads of clouds, once one of the dogs, often dripping blood. The house of blood drops is to blame. "This is the bird. "Zhengzitong" cloud: "Partridge, a ghost car bird." A nine-headed bird, shaped like an owl, with wide wings, was blind day and night, and saw the fire falling. ”

"The color is red, like a duck. (The Three Kingdoms)

"It is like an owl, and the big one has wide wings. ("Orthography") case: "Emu" is now known as an owl. Jin Zhanghua's "Naturalist Chronicles" wrote: "The owl, an owl, sees nothing during the day, and the night is bright." ”

"A bird with a coat of hair, and a woman who sheds her hair. ("Youyang Miscellaneous Tales and Feather Chapter", "Xuanzhong Ji")

"The body is as round as a basket, and the ten rings are clustered...... Each of them has two wings. When flying eighteen wings, Huo Huo competed, not for use, to the point that there was a fight and the wounded. (Qi Dongye Language)

"It's like a big butterfly. (Song Zhuyi's "Yijue Liao Miscellaneous Records" volume II)

"This thing loves to blood its clothes, that is, to take children. ("Ancient Novel Hook Shen" quoted in "Xuanzhong Ji")

"For the sake of birds, or for the sake of blood. ("Youyang Miscellaneous Tales and Feather Chapters")

"Blood. The house of blood drops is to blame. (In the volume of "Differences in the Records of the Mountains")

"Drops of blood are to blame. (Qi Dongye Yu, Vol. 19)

"The day sees nothing, but the night is the dawn. (Naturalist Chronicles)

"There are many ghost birds on the moonlit night. ("Jing Chu Years Chronicles")

"Between spring and summer, when there is a little gloom, it will fly by. (In the volume of "Differences in the Records of the Mountains")

"It's day blind and night. ("Orthography")

"The night flies and the day disappears. ("Youyang Miscellaneous Tales and Feather Chapters")

"The sky is cloudy in Qinzhong, and sometimes there is a sound, such as the sound of a power car, or it is said that a water chicken is over. ("Youyang Miscellaneous Tales and Feather Chapters")

"Duke Zhou lives in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and he smells of this bird. ("The Complete Works of Yang Sheng'an", Volume 81, "Ghost Car")

In addition, the nine-headed bird, also known as the "Gushou bird", preys on human children and prefers to live in groups.

"If the birds are dusty in the children's clothes, they will make the children sick. ("Water Jing Note: River Water")

"The fur falls into the clothes, for the birds, or the blood dots its clothes for the ambition. ("Youyang Miscellaneous Tales and Feather Chapters")

"Birds have no children, but they like to take the son of man and raise them as children. ("The Legend of the Universe")

"When you see a child's clothes, if the hair falls on them, the child will be sick. ("Miscellaneous Records of Yijue Liao", Volume II)

"Love into the soul of others. (In the volume of "Differences in the Records of the Mountains")

"See the fire falling. ("Orthography")

Regarding the characteristics of the nine-headed bird, Song Mei Yaochen's poem "Ancient Style" is more detailed, and it is recorded as follows:

In the past, the Duke of Zhou lived in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and he was tired of hearing about this bird.

The night Huting clan led its subordinates and bent the arc to expel Kyushu.

The three shots can't be hit, and the heavenly tengu is sent from the airdrop.

Since the dog bites a song and falls and the head is severed, the blood has flowed so far.

It is three thousand years apart, and it is hidden by day and night like an owl.

Every time the dark sky passes, the fire is shocked at first sight.

Sometimes the blood is stained, and the house that suffers will be broken.

Folk taboo

Because the nine-headed bird is a fierce bird, the people are afraid of it, so there are all kinds of taboos against it and ways to defend against it.

taboo

"Yu Zhangjian raised a child, and did not show his clothes. ("Water Jing Note: River Water")

"Mortals should not expose their children, and children's clothes should not be exposed. ("Youyang Miscellaneous Tales and Feather Chapters")

"Children's clothes don't want to be dewed at night. ("The Legend of the Universe")

Exorcism

"Therefore, those who hear it will put out the lights of the dogs, so that they can pass through the country as soon as possible. (Qi Dongye Yu, Vol. 19)

"When I heard about this bird, I ordered the court to shoot it. ("The Complete Works of Yang Sheng'an", Volume 81, "Ghost Car", quoted novel)

