Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of
Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and
Speaker 1: this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from
Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind, focusing in on mythical creatures,
Speaker 1: ideas and monsters in time. Perhaps you've heard the story
Speaker 1: of Houghie the Archer, one of the greatest heroes in
Speaker 1: Chinese mythology. Already the world's greatest archer, he rose to
Speaker 1: divine superstardom during the time of the Ten Suns. When
Speaker 1: the Middle Kingdom suffered under the intense heat of a
Speaker 1: blazing sky. The Emperor Yao called upon Ye for assistance,
Speaker 1: and so the Great Archer shot each of the nine
Speaker 1: surplus sons out of the sky, saving the world from
Speaker 1: a fiery fate. But the Middle Kingdom was still not safe.
Speaker 1: While the solar calamity had been averted, many range and
Speaker 1: unnatural beings still roamed the land and tormented the people.
Speaker 1: Emperor Yao called upon the Mighty Archer once more to
Speaker 1: dispense with this new threat. The plague of monsters featured
Speaker 1: great serpents and giant birds. They boasted names such as
Speaker 1: nine gullet, Typhoon, mound Pig, and long Snake. According to
Speaker 1: translators John Major at All in two thousand tens The
Speaker 1: High Nuns, a guide to the theory and practice of
Speaker 1: government in early Han China. These monsters pop up in
Speaker 1: various warring states and hand works, and seemed to represent
Speaker 1: destructive forces of nature. But there's one monster we must
Speaker 1: single out for its unique appearance and ferocity. Zoocher chiseltooth
Speaker 1: or chisel tusk. An eighth century Tang Dynasty tile depicts
Speaker 1: a creature thought to represent chiseltooth. He has the appearance
Speaker 1: of a great eat ogre, with a bald head, pig
Speaker 1: like nose, bat ears, and a huge chisel like tooth
Speaker 1: emerging from his upper jaw. Cereal Birch's Tales from China
Speaker 1: retaels Ye's adventures and describes quote one huge tooth gleaming
Speaker 1: yellow against its chest. The monster is said to make
Speaker 1: grizzly use of his great razor sharp tooth, severing heads
Speaker 1: and rending his victim's flesh. He is the great butcher.
Speaker 1: He cuts down whole towns and eats what he likes.
Speaker 1: No wonder the Emperor ordered Ye to hunt the killer down.
Speaker 1: As Birch tells it, Ye and his companions set out
Speaker 1: across the water meadows and soon discovered signs of the
Speaker 1: monster's blood lust. Decapitated bodies littered the ground. Whole towns
Speaker 1: had been decimated, as if by an environmental force. Chisel
Speaker 1: Tooth fled before his hunters and retreated to his caves,
Speaker 1: but then re emerged with a great shield. Ye's arrows
Speaker 1: were useless against such defenses, but the great archer stood
Speaker 1: his ground. Chiseltooth advanced closer and closer, and just as
Speaker 1: the monster lowered his shield and reared his ugly head
Speaker 1: to strike, Ye let fly his arrow and severed the
Speaker 1: tooth from the monster's head right at the gums. Chiseltooth,
Speaker 1: like all the other monsters, fell dead at Ye's feet.
Speaker 1: Ye would have many more adventures, but his later life,
Speaker 1: we are told, was marked by tragedy. His wife, Changa,
Speaker 1: drank the elixir of immortality and flew to the moon
Speaker 1: alone immortal. Yea's annual offerings to his wife became the
Speaker 1: mid Autumn moon festival, still practiced today. Ye himself eventually died,
Speaker 1: in some tellings, at the hands of his own scheming apprentice,
Speaker 1: who wanted the secrets of his archery all to himself
Speaker 1: Ye Tune in for additional episodes of The Monster Fact
Speaker 1: each week during the months of September and October. As always,
Speaker 1: you can email us at contact at stuff to Blow
Speaker 1: your Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is
Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for My
Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.