Xiao (mythology)
A xiao or a hsiao is a creature in Chinese mythology, described as resembling either a long-armed ape or a four-winged bird. Jorge Luis Borges describes this creature as similar to a hawk, but with the head of a man, the body of a monkey, and the tail of dog.[1] The word is sometimes misspelled "hsigo."[2]
Word
Template:ChineseText In Chinese, the word xiāo (囂) means "noise; clamor; hubbub; haughty; proud; arrogant." The character combines the radical 㗊 and the remainder 頁. The radical is a quadrupling of 口, which means "mouth." By itself, the remainder means "head." During the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC), it was the name of a capital city.
The first Chinese character dictionary, the Shuowen Jiezi (AD 121) defines xiao as sound or noise (shēng, 聲). It notes cryptically that, "qi [natural energy] is emitted on top of the head." Duan Yucai adds the annotation, "noise is emitted and qi follows it".
Shanhaijing
The Shanhaijing "Classic of Mountains and Seas" uses xiao as the name of a river (Xiaoshui 囂水),[3] a mountain, Beixiao zhi shan 北囂之山,[4] and two mythical creatures.
The first mythological xiao, which supposedly resembles a yú (禺) "monkey; ape", is found on the western mountain of Yuci (羭次),
Seventy leagues further west is a mountain called Mount Ewenext.…There is an animal on this mountain which looks like an ape, but it has longer arms and it is good at throwing things. Its name is the hubbub.[5]
One hundred ninety li farther west stands Black-Ewe Mountain … There is a beast here whose form resembles a Yu-Ape but with longer arms. It is adept at throwing things and is called the Xiao … Noisy-Ape.[6]
The second mythological xiao, which resembles Kuafu (夸父) the mythological giant who chased the sun, is found on the northern mountain Liangqu (梁渠),
Three hundred and fifty leagues further north is a mountain called Mount Bridgedrain. … There is a bird here which looks like the boastfather; it has four wings, one eye, and a dog's tail. Its name is the hubbub. It makes a noise like a magpie. If you eat it, it will cure a bellyache, and it is effective for indigestion.[7]
There is a bird dwelling here whose form resembles Kuafu the Boaster but with four wings, one eye, and a dog's tail. It is called the Raucous-Bird, and it makes a sound like a magpie. Eating it will cure abdominal pain, and it can also stop diarrhea.[8]
Although this passage compares the xiao bird with kuafu, who has a human form, the Shanhaijing commentary of Guo Pu (276-324) says another textual version states that it resembles the jufu (舉父), who is also described as yu "monkey; ape". The sub-commentary of Hao Yixing (郝懿行; 1757–1825) notes the association may be owing to the similar sounding names kuafu and jufu.[9] The relevant passage concerns the mountain Chongwu (崇吾),
The first peak of the Classic of the Western Mountains, Part III, is called Mount Worshipmy.…There is an animal here which looks like an ape but its forearms have markings like a leopard or tiger, and it is good at throwing things. Its name is the liftfather.[10]
The first mountain along the third guideway through the Western Mountains is called Mount Chongwu.… There is a beast here who form resembles a Yu-Ape with leopard and tiger markings on its arms. It is adept at throwing things and is called the Jufu.[11]
References
- ^ Jorge Luis Borges, The Book of Imaginary Beings, Penguin Classics (2006).
- ^ Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, Companion for the Apprentice Wizard, p. 178.
- ^ tr. Birrell 2000:16, passim "River Hubbub"
- ^ tr. Birrell 2000:43 "Mount Northhubbub"
- ^ tr. Birrell 1999:15
- ^ tr. Strassberg 2002:99
- ^ tr. Birrell 1999:44
- ^ tr. Strassberg 2002:129
- ^ Strassberg 2002:259
- ^ tr. Birrell 2000:20-21
- ^ Lifter (Strassberg 2002:104).
Further reading
- Birrell, Anne, tr. 2000. The Classic of Mountains and Seas. Penguin.
- Schiffeler, John W. 1978. The Legendary Creatures of the Shan hai ching. Hwa Kang.
- Strassberg, Richard. 2002. A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the guideways Through Mountains and Seas. University of California Press.