"Every family beats the bed with a mallet, plucks the dog's ears, and extinguishes the lights and candles to give it to them. ("Jing Chu Years Chronicles")

"The Classic of Mountains and Seas: The Great Wilderness North Classic" contains: "In the great wilderness, there is a mountain named Arctic Tianhuan, and the sea water lives in the north. There are nine gods, people and bird bodies, and the name is nine phoenixes. Although the exact scope of the "Great Wilderness" where the "Nine Phoenix" lives is unknown, it can certainly include the land of Chu, because the first emperor of the Chu people, and his nine concubines are buried here. "The Classic of Mountains and Seas: The Great Wilderness of the North" begins with the words: "Beyond the Northeast Sea, in the great wilderness, between the rivers, the mountains attached to Yu, the emperor and the nine concubines are buried. The book "Hai Nei Dongjing" said: "The Han River is out of the mountain of carp, the emperor is buried in Yang, the nine concubines are buried in Yin, and the four snakes are guarded." "Attached to Yu is the carp, the ancient word is universal. Qu Yuan, who is of Chu descent, said in "Lisao" that he is "a descendant of Emperor Gaoyang." "This Gao Yang is the emperor. Zhuan Xuan was buried in Hanshui, and the nine phoenixes and Zhuan Xuan were in the same place, which shows that the nine phoenixes are the nine-headed sacred birds worshiped by the Chu people. The divinity of the "Nine Phoenix" can be proved by its name. The phoenix is one of the two most worshiped totems in ancient China, and it is called the dragon together. It is a symbol of auspiciousness and happiness, "The Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Book of South Mountains" says that the mountain of Danxue "has a bird, its shape is like a chicken, five colors and texts, the name is called the phoenix singing and dancing, and the world is peaceful when you see it." "Erya Shi Bird" Guo Pu notes: "Phoenix, Ruiying Bird." "Saying": "Phoenix, the divine bird also sees the world is peaceful." Because the phoenix is an auspicious bird, some emperors in ancient times, such as Shaohao and King Zhou Cheng, are said to have flown to celebrate when King Zhou Cheng ascended the throne.

The Chu people have a tradition of worshipping the phoenix. When the great poet Qu Yuan wrote about the part of the iQue Heaven in "Lisao", the first sentence was: "I make the phoenix bird fly, followed by day and night; According to Comrade Xiao Bing's research, the story of Phoenix Nirvana's use of power, which is very popular all over the world, first came from Qu Yuan's "Tianwen". In the pre-Qin classics, there are many records of the Chu people comparing Feng to outstanding figures, such as "The Analects of Weizi"

In China, the madman of Chu sang to Confucius: "The decline of what virtue is? The past cannot be admonished, but the coming can still be chased." That's it, that's it! Today's politicians are gone!"

Zhu Rong, the ancestor of the Chu people, is the embodiment of the phoenix. "White Tiger Pass, Five Bamboo Chapters" said that Zhu Rong "its essence is a bird, and it is separated from Luan." "Luan is the phoenix. Therefore, the Chu people have a deep affection for Mr. Feng. They especially like to use the phoenix as a metaphor for people. Legend has it that when King Chuzhuang first ascended the throne, he spent all day looking for pleasure and did not ask about state affairs. Wu Ju then admonished and asked: "There is a bird in Fu, what kind of bird is it that does not sing for three years?" King Zhuang replied: "If it does not sing for three years, it will soar to the sky; if it does not sing for three years, it will be amazing." Wu Ju used a bird as a metaphor for King Zhuang, and King Zhuang also used a bird to refer to himself. This bird can fly to the sky, and it naturally reminds me of the Dapeng admired by the Chu people who "don't know how many thousands of miles" and "fly angrily, and its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky". "Peng, Fengye". There is a head behind the phoenix, there is a head hidden under the body, and the front looks up to look at the clouds. In the concept of the ancients, the phoenix was a kind of sacred bird. "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" says: "In the midst of the fire famine, there are nine gods, with a human face and a bird body, and the name is nine phoenixes." The phoenix bird flies, followed by day and night", "the phoenix wings its bearing, the wings of the high soaring", "the three phoenixes its singing, shocking the world, crying ghosts and gods", three phoenixes and nine heads, "its ambition is great, its wisdom is far away." There is a similar record in "Zhuangzi: The World".

Academically sophisticated

The psychology of the Chu people to worship the phoenix has also been proved by archaeological data. For example, the dragon and phoenix silk paintings excavated in Chenjia Mountain in Changsha in February 1949, the phoenix stepping on the tiger drum found twice in Jiangling, Hubei Province in 1963 and 1971, and the non-clothed silk paintings of the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha are all famous discoveries. In particular, in the middle of the heavens, there are several big birds around the main god of the human-faced snake body. And at the entrance to heaven in the middle of the picture, there is also an eagle-beaked human-faced monster bird and two long-tailed phoenix birds. This is very similar to the artistic conception described in Qu Yuan's poems. So far, Chongfeng psychology still occupies an important position in the folk aesthetic taste. Song Gongwen said in "Chronicles of the Customs of the Chu State": "In the minds of the Chu people, they and Feng are actually one. They deliberately flaunt the phoenix, and dress the phoenix to be unusually beautiful and magnificent, which is to mark the appearance and image of the phoenix itself. The phoenix is the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty. For this reason, the Chu people respect the phoenix and love the phoenix with the phoenix as the totem, and regard the phoenix as the symbol of the ancestors, the symbol of the nation and the country. This is the ideological basis of the Chu people's respect for the phoenix and the love of the phoenix. "The love and reverence for the phoenix in the state of Chu from the kings, scholars and doctors to the common people has reached an unparalleled level. In the political, economic, cultural fields and people's daily life, all show a gorgeous and colorful phoenix shadow. Therefore, some scholars say that the phoenix runs through the whole development of Chu culture, Chu culture can also be called phoenix culture, Jingzhou is the capital of Chu culture, that is, the hometown of Phoenix.

Feng Jiu combined

I said "phoenix", and then "nine". Nine, in ancient China, is a mysterious number, the sky is high and said to be nine, the earth is deep and said to be nine springs, the territory is wide and said to be nine regions, the number is said to be nine jun, the time is long and it is said to be nine days and nine nights, and the danger is said to be nine deaths and one life...... Even Tang Seng is ninety-nine eighty-one difficult to learn scriptures, and Sun Wukong is ninety-eight seventy-two changes. According to some scholars, this is because the original meaning of "nine" is "nine-headed dragon" (or hydra). There are many myths about the worship of the hydra in ancient China. For example, in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", there is the myth of "nine snakes are self-ringing and eating in the nine soils", "nine heads of human faces and snakes are green", and nine heads of food are eaten in the nine mountains and nine continents to work together. The hydra is worshipped, and the nine-headed bird is certainly no exception. "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" not only has nine phoenixes, but also nine or nine-tailed foxes, sheep, tigers, etc., and in ancient China, which pays attention to the harmony of yin and yang, nine is the number of yang, which means auspicious and sacred, so the nine-headed bird did not originally contain demonic energy.

In Chu culture, the tradition of worshipping the "nine" is also obvious. Qu Yuan's very famous series of works is called "Nine Songs". This is when Qu Yuan was exiled, "seeing the ritual of sacrifice of the laity, the joy of singing and dancing, and the words are ugly", so "the words are more fixed", which was modified on the basis of the folk songs of Chudi. Qu Yuan also has a work called "Nine Chapters", and his student Song Yu has "Nine Debates". In the poem "Selected Tours", Qu Yuan once wrote: "The morning is in the Yanggu Xi, and the sunset is in the Jiuyang." The word "nine" is used in many places in the "Chu Ci", such as Jiutian, Jiuwan, Kyushu, Jiuke, Jiukeng, Jiuhe, Jiuzhong, Jiuzi, Jiuzhi, Jiushou, Jiuqu, Jiuhe, Jiuzhi, Jiu Nian, Jiu Death, Jiuguan, Jiuqian, Jiuhou, etc.; It can be seen that the "nine" has a great influence on the belief in Chudi.

To sum up, the nine phoenixes with a human face and nine heads are a totem image of a half-human and half-bird worshipped by the ancestors of the Chu people, and it is the earliest prototype of the nine-headed bird image in China. The nine phoenixes in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" are undoubtedly a bird god or a divine bird. However, after that, the nine phoenixes mysteriously disappeared from Chinese literature, and the nine-headed birds with other names appeared in their place, not only completely lost their divinity, but also deteriorated over time, becoming an authentic bird monster.

Bird god bird monster

The story of the nine-headed bird infected with evil spirits and its evolution into a disgusting villain in Chinese folklore began from the Han Dynasty novel "Zhou Gong lived in the east, smelled of this bird, and the Ming Ting clan shot it, and the blood was one of them, and there were still nine songs left", and later the "Jing Chu Years Chronicles", "Chieftain Yang Miscellaneous", and "Qi Dongye Yu" Zhushu were widely known. Ouyang Xiu, a famous artist in the Song Dynasty, left a poem of "Ghost Car Poem", which has the most vivid and complete description: "In the past, the Duke of Zhou lived in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, tired of hearing that this bird hated like hatred, and called for his genus at night, and the arc was out of Kyushu, and the three shots could not be shot, and the heavenly dog was sent from the air, since the dog sneered and fell, the severed head has been clear of blood flow, and the distance between the two thousand autumns was three thousand autumns, and the day and night were hidden like a bird. Every time the dark sky passes, at first glance the fire is shocked and falls, and sometimes the remaining blood is a little breathing, and the house will be broken. I was shocked and suspicious when I heard this, but I wished that there would be no misfortune for flying away, I thought about the vastness of the world, the details of all things, and the culprit was not in the people, and it was auspicious to go to the two ends. ...... "Here, the hatred of the nine-headed bird began with the Duke of Zhou, who was defeated by the Chu people in the Spring and Autumn Period. Later, after the bird was bitten off by the tengu, the severed head was bleeding profusely, and people thought that it was ominous to be defiled by blood droplets, so the nine-headed bird became a demonic thing. But Ouyang Xiu didn't believe this, but advocated that "the evil luck is in people, not in things". It can be seen that the demon is born by life, and it has little to do with the morphological habits of the nine-headed bird. Song Mei Yaochen's poem "Ancient Style": "In the past, the Duke of Zhou lived in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and hated this bird. The night Huting clan led its subordinates and bent the arc to expel Kyushu. The three shots can't be hit, and the heavenly tengu is sent from the airdrop. Since the dog bites a severed head, the blood has flowed so far. It is three thousand years apart, and it is hidden at night like an owl. Every time the dark sky passes, the fire is shocked at first sight. Sometimes, the blood is stained, and the house is broken. The myth of the nine-headed bird can be seen in this poem.

Nine phoenix aliases

The name "Nine-headed Bird" was first seen in the "Taiping Yulan" volume 927 quoted in the "Three Kingdoms Dictionary": there are nine-headed birds in the back garden of Qi,...... However, the other name of the nine-headed bird is very complicated in ancient books. "Zhengzitong" cloud: partridge, a ghost car bird, a nine-headed bird,...... "Youyang Miscellaneous" volume 16 "Feather": "Bai Zetu" is called the cang, "Emperor Hushu" is called the reverse partridge. Song Zhoumi's "Qi Dongye Yu" Volume 19: Ghost Car, commonly known as the Nine-headed Bird,......

As seen above, from the end of the Han Dynasty to the beginning of the Tang and Song dynasties, there were different names such as "partridge", "reverse partridge", "ghost car bird", "ghost car" and so on. Add these synonyms to the corso, and many other names will be found. For example, "partridge" is a bird name, but in Jin Guopu's "Jiang Fu", there is a kind of "strange partridge nine-headed", this kind of "strange partridge" is also a nine-headed bird.

4. Historical origins

The nine-headed bird is mentioned several times in ancient books:

1. "Chu Ci Tianwen"

2. "Taiping Yulan" volume 927 quotes "Three Kingdoms Classics": There are nine birds in the back garden of Qi, the color is red, like a duck, and the nine heads are singing.

3. "Anthology" Jin Guo Jingchun (Pu) "Jiang Fu": If it is a corner of the dragon carp, there are nine strange partridges.

4. Zhang Hua's "Naturalist Chronicles" text: Owl bird, a owl, sees nothing during the day, and the night is bright.

5. Lu Xun's "Ancient Novel Hook Shen" series "Xuanzhong Ji":

6. Jin Ganbao's "Sou Shen Ji" volume 14:

7. Northern Wei Dynasty Li Daoyuan's "Water Jing Note: River Water":

8. Liang Zongyi of the Southern Dynasty "Jing Chu Years Chronicles": There are many ghosts and birds on the night of the first moon, and every family beats the house with a mallet bed, plucks the dog's ears, and extinguishes the lamp and candle to give it to you.

9. "Guangyun Partridge":

10. "Dunhuang Variation Collection: Ju Daoxing "Sou Shen Ji"

11. "Orthography": Partridge, a ghost car bird, a nine-headed bird, like an owl, the big one has wide wings, the day is blind and the night is blind, and the fire is falling.

12. Tang Duancheng style "Youyang Miscellaneous" volume 16 "Feather": Nocturnal wandering girl, a heavenly emperor girl, a fishing star, flying at night and hidden by day, such as ghosts and gods, clothes and feathers for birds, hair loss woman, childless, like to take the son of man, with milk on the chest. Mortals should not expose their children, nor should their children's clothes be exposed, and their fur should fall into their clothes, or they should be bloody. or the words of the dead.

13. Again: Ghost car bird, according to legend, this bird used to have ten songs, which could collect human souls, and one was devoured by dogs. The sky is cloudy in Qinzhong, and sometimes there is a sound, such as the sound of a power car, or it is said that a water chicken is passing over. ...... "Bai Zetu" is called the cang, and the "Book of the Emperor" is called the reverse partridge.

14. Tang Liuxi's "Ridge Table Record Difference" in the clouds: Ghost cars, between spring and summer, when they encounter a little obscurity, they will fly by. There are many outside the ridge. Love into the soul of others. Or the nine heads of clouds, once one of the dogs, often dripping blood. The house of blood drops is to blame.

15. Song Mei Yaochen's "Ancient Style" poem:

16. Song Zhoumi's "Qi Dongye Yu" Volume 19: Ghost car, commonly known as the nine-headed bird,...... It is rumored that there were ten songs of this bird in the past, one of which was devoured by dogs, and so far the blood drops are the blame for the disaster. Therefore, those who hear it will put out the lights of the dogs, so as to speed them through the country. ...... The body is round like a basket, ten rings are clustered, nine of them have heads, and one of them is unique and there is a drop of blood, as the world has passed down. Each of them has two wings. When flying eighteen wings, Huo Huo competed, not for use, to the point that there was a fight and the wounded.

17. Song Zhuyi's "Yijue Liao Miscellaneous Records" volume: There is a bug name outside the mountain in the dark night, see the children's clothes, fall on the hair, and the child will be sick. It resembles a large butterfly.

18. Ming Yang Shen's "Yang Sheng'an Complete Works" Volume 81 "Ghost Car" Article: "Novel": Zhou Gongju Eastern Zhou, bad news of this bird, ordered the court to shoot it, one of the blood, and the remaining nine songs.

5 Sources of Legends

The legend of the nine-headed bird originated very early and spread widely, and in the long spread of the bird, there are many differences between eras and regions, and it is very difficult to trace its original origin. From the extant ancient texts, we find several origins.

Nine-tailed bird

"Guangyun": "Partridge, "Han Poem" cloud: Confucius crossed the river, saw the difference, and everyone could not be named. Confucius heard the song of the people on the river and said: 'The owl is full of partridges, the hair is declining, and the body is long with nine tails. This "nine-tailed" bird was once seen by Confucius, and few people knew its name at that time, only thought it was very strange. Later, some people called it "partridge", that is, owls and other birds. The nine-headed bird may be a legendary fierce bird that evolved from the nine-tailed bird.

The Wandering Girl of the Emperor of Heaven

"Ancient Novel Hook Shen" series "Xuanzhong Ji": Gu gets the bird to fly at night and hide during the day, covering ghosts and gods. The feathers of the clothes are for the birds, and the hair is for the women. A Heavenly Emperor Maiden, a Nocturnal Wandering Girl. ...... A hidden flyer. The bird has no children, and likes to take the son of man to raise him, and think that he is a son. Nowadays, children's clothes do not want to be exposed at night, so they love to blood their clothes, that is, to take children. Therefore, the name of the world is ghost bird, and Jingzhou is more. The man of Xi Yuzhang saw that there were six or seven women in the field,...... Crawling, first get one of his daughters to untie the sweater, take it, that is, go to the birds, all the birds go to the sweater, the clothes fly. A bird is not allowed to go alone, and a man takes it as a wife. Gave birth to three daughters. His mother's maid asked her father, knowing that the clothes were under the accumulated rice, and she got them, and the clothes flew away. Later, she greeted the three daughters with clothes, and the three daughters flew away with clothes. Now it is called a ghost car.

