Chiyou | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 蚩尤 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 蚩尤 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chiyou (蚩尤; Old Chinese (ZS): *tʰjɯ-ɢʷɯ) is a mythological being that appears in Chinese mythology. He was a tribal leader of the Nine Li tribe (九黎) in ancient China.[1] He is best known as a king who lost against the future Yellow Emperor during the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors era in Chinese mythology.[1][2][3] According to the Song dynasty history book Lushi, Chiyou's surname was Jiang (姜), and he was a descendant of the Flame Emperor.[4]
For some Hmong people, Chiyou or Txiv Yawg[5] was a sagacious mythical king.[6] He has a particularly complex and controversial ancestry, as he may fall under Dongyi[1] Miao[6] or even Man,[6] depending on the source and view. Today, Chiyou is honored and worshipped as the God of War and one of the three legendary founding fathers of China.[dubious – discuss]
According to legend, Chiyou had a bronze head with a distinct metal forehead.[7] He had four eyes and six arms, wielding terrible sharp weapons in every hand, similar to a description of fangxiangshi.[8] In some sources, Chiyou had certain features associated with various mythological bovines: his head was that of a bull with two horns, although the body was human, and his hindquarters were those of a bear.[8] He is said to have been unbelievably fierce, and to have had 81 brothers and many followers.[8] Historical sources often described him as 'bold leader',[4] as well as 'brave'.[9] Some sources have asserted that the figure 81 should rather be associated with 81 clans in his kingdom.[10] Chiyou knows the constellations and the ancients spells for calling upon the weather. For example, he called upon a fog to surround Huangdi and his soldiers during the Battle of Zhuolu.
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