1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from 4 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind, focusing in on mythical creatures, 5 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: ideas and monsters in time. Perhaps you've heard the story 6 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: of Houghie the Archer, one of the greatest heroes in 7 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 1: Chinese mythology. Already the world's greatest archer, he rose to 8 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,639 Speaker 1: divine superstardom during the time of the Ten Suns. When 9 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 1: the Middle Kingdom suffered under the intense heat of a 10 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:45,480 Speaker 1: blazing sky. The Emperor Yao called upon Ye for assistance, 11 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: and so the Great Archer shot each of the nine 12 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: surplus sons out of the sky, saving the world from 13 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: a fiery fate. But the Middle Kingdom was still not safe. 14 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: While the solar calamity had been averted, many range and 15 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: unnatural beings still roamed the land and tormented the people. 16 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: Emperor Yao called upon the Mighty Archer once more to 17 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: dispense with this new threat. The plague of monsters featured 18 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: great serpents and giant birds. They boasted names such as 19 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: nine gullet, Typhoon, mound Pig, and long Snake. According to 20 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 1: translators John Major at All in two thousand tens The 21 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: High Nuns, a guide to the theory and practice of 22 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: government in early Han China. These monsters pop up in 23 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: various warring states and hand works, and seemed to represent 24 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: destructive forces of nature. But there's one monster we must 25 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: single out for its unique appearance and ferocity. Zoocher chiseltooth 26 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: or chisel tusk. An eighth century Tang Dynasty tile depicts 27 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: a creature thought to represent chiseltooth. He has the appearance 28 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 1: of a great eat ogre, with a bald head, pig 29 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: like nose, bat ears, and a huge chisel like tooth 30 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 1: emerging from his upper jaw. Cereal Birch's Tales from China 31 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: retaels Ye's adventures and describes quote one huge tooth gleaming 32 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 1: yellow against its chest. The monster is said to make 33 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: grizzly use of his great razor sharp tooth, severing heads 34 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: and rending his victim's flesh. He is the great butcher. 35 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: He cuts down whole towns and eats what he likes. 36 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: No wonder the Emperor ordered Ye to hunt the killer down. 37 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: As Birch tells it, Ye and his companions set out 38 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: across the water meadows and soon discovered signs of the 39 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 1: monster's blood lust. Decapitated bodies littered the ground. Whole towns 40 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 1: had been decimated, as if by an environmental force. Chisel 41 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: Tooth fled before his hunters and retreated to his caves, 42 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,959 Speaker 1: but then re emerged with a great shield. Ye's arrows 43 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: were useless against such defenses, but the great archer stood 44 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: his ground. Chiseltooth advanced closer and closer, and just as 45 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,639 Speaker 1: the monster lowered his shield and reared his ugly head 46 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: to strike, Ye let fly his arrow and severed the 47 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: tooth from the monster's head right at the gums. Chiseltooth, 48 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 1: like all the other monsters, fell dead at Ye's feet. 49 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: Ye would have many more adventures, but his later life, 50 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: we are told, was marked by tragedy. His wife, Changa, 51 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: drank the elixir of immortality and flew to the moon 52 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: alone immortal. Yea's annual offerings to his wife became the 53 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: mid Autumn moon festival, still practiced today. Ye himself eventually died, 54 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: in some tellings, at the hands of his own scheming apprentice, 55 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: who wanted the secrets of his archery all to himself 56 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: Ye Tune in for additional episodes of The Monster Fact 57 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: each week during the months of September and October. As always, 58 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: you can email us at contact at stuff to Blow 59 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: your Mind dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is 60 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for My 61 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 62 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.