This is the earliest legend of a fairy descending to earth. After the fairy descends to earth, she is a bird in a sweater, and a woman is a woman when she takes off her sweater. After marrying a man from Yuzhang and having a daughter, she returned to heaven and later took all three daughters away. The so-called "birds have no children, and they like to be raised by the son of man", which means that when she flew back to the sky and did not pick up her daughter, she went to the mortal world to find her daughter. In order to prevent her from taking other people's children as her own daughters, the folk formed this taboo against it. The legend has endured, with different versions depending on the era.

For example: "Sou Shen Ji" volume 14: A man in Yuzhang Xinyu County, saw six or seven women in the field, all wearing sweaters, but they didn't know that they were birds. Creeping to the place, get a woman to untie the sweater, take it, that is, go to the birds. Each bird flies to the clouds, and no bird can go alone, and the man takes it as a wife. Gave birth to three daughters. His mother's maid asked her father, knowing that the clothes were under the accumulated rice, and she got them, and the clothes flew away. Later, he welcomed the three daughters, and the women also had to fly. "Water Jing Note: River Water": There are many female birds in Yangxin County. "Xuanzhong Ji" said that the new man of Yang, who got it in the water, lived together, gave birth to two daughters, and left with all his clothes. Yu Zhangjian raised children, did not show their clothes, said that birds are more dusty in children's clothes, then the children are sick. Therefore, it is also called the night flying girl. "Dunhuang Variation Anthology: Ju Daoxing "Sou Shen Ji" slightly cloudy: In the past, there was a Tian Kunlun, and his family was poor and unmarried. When he was ripe, he saw the three daughters bathing in the pool, and the second flew away with the clothes, Kunlun grabbed the clothes of the little one, so he took them as his wife and brought them back to see his mother. After giving birth to a child over the years, the name is Tian Zhang. Kunlun was ordered to go west and did not return for three years. The woman asked her mother for her clothes, and after repeated pleading, her mother couldn't bear to brush her intentions, so she hid it. The women's clothes took off into the air and went to the sky, although the mother wailed, but did not care. However, when he finally thought of his son, he went down to play with his second sister, hoping to see his son. At that time, Tian Zhang was five years old and was taught by Mr. Dong Zhong to find his mother. The three daughters then rode the children to the sky together. Heavenly Lord took pity on his nephew and taught him how to do magic. After four or five days, the child is fifteen years old. The Heavenly Father immediately took eight volumes of documents and ordered him to descend to earth. The son of heaven knows all three talents, and when the Son of Heaven hears about it, he is called to be the prime minister. After committing an accident, he was exiled to the Western Wilderness. ......

Female Qi

"Chu Ci Tianwen": "Nuqi has no harmony, and the husband takes nine sons?" Wang Yi notes: "Nuqi, the goddess, has nine sons without a husband." Ding Yanjian: "Nuqi, or the nine sons and mothers." "This is the legend of the ancient Chu State about the goddess Nuqi. She had nine sons from Nuqi Wuhe (without a husband), so how did she come to have nine sons? Of course, it was "taken from others", so there was a taboo against her among the people, thinking that she would often go down to earth to take people's sons. It evolved from "nine sons" to "nine heads", and later mixed and spread with legends such as "Heavenly Emperor Wandering Girl" or Gu Won Bird, forming the legend of the nine-headed bird. It is recorded in books such as "Compendium of Materia Medica", "Qingchang Insight and Experience", "Enlightenment of Materia Medica" and "Records of Materia Medica" that a strange bird that inhabits Jingzhou is a bird, shedding its feathers and becoming a woman, and often comes to harm children at night. The mother did not give birth for a long time, and the life of the baby in the womb remained, and the mother became delusional, turned into a monster, and walked at night with her child. The cry of the baby is called the cry of the bird.

Grim

Legend has it that the image of a woman is a bird with nine heads.