Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2: Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and this is the
Speaker 2: Monster Fact, a short form series from Stuff to Blow
Speaker 2: Your Mind, focusing on un mythical creatures, ideas and monsters.
Speaker 2: In time, I'd like to return once more to the
Speaker 2: world of Chinese mythology and legend. In this episode, you
Speaker 2: might remember our previous discussion of Chiseltooth, a monstrous ogre
Speaker 2: ultimately slain by the mighty archer Oh Ye. Well, today
Speaker 2: we have another unnatural creature that only Ye or another
Speaker 2: suitable hero or god was capable of slaying the Nine
Speaker 2: faces of death. It's another being detailed in the Classic
Speaker 2: of Mountains and Seas of the Shanghai Jing, which you
Speaker 2: might remember us recording an episode of Stuff to Blow
Speaker 2: Your Mind about, and as Shooting Need describes in the
Speaker 2: excellent book Chinese Myths, the entity's name Jiu Ying or
Speaker 2: nine Infants doesn't quite convey the true monstrosity of the creature,
Speaker 2: because this creature does present you with the heads of
Speaker 2: nine infants, but these heads are attached to a monstrous
Speaker 2: green or black serpentine body. Each head inflicts one of
Speaker 2: the nine pains, burning, corroding, freezing, drowning, blinding, poisoning, violence, destruction,
Speaker 2: and cruelty. The anbural translation of the Shanghaijing translates the
Speaker 2: monster's name as aid Willem. It is also known as
Speaker 2: sheng Lu. This is the name astronomers give the only
Speaker 2: known moon of the dwarf planet twenty two five eight
Speaker 2: eight Gongong, itself named for the Chinese water god. Fort
Speaker 2: Is said that Chu Ying was once a minister of
Speaker 2: the water god, but has left to fend for itself
Speaker 2: after Gongong's defeat and divine battle. And so the nine
Speaker 2: headed monster roamed the earth, feeding with its nine heads
Speaker 2: from the nine mountains, leaving toxic swamps, gorgeous famine, and
Speaker 2: devastation in its wake. It helped bring about the Great Flood,
Speaker 2: and neither Heaven nor Hell would permit the creature's entry,
Speaker 2: according to n and so it was left to the
Speaker 2: mighty archer Ye to slay the creature. In the Handbook
Speaker 2: of Chinese Mythology by Yang at All, the authors attribute
Speaker 2: the monster's slaying, at least in some versions, to You
Speaker 2: the Great, the legendary ruler and tamer of floods. After
Speaker 2: its slaying, the monster's foul blood is said to have
Speaker 2: corrupted the very earth that it spilled upon, and so
Speaker 2: you dug out the soil three times and built a
Speaker 2: terrace for the gods on Kunlun Mountain out of the excavations.
Speaker 2: The authors here add that some orally transmitted versions of
Speaker 2: the tale hold that the monster survived as more of
Speaker 2: a nine headed dragon, only to ultimately meet its death
Speaker 2: at the hands of the creator. God es new why
Speaker 2: whoever it's slayter, it is clear that the nine phases
Speaker 2: of death are no match for bravery, ingenuity, and creative power.
Speaker 2: Tune in for additional episodes of The Monster Fact each week.
Speaker 2: As always, you can email us at contact at stuff
Speaker 2: to Blow Your Mind dot.
Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For
Